This Is Acceptable?

Robert Reich comments,

In other words, Geithner and Fed Chair Ben Bernanke continue to do pretty much what Hank Paulson and Bernanke did: They hide much of the true costs and risks to taxpayers of repairing the banking system. Those risks and costs should be put on the people who made risky bets on the banks in the first place - namely bank shareholders and creditors. Shareholders of the most troubled banks should be wiped out entirely. Bank creditors- except depositors - should take major hits. And top executives who were responsible should be canned. But Geithner and Bernanke don't want to take these steps for fear of spooking the Street. They think it's safer to put the costs and risks on taxpayers -- especially in ways they can't see.

Remind me again why "nationalization" is such an awful word? Not in the context of healthy organizations, or even those that are struggling to recover, but in the context of bankrupt financial institutions that seem to lack the will, desire, and ability to get themselves out of the mess they created? "It spooks the street" just isn't convincing enough for me.