"Meat On The Bones"

Apparently there just wasn't enough detail in today's speech by the Treasury Secretary to reassure investors that they won't be stuck with the bill. That was the snap analysis after the market dropped following the secretary's talk in which he spoke in very broad terms about phase two of the financial bailout plan.

It will take much more than a stupendous dollar figure to sway those already very wealthy groups and attract the private sector investment the Administration is counting on in the coming weeks and months (hopefully not years but this is truly the biggest mess of the 21st century and the better part of the 20Th).

The "stress test" for major banks is a very good idea. I think if the 40 some-odd states that now find themselves in deep deficit territory had to meet a similar test, along with the kind of simple transparency the big banks will have to endure we might be able to figure out what we need rather than what we want. In fact, why not go the rest of the way?

Let's just stop all this silly taxing on the state level entirely. Why not institute a flat federal tax? And just funnel necessary funding back to the states?
States would be required to standardize all services at the same level based on per ca pita population. Just the basic services. Education, health, public safety, transportation..etc. We would have to do away with things like the "state department of studying why more college students aren't taking classes in Greek"

Sacrifices will have to be made.

Seriously though? People, it's been three whole weeks. Three weeks! That's nothing when you consider that this mess has been brewing steadily over the last eight years.

It may take at least that long to fix it. That's what Obama was talking about when he referred to a "lost decade" in his news conference. He is trying to avoid just that. I say give him a break and lets get this show on the road.