Gimmie My $$$$$ Back!!!

This week I watched my government scare itself into passing a bill that we as citizens are clearly against, and I believe we're all left asking the same question: If they (Freddie, Fannie, and the rest) got themselves into this mess, why do we have to get them out?!? I'm also questioning how much this will actually help me and the people around me, and whether it was actually meant to help me in the first place.
Consider this: the bill started out as a 3 page, $700B "rescue" plan. We were told it would majorly effect loans and it would be very important to pass this bill; it didn't make it out of the House. Next, the bill went back to the Senate, where it received some of it's not so flavorful "sweeteners," a few tax cuts for oil companies, tax cuts on rum, wooden arrows, and incentives for Hollywood to make movies in the US instead of abroad. Simultaneously, we were practically threatened through the media, being told that failure of this bill meant we would lose our homes, small business would go under for lack of business loans, banks would go under and, basically, the entire country would financially implode!! In the meantime our 3 page, $700B bailout bill was transformed into a 1000+ page catastrophe with almost $1 billion in extra spending!!
Well, the second time around (yesterday) the bill has been passed, and we're all left to wonder, if this is supposed to help the American people, how come our opinion didn't count?

The last thing on my mind: when did my government decide it was easier to scare the American people into doing it's bidding than it was to give us the facts and let us think for ourselves?