Like most people, I think, I'm horrified by the entire situation. I cannot believe we (as in, ALL of us) are caught in this predicament. I vacillate between thinking we should just let the whole thing crash, and cringing back from the knowledge of what will most likely happen if we do.

I truly hope that those we've elected to serve us aren't playing us all for fools. I hate it that I've reached a point of such distrust.

The free market is the free market: Free to prosper. Free to tumble.

You have to take the good with the bad.

Great Leadership
Wednesday, September 24th in politics by Daniel Larison

The GOP loyalist response to McCain’s stunt has been predictable (right down to Gingrich’s Romneyesque call for a “workout, not a bailout”), and it says a great deal about what these people think constitutes leadership: opportunism, trying to hog the credit for other people’s work and, above all, a mindless dedication to taking action. No doubt, if these were what made for great leaders McCain would be the new Augustus.

Laughably, Gingrich likens this to Eisenhower’s “I will go to Korea,” but unlike Eisenhower and the Korean war McCain has no credibility concerning the crisis he is supposedly addressing. In the end, knowing when you can contribute something and knowing when to avoid complicating an already difficult situation by intruding on ongoing negotiations is what separates grandstanding from leadership. It is what separates the simple egomaniacs from the ambitious pols who nonetheless have some idea what public service is. McCain’s belief that he is indispensable in a time of crisis is the surest sign that he is unfit for any office in republican government, much less the chief magistracy of the Republic.

His take on Palin is even better.

What happens to the small businesses of 100 or fewer employees? Don't you think that they've had a tough time… for the last 3 or more years? This isn't a new situation of the past 5 weeks. If anything, large corporations should have been prepared for it better than anyone else, given their assets. Help the others that couldn't.

1. Provide short-term, bankrupt-proof loans of $5-15k to small businesses with 2% finance fees over the course of 1-5 years.

2. Provide medium-term, bankrupt proof loans of $25-$50k to small or medium (100-250 people) with 4% finance fee over the course of 5-10 years.

3. Provide an emergency family loan of $250-$1k at 0% financing over the course of 1 year. If it's paid off, families are eligible for repeat loans. Continue this program for 5 years. If need be, up financing to 0.5%.

4. Expand federal school loan programs to encompass students of any age (for those losing jobs), and at longer payment schedules if needed.

5. Finance a public works programs for roads, bridges, and other infrastructure needing repair. Limit contracts to same-state companies and local workers as the first priority, with price secondary.

6. Provide some system of protection where people 55+ can transfer their retirement funds from the stock market to government bonds without facing the threat of taxation during said transfer.

7. Let the stock market self correct.

8. Let the greedy large corporations lose their money and hold on America.

9. Let Americans grow up and do the hard work of cleaning up the crap their government created when Americans got a bit lazy themselves.

I wondered at the time where the GOP was in all of that . . . and whether Frank was saying that to undercut McCain. So we see now that Frank does not have the votes.

Mark and Elrod are right . . . there is a lot of anger among Republicans . . . directed at other Republicans.

That said . . . I don't know how much McCain can do about it . . . as there is a lot of anger at him too.

This is a perfect example of why the United States needs a strong executive figure . . . somebody like a President or something . . . who can step in and take charge in a time of crisis, and rally the nation.

It is unfortunate that there is no such creature. . . .

Given a real crisis they will stand on principle all the way into the abyss!

Think about it.

If the shoe was on the other foot, they would send me to the poor house with giving it a second thought.

I watched Senator Shelby rail against the Paulson plan (without mentioning that the Dodd-Frank bill is quite a bit different on issues that anger Shelby) and never once offered a counter-proposal.