barnaby, I don’t disagree with anything you’re saying but… I’m a pragmatist, not an idealist. My tax share of this bailout will be huge. But I’d rather pay my share than see the country go into a depression. And I suspect the govt will force it down our collective throats. So rather than get miffed about it, I find it more constructive to just accept it and plan accordingly. I would be more upset (and prone to “action”) if I thought our officials were evil and that all of these measures were going to be permanent, but I don’t believe that. They’re just bumblers who very slowly come around to reasonable answers. The irony is that as each month passes and the economy and credit markets get worse (or don’t improve in the latter case), I think the Officialdom has a better understanding of the problems and how to combat them. Again, it will be ugly and full of trial and error, but we’ll trudge through this thing.
