Here are two things I think we need to emphasize.
If they want to "punish the people responsible" there are better, more direct ways to do it, and there would be many negatives to the transaction tax, including:
-It unfairly punishes retail investors, who had no part in creating this crisis.
-It would destroy liquidity in the markets, which is supposedly what the bailout is supposed to fix.
-It would drive capitol out of the country.
"Stock speculators", short-term or long-term, long or short, were not responsible for the crisis, It was caused by:
-The Fed holding interest rates too low.
-Bad loans allowed by deregulation.
-Arcane derivatives based on those loans.
-Massive leverage used by investment companies trading in those derivatives.