Mental Maths Answer Book

Sunday, March 16, 2008 The next morning I was booked on several Sunday talk shows to answer questions about the rescue. I spoke to Tim first thing. Neither of us had heard a word from Jamie, which was good news. I left for the TV studios around 7:30 a.m., making a mental note not to say a word about the negotiations and to stick to my carefully prepared talking points. I taped ABCБЂ™s This Week first. The host, George Stephanopoulos, zeroed in on what was on the publicБЂ™s mind, asking whether we werenБЂ™t using taxpayer dollars to bail out Wall Street. БЂњWeБЂ™re very aware of moral hazard,БЂ«I said, adding, БЂњMy primary concern is the stability of our financial system.БЂ«БЂњAre there other banks in a situation similar to Bear StearnsБЂ™s right now?БЂ«he wanted to know. БЂњIs this just the beginning?БЂ«БЂњWell, our financial institutions, our banks and investment banks, are very strong,БЂ«I stressed. БЂњOur markets are resilient, theyБЂ™re flexible. IБЂ™m quite confident weБЂ™re going to work our way through this situation.БЂ«And I was ...»