Did we learn anything from mortgage mess?

A financial question: In the Sunday paper recently, I ran across an advertisement by Windemere for Tullamore in Post Falls for custom homes which “qualify for USDA $0 down loan programs.” I am aware that these types of mortgages (sub prime) led the country and, subsequently, the world into the U.S. recession. This seems to be a strange question when supposedly our astute government led by Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, and Sen. C. Dodd, ought to be financially responsible, particularly since they were in the forefront of the financial meltdown. With the homeowners tax credit (aka gift) of approximately $7,000 just to buy a home, haven’t the Democrats learned anything?

PETER HERAPER

Sandpoint