Where Are You Now?

The "Great Recession" is not beginning to run its course. Look at the facts. Companies have downsized and gone out of business and more companies are still continuing to down size and go out of business. I don't see signs of recovery. Show me some facts.

"The great recession" is not only not beginning to run it's course, it is still in the early stages. The damage done by the financial slime will be around for many years. The companies that have gone out of business will not magicaly reappear, the consumer confidence is damaged, and those who are unemployed have decided to reduce spending. And the madmen at the helm cry out that everything will be all right if we just let them run the show.

One of the unfortunate things is that not much has been done to prevent those who would speculate on oil futures from doing it again and driving up prices again. High oil prices are not the only thing that caused the problems that we have, but they were a large part of it. Just as speculators caused the previous great depression, they were the triggers for this one. A good start would be to make it not only against the law to speculate with borrowed money, but also to make it impossible. That would be a start.

A second approach would be to regulate what could be sold as investments, and not to allow selling any mortgages to investors. "toxic investments" also had a big part in the problem.

A third area would be to punish boards of directors that overpaid executives. Large fines against individuals, not just corporations, and actual jail time, not in the "white collar" jails but in those selected as the very worst prisons. It might seem radical, but putting some of those people away would probably benefit the country more than the first 2 suggestions.