Gerald H. Little, President of the New Hampshire Bankers Association, in a Union Leader op-ed: “The financial rescue plan needs to pass in the U.S. House of Representatives today. It is not a proposal to bail out Wall Street. It's a plan to protect Main Street. It is not about equity markets, the impact of their gyrations on our 401(k) plan balances or willingness to invest in the economy over a long term. It's about the credit markets, the flow of fairly large amounts of excess cash, generally short term, to allow businesses to meet their immediate obligations.” (10/3/08)

Pensacola News Journal Editorial: “…[T]hose criticizing the package as a sweet deal for Wall Street appear to have missed the carnage there. Investors inside and outside the financial community have lost hundreds of billions of dollars, thousands of people have been laid off, major investment firms have collapsed — and the damage continues to spread toward Main Street.” (10/3/08)

Cleveland Plain Dealer Editorial: “House is left with no excuses; it must pass financial rescue bill. … This bill is no bailout for rich Wall Street tycoons. It includes safeguards against windfalls to the banks that engaged in risky loans. Financial institutions that participate will have to share in the risk through what effectively are insurance premiums against further losses in asset value. The bill specifically is oriented to stabilizing markets, helping people stay in their homes and minimizing the final cost to taxpayers. It's geared not to offering Wall Street execs further golden parachutes.” (10/3/08)

The Christian Science Monitor: “Brace yourself. The credit squeeze that almost every financial expert has warned about is here…Banks are reducing credit lines and refusing to make new loans to everyone from the local used-car dealer to the office-supply store. Unable to float bonds, states, cities, and transportation authorities are postponing everything from pothole repair to airport terminal expansions. Even some students are finding that banks have tightened lending standards for private student loans – something that is particularly affecting schools that serve low-income working adults. …The key question: Can Congress end the gathering credit maelstrom by passing the $700 billion rescue plan?” (10/3/08)

Bill Kristol, Editor of The Weekly Standard: “And doing nothing risks--I'd say invites--economic and political disaster. Passing the Paulson plan won't solve all the financial problems we face--but failing to pass it will exacerbate them, and will keep the markets in a state of roiling uncertainty at best, and meltdown at worst.” (10/3/08)

The Philadelphia Inquirer Editorial: “If the House fails to act, the nation's financial system - already under tremendous strain - could face its biggest test since the Great Depression. … It was not just fat cats on Wall Street who lost money when stocks sank. Everyone's 401(k), pension fund and other equity investments took a beating as well.” (10/1/08)

The Bemidji (MN) Pioneer Editorial: “Action must be taken or millions of Americans — those who live on Main Street not on Park Avenue — could see their pensions evaporate, get refused for a car loan or, even worse, lose their home to mortgage foreclosure. … A key measure of the new bill which is desperately needed is to raise the cap on what the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. will insure in everyday savings accounts from $100,000 to $250,000, a figure not touched in three decades.” (10/02/08)

Dallas Morning News Editorial: “There will be time to sort out who's to blame later. Right now, Congress has to act to stabilize the credit markets – and like it or not, that means giving Wall Street a temporary boost. The alternative really is worse.” (10/1/08)

Lowell (MA) Sun Editorial: “Get back on track, pass the rescue plan. … Without capital flow, from business to business, or for individual purposes, the economy will come to a standstill. A deep recession would be inevitable and stark. Many people would lose their jobs and possessions. … It wasn't a perfect bill, but it was essential for America. And it still is. Let's move ahead, Congress. Get over the partisan divide.” (10/1/08)

Arkansas Leader Editorial: “Without credit, the American economy will grind to a standstill and so perhaps will the major economies of the world, which have absorbed part of our bad debts. We have had global recessions before, and two global depressions, and we do not want to go there. … Whatever the chances are that the massive government purchase of bad debts will work, they are odds that any patriotic lawmaker ought to take. If the chances were only one in three that credit would be unlocked, it would be worth the risk.” (10/1/08)

Wisconsin State Journal: “Pass rescue to stop meltdown. … Failure to pass a rescue plan would put more than $700 billion at jeopardy. It would risk a far-reaching shutdown of credit, with catastrophic consequences for Americans' paychecks and jobs as well as the value of their homes and retirement accounts. … Some members of Congress correctly argue that the rescue does not solve problems that underlie the credit crisis. But that's no reason to reject the rescue. … Other opponents want Congress to wait for better alternatives. But further delay would not only make an economic collapse more likely, it also would invite Washington to taint the rescue with add-ons and pet projects. … It's time for House members to do what's right for the nation. It's time to rescue the economy.” (10/2/08)

Sacramento Bee Editorial: “A majority of both parties should do the right thing and send the proposal to President Bush for his signature. … This isn't a partisan problem. This is a national problem requiring a national solution. … This imperfect bill is better than no bill. The nation's financial crisis is real and has the potential to get worse fast. While it may be tempting to wait and see if things work themselves out without government intervention, the risk of a cascading financial disaster is too great. … There is reason to believe that it will reduce the short-term risk of disaster. And that is enough reason for both Republicans and Democrats to support it, despite their misgivings about its imperfections.” (10/2/08)

Philadelphia Inquirer Editorial: “If the House fails to act, the nation's financial system - already under tremendous strain - could face its biggest test since the Great Depression. … It was not just fat cats on Wall Street who lost money when stocks sank. Everyone's 401(k), pension fund and other equity investments took a beating as well.” (10/1/08)

New Orleans Times-Picayune Editorial: “Rescuing the rescue package. … Elected officials must show the courage to pass a rescue plan. … Credit markets tightened even further after the House vote, meaning loans for businesses to pay for ordinary expenses -- like inventory and payroll -- are more limited and more expensive. That means jobs cannot be created and existing ones may be lost. Consumers trying to borrow money to purchase homes and cars or to pay for college also are feeling the pinch. Many experts warn that other consumer instruments -- like credit cards -- could begin tightening up as well. That goes for people with good credit as well as bad. The renewed sense of urgency finally prompted Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama on Tuesday to begin making a more forceful case for the rescue package. Congress and the administration need to follow suit.” (10/1/08)

Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal Editorial: “The U.S. Senate's 74-25 passage on Wednesday night of a revised rescue bill for the U.S. financial markets provides strong bipartisan momentum in persuading the House to again vote on the issue and, this time, pass it. … A credit collapse would have far-reaching consequences, including adversity for the pensions and investments of many in Northeast Mississippi and elsewhere in our state.” (10/2/08)