Rate Freeze Rewards Greedy, Critics Grumble

Many who played it conservative during the housing boom are miffed about the mortgage rate freeze, grumbling that it rewards the greedy and irresponsible, the Washington Post reports. "What about those of us who played by the rules?" asks one. "Can we get six months of free gasoline?" Politicians are trying to figure out how to deal with the looming backlash.

"I think we shouldn't be bailing out the homeowners that got greedy buying homes they couldn't afford," said one critic, noting that the government did not help those whose 401(k) plans tanked when the tech bubble burst. The debate is likely to intensify because some of the hardest-hit states—including Florida, Michigan, and Ohio—are also key primary states. (More mortgage rate freeze stories.)