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The economy has been struggling for over a year because of the mortgage crisis, and the government has tried several ways to turn things around. One was to give most taxpayers a $600 check, as part of a so-called "stimulus package" meant to stimulate the economy. The government also stepped in earlier this year to help keep some big companies from going out of business, but it still wasn't enough. Now, President Bush is proposing a bailout of financial companies. To the left of President Bush in the picture here is the chairman of the Federal Reserve, Ben Bernanke. To the right of Bush is the Treasury Secretary, Henry Paulson. They are the two top economic advisors to the president, and they are in charge of U.S. economic policies. In response to the stock market plunge, and the possible failure of more big businesses, Bernanke and Paulson urged Congress to pass a huge bailout of the financial industry, which would cost the government about $700 billion, or about $2,000 for every person in the country. Of course, everyone won't be handed a bill for $2,000. But government actions are paid for by taxes, so taxpayers will pay the bill. Bernanke and Paulson said that the bailout was necessary to prevent much worse damage to the economy. But many people are not happy about having to pay for the mistakes of other people. What do you think? Should the government bail out the financial companies?
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