“It is time for [government-sponsored enterprises] to give up ties to the federal government that have made them poster children for corporate welfare. Most of all, Congress needs to look more to the protection of the taxpayers and less to the hyperbole of the GSE lobbyists. –Ralph Nader, testimony before the House Committee on Banking and Financial Services, June 15, 2000
“Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac should be relisted on the NYSE and their conservatorships should, over time, be terminated. –Ralph Nader, letter to Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew, May 23, 2013
“People certainly do change.
“Right now, one of Ralph Nader’s key projects, Shareholder Respect, is supporting a group called Restore Fannie Mae. They are fighting for “an end to the unconstitutional conservatorship of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac by the U.S. government.” To that end, Nader has written an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, “The Great Fannie and Freddie Rip-Off” and sent the above letter to Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, as well as one to the new Federal Housing Finance Authority director, Mel Watt. Nader also held a roundtable to drum up support for the cause, which largely seems to be about making sure shareholders get paid–but which seems an argument for a return to the status quo.
“For most of their existence, Fannie and Freddie have been controversial. Critics argued that their gains during good years would go to shareholders and executives, while taxpayers would be saddled with any losses, thanks to an implicit government guarantee. That’s indeed what happened during the 2008 economic crisis.”
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