This is not an accident, as Geithner has claimed.

This is a planned demolition, which relies on the stupidity of Congress, scared into surrendering our money, with a naked short selling scheme against Bears-Stearns and Lehman Brothers. Its not that those firms weren't vulnerable, obviously they were. Its the timing, designed to steal at the end of an alleged "Conservative's" term, with those policies being held constant while an alleged "Liberal" takes office and hopefully full blame. You're supposed to continue believing that we have a Democracy, free and fair elections with computers, and free and fair markets with computers. Its all bullshit and its bad for you.

What to do? Begin 24 hour picketing at the homes of Bernanke, Geithner, Greenspan, Paulson, Rubin, and Summers. These people are enemies of the State. Demand their resignation. Unfortunately, I don't live in the right part of the country to participate. This has already happened to a limited extent in Connecticut. It must be amped up to a high level to ever get Congress's serious attention. Most of these people, on Wall Street and High Office are prepared to watch the country fail, as long as they get theirs, before it goes down.

To get a fair picture watch the Frontline -Warning-, starring Brookley Born, as she tells Congress if they permit the derivatives market to operate unregulated, the American taxpayer will be emaciated. Watch Long Term Capitla Mangement collapse, exactly as she predicted. Watch Congress go along with the aformentioned criminals, who remain in charge. Then put her back in charge.

Stuffing the banks with reserves and hoping that struggling consumers start borrowing again is pointless. It is equally pointless to ignore tattered household balance sheets, which will have to be patched before spending resumes. This isn't a problem that can be worked out by the Fed and Treasury alone. It will take a major public mobilization, similar to preparing for a war. Federal money will have to be used to make up for lost state revenues. Government work programs will have to be created to rebuild critical infrastructure, expand green technologies, and modernize energy systems. At the same time, the administration will have to re-regulate the financial system, resolve or euthanize insolvent banks, and create a system of locally-controlled banks which function as public utilities to provide low interest loans to businesses and consumers.

All of this will cost trillions; trillions that won't be flushed down a black-hole on Wall Street or used as bonuses for shifty bank tycoons. In other words, money well spent.

Big government means big deficits, and the looming threat of capital flight. Will central banks and foreign investors grow wary of the deficits and ditch the dollar and US Treasuries? No way. The world is looking for leadership; for some indication that the US still knows how to shape its own future and clean up its own nest. They want to see the Obama administration "take charge" and fix the banking system, conduct criminal investigations, increase regulation, restore confidence in the markets, and rebuild the engine of global demand, the middle class.

This is a job for big government. Big government is (should be) back.

excerpted from Mike Whitney @ Counterpunch

Exactly the opposite of what most "Conservatives" now advocate, knowing the dire consequences of failing to spend well will help them politically. Selfish and treasonous, really.

As far as Big Government success, that easy. The Panama Canal, Hoover Dam, WWII, Man on the Moon........... its a long list which begs the question of what's up with the Military Industrial Complex since WWII, because they haven't accomplished anything that matters since. Socialist, Commie, pinko... whatever. Please don't tell me China, Cuba, or Russia ever provided labor ownership of the means of production.

Which pigs are really at the trough? Finance, Insurance and Real Estate (developers) FIRE. They have stolen the economy by corrupting our Government. Neither Demowussie, nor Rethuglican is ever going to fix it.

40,000 factories have been closed. Those jobs aren't coming back. So lets quit spending and everything will be all right????? Or maybe start a Construction company tearing down unoccupied homes?????? The notion that large banks and investment groups are vital to our existence is absurd. As Jefferson noted, they are more dangerous than standing armies, and getting worse by the day.