“We have a bunch of idiots on Wall Street that are kicking sand in the face of the American taxpayer. They don’t get it. These people are idiots. You can’t use taxpayer money to pay out $18 billion in bonuses.”

– U.S. Senator Claire McKaskill, after introducing legislation that would cap salaries in companies that receive federal bailout money at $400,000.

“If you somehow take that bonus out of the economy, it really will create unemployment. It means less spending in restaurants, less spending in department stores, so everything has an impact.”

– Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, defending the $18 billion in bonuses that Wall Street executives received while asking for federal assistance.