Reuters - The home mortgage crisis that has Wall Street and consumers worried about an economic meltdown is prompting many in the U.S. Congress to come to the rescue of hard-hit states that just happen to be crucial to their own election-year success.

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Rebates are a good example of this. Election year politics. No one hesitated to ask a few meaningful questions such as "will the rebates really stimulate the economy?" It was more like bribery for "vote for me."

Polls show that a large majority of people will put rebates into savings. However, the polls were taken before gas prices went through the roof. Those rebates will go up in smoke paying $3.50 to $4.00 a gallon just driving to work and back.

I can't help but notice that the Bush connected Carlyle Group was one of the first to get bailed out. We are talking about predatory loan sharks trying to sell unsecured loans to hook young families on high interest payments, the type that take many years to get out from under. The direct response should be that big, ugly "R" word - regulation. The loan sharks need severe limits imposed on them.

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