[bas_I_am]

sarcasmo, you need to study economics.

First, the depression was 20-25% unemployment at its peak ( US figures ), the average over the period was about 12%-15%. We are over half way there, and employment figures are coming friday which could be about 8%.

Second, oil prices going down is not necessarily a good thing. Supply has not increased by 1/3 therefore the drop in price can only be attributed to a rapid decrease in demand. Do you think this is because all of a sudden the world turned 'green'? No, it is because the world is facing a HUGE industrial slowdown and no longer needs oil in the amounts of just a year ago.

Third this is not about bailing out the greedy mortgage brokers and bond insurers. On the contrary, this is about maintaining the worlds economy. There is no money to lend, and like it or not, it takes credit to make things work. I work for a company that has a TON of cash. Unfortunately, or clients (construction and engineering) are dependent on lines of credit to by raw production materials. They can't operate, my company goes into a slow down. Our wages (profit sharing, 401k match, etc. . . ) deteriorate. Wages go down, we spend less. not just on frivolity, but on things that we need. This spirals and feeds on itself.

Money in and of itself is not bad. It is just capacitance of economic potential. In other words, it is only the ability to carry and exchange work between parties. In exchange for some work that you have done, I do some work for you. Instead of exchanging actual labor, you exchange with me money that you earned by performing labor elsewhere, or that you earned by investing into some value adding enterprise.

Money isn't bad.
Greed is bad