Congresswoman McMorris Rodgers Reponds To IMF Statement Europe Bailout Will Cost US Taxpayers $100 Billion+

Last week we pointed out a very troubling statement by the head of IMF's policy-steering committee, Youssef Boutros-Ghali who
said that the IMF is essentially insolvent in its current form of being
the go to backstop for a European bailout. "If we are going to start including funds made available to
Europe, then the IMF is not properly resourced." Finally, someone in Washington is waking up over the most recent bottomless moneyhole, now affectionately known as Euro-TARP, and the hundreds of billions this will cost US taxpayers.

From the just released statement by Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA):

McMorris Rodgers Responds to Statement by IMF Leader Suggesting that European Bailout Will Cost U.S. Taxpayers $100 Billion or More

“Obama Administration Needs to Stand Up for U.S. Taxpayers”

Washington, DC – Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), Vice Chair of the House Republican Conference, called a statement by one of the leaders of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) suggesting that American taxpayers would be forced to spend $100 billion to help bailout Europe “extremely troubling.”

On Friday, June 4, the chairman of the IMF’s policy committee, Youssef Boutros-Ghali, said the IMF’s financial reserves would have to rise “very significantly” in the wake of the IMF’s $335 billion commitment to bailout Greece and the European Union.  "If we are going to start including funds made available to Europe, then the IMF is not properly resourced," said Mr. Boutros-Ghali, while adding that IMF members were talking of doubling the amount of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs).  In 2009, the IMF increased its SDR allocation from $34 billion to $318 billion.  To help facilitate this process, the U.S. Congress – over the objection of most House Republicans – increased America’s commitment to the IMF by $100 billion.  If the SDR allocation needs to be doubled – as Mr. Boutros-Ghali claims – that would mean U.S. taxpayers would probably be on the hook for an additional $100 billion, if not more. [emphasis ours]

“This should give pause to Treasury Secretary Geithner and others who boasted that the IMF’s bailout bonanza wouldn’t cost U.S. taxpayers a dime,” said Rep. McMorris Rodgers.  “In truth, the cost to U.S. taxpayers goes up every few weeks.  After the Greek bailout, it stood at about $7 billion; after the EU bailout, it stood at about $60 billion.  Now – based on Mr. Boutros-Ghali’s comments – we’re talking at possibly $100 billion or more.  This has got to stop.”

Growing concerns about U.S. involvement in the European debt crisis have sent stocks sharply lower and raised fears of a double-dip recession.  After the $900 billion EU bailout was announced on the evening of May 9, the Dow Jones rose to 10,880.14 in the first hour of trading the next day.  But since then, growing doubts about the wisdom of the bailout have rattled financial markets.  At the close of trading on June 4, the Dow stood at 9,931.97.  May 2010 was the worst May for the Dow Jones since 1940.  

On May 18, Rep. McMorris Rodgers and Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) introduced a Congressional Resolution, H. Con. Res. 279, opposing U.S. participation in the European bailouts.

“Every Member of Congress should go on record – either ‘yay’ or ‘nay’ – on whether or not U.S. tax dollars should go to a Euro-TARP,” said Rep. McMorris Rodgers.  “Should Congress approve our resolution, it will send a powerful signal to the Obama Administration that we cannot take this ‘too big to fail’ philosophy to a global level.  The only thing ‘too big to fail’ is America itself.” [emph. ours]

Comments

[Madcow]

Either there's a coming announcement of QE2.

Or I'm voting for Smith & Wesson.

I know the first bank leads to the same destination - but hopefully not as quickly. I'm just not ready for a sudden stop.

[superman07]

I would rather struggle in a hard environment built upon hard work and effort with a honest lifestyle, then proceed with the illusion untill the fabric of western society rips appart. I would prefer not dealing with generations of cold and calious people that will gladly resort to crime and abusing others when there is no government teet. 

[chistletoe]

So long as we have elected officials,

and we have a government which is authorized to print money,

and authorized to borrow money,

then we will have this problem.

The voters are always going to vote for whichever candidate seems likely to give them the most money.

[Mako]

Overall, a very good post, I welcome the discussion in that directly.  I don't hold all the answers. 

"One implication is that the alternate path could be achieved by outlawing "usury""

I somewhat agree, actually the legal structure is already setup to handle it.  "Debt collectors" is a regulated activity, see your State code and Federal code for more information. 

Oh what the masses don't know.  Read Title 15 USC Ch. 41 Subchapter 5.

A debt collector is a public right that is statutorily codified in the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act, and the corresponding state law enacted in compliance to Title 16 CFR part 901.

15 U.S.C. § 1692a(6).

A "debt collector" as "any person who uses any instrumentality of interstate commerce or the mails in any business the principal purpose of which is the collection of any debts, or who regularly collects or attempts to collect, directly or indirectly, debts owed or due or asserted to be owed or due another".

Daniel GARRETT v.Richard S. DERBES, A Professional Law Corporation

Therefore, we hold that a person who, during a single nine-month period, attempts to collect debts owed another by 639 different individuals "regularly" attempts to collect debts owed another, and thus is a "debt collector" under § 1692a(6).