Because these bailouts haven't already put the taxpayers on the hook enough...

McCain mortgage plan shifts costs to taxpayers

It seems like McCain and some other Republicans should start up a new party, because they don't seem to be sticking to the small government and low taxes that is called for under the Republican brand.

In my mind, the original plan to have the banks write down these mortgages made a lot more sense. Think of it this way. If someone is about to foreclose on their house, and can't pay their mortgage any longer, the bank is going to take the loss of the whole mortgage and the housing market will continue to erode. However, if they write off some of the mortgage and refinance these mortgages so that the people can afford them and stay in their house, the banks don't lose the entire mortgage, people stay in the house and continue paying on the new lower mortgage, and the housing market stabilizes a bit. This seems like a win-win situation.

Why should the American taxpayer continually be expected to pay for the bad decisions of banks, mortgage companies, and their customers? There has to be a little corporate and personal responsibility at some point.