Phillip Swagel, visiting professor of economics, on lawmakers' power to give money to certain money-troubled firms:

"It's a very useful authority to have, to be able to tell debt holders, you're going to get 80 cents instead of 100 cents ... or turning an insolvent firm into a solvent firm. But the potential for mischief is very high."

House to Take on 'Too Big to Fail'

October 28, 2009, CNN