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The Week in Review

As Americans look forward to a new year, they are reflecting on the last days of 2008, when the economy unraveled and voters in an historic election turned to new leadership.  Senator Bernie Sanders looked ahead with optimism as the nation nears the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama. As more of you take our survey sizing up the best and worst of past U.S. presidents, Lincoln and Washington are your most admired.  George W. Bush outpaces Richard Nixon in the other category. 

What Now? “Vermonters often ask me whether I am pessimistic about the future of our country. My honest answer is that I am not. Difficult times often bring out the best in people. Now, in this moment of great national crisis, I am confident that with new national leadership and strong grass-roots participation we can come together and create the kind of nation that all of us know America can be,” Sanders wrote in an op-ed published Friday by the Times-Argus. To read the column, click here. 

No More Bailout Billions  for Bush Congress should reject Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson’s request to release the second half of a $700 billion Wall Street bailout fund that has been shrouded in secrecy. In a statement issued by the Treasury Department, Paulson asserted that “it is clear…that Congress will need to release the remainder…to support financial market stability.”  Said Sanders: “It is inconceivable that we would provide another $350 billion to the banks – supposedly to ease credit – when they are refusing to tell us how they’re spending the money they’ve already received.”  The senator said that many of the concerns that he voiced when he voted against the bailout on October 1 have turned out to be true. To read more, click here. 

Credit Card Rules Sanders called it absurd that federal regulators put off until July 2010 new consumer protections against credit card industry abuses like arbitrary increase in interest rates. “For far too long, credit card companies have been allowed to charge sky-high fees and loan-shark interest rates to pad their profits. Why should they get another year and a half to rip off American consumers?” asked Sanders, who for years fought for legislation to stop credit card abuses. Under the new regulations approved yesterday, credit card companies will be able to raise interest rates only on new credit cards and future purchases or advances, but not on current balances. Companies will have to give credit card holders 45 days’ notice before any changes are made to the terms of an account, including a higher penalty rate for missing payments or paying bills late. To read more, click here.  

Digital TV “Bernard Sanders of Vermont has proposed a new government coupon program to subsidize rooftop antennas for people with poor reception. The coupons will help defray the cost of antennas that could run into the hundreds of dollars for lower-income people and the elderly, who will be disproportionately affected by the pending digital switch. An option, given the cost of antennas, may be no TV,” Sanders told the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Bob Fernandez. “If you're 80 years old, you will not be going up on your roof in a Vermont winter,’ said Sanders, an Independent and former mayor of Burlington, Vt., who heard complaints about free-digital-TV reception in a Vermont town hall meeting in October." To read more about the conversion to digital TV, click here. To read the Philadelphia Inquirer article on Bernie’s legislation, click here.