Lawmakers are probably not going to hear about how important it is to bail out Wall Street, back in their home districts - unless, of course, their district is Wall Street.

Not that many people even have 401Ks. More people have mortgages. My bet is the lawmakers hear from them, and about considering a bailout from the bottom up.

Of course, there's always the nationalization solution. I'm seeing it suggested more and more. It's worked in other places throughout the world, whereas the Herbert Hoover solution of bailing out Wall Street - well, we know where that went.

Buy yourself a newspaper, aka "Hoover blanket" - winter is on its way.

I think the issue of limiting executive compensation falls under what they call "moral hazard" - that top execs should not be able to wreck a financial organization and then, essentially, be richly rewarded for it.

No, the big executive pay packets probably didn't cause the lending crisis - but the practice of rewarding those who left severely damaged corporations in their wakes, like Carly Fiorina and HP, and then receiving huge bonuses and the old golden parachute, is morally abhorrent - and doesn't even make business sense.

Funny how Repub stalwarts like the Elephant Man can jettison both morality and capitalism to defend such a practice.

pacificwhim is right. One of the things I've admired about Barack Obama is his calmness, his coolness. Right now, he's the adult in the room, when the whole Bush administration is running around shrieking that the world is going to end if we don't do something RIGHT NOW - no matter how ill-conceived or foolish. We don't have TIME for the details - just give us all your money! And immunity from prosecution.

And McSame is right up there with them - ranting about how he's going to "take the politics out" of the economic negotiations by - duh! - injecting Presidential politics into it. Senator "Don't Know Much About Economics." Mr. "Strong Fundamentals." Candidate "Don't Bail Out AIG" until a few hours later, when they did - then it was Candidate "They Were Right to Bail Out AIG."

In contrast, Sen. Obama comes across as almost non-political. Here's what happened. It was because of this. That's what we need to fix. And here's who we need to help.

Cool. Calm. Smart. The only question is, is America ready for it?

Screwy things have been going on in New Mexico over the last several months. Over 4000 people have received second, incorrect voter registration cards - cards with incorrect Socials, or sent to their work addresses, or wrong birthdates, etc.

Voter cards sent to about 10,000 people specified the wrong polling location, or gave incorrect information on how to reach their County Clerks.

All these came out of the Secretary of State's office. County clerks have sworn that the information they sent the SOS was correct.

There is no Director of Elections - the incumbent resigned way back in the spring, a replacement wasn't named until a few weeks ago, and the Republicans have bullied him into withdrawing.

The vote counting machines have suddenly become desperately in need of maintenance, and the company is demanding an arm and a leg to provide it. More than the counties can afford, and the SoS says the state, who made the initial contract, won't pay. Hand count, you say? Well, each ballot will have 17 candidate selections, at least 3 judicial retentions, 11 Bond issues, and 5 State constitutional Amendments. Ballots will be two-sided and there will be a magnifier in each voting booth (we vote on paper) to assist people in reading the font. Sure, hand counting is possible - but undesireable.

Republicans have been beating the drum about "voter fraud" again, in spite of New Mexico's former US Attorney, David Iglesias on a speaking tour for his book, which asserts that his refusal to pursue baseless voter fraud charges was a primary reason that he and 8 other US Attorneys were fired. Republicans are trying to ram through more restrictions on voting and scaring people away from the polls (I know, it's "dog bites man" but it always works).

It's getting ugly here. Any idea that the election will proceed fairly in New Mexico has become a naive thought. The question is - by how much of a margin must Obama win, in order to receive more votes than McCain in New Mexico?

... by the way the McCain campaign (or its supporters) is on the ball on this one, spreading outrage about how Gov Palin's attempt to hide her official business on private mailservers has failed.

She didn't use government email for official business, because the Public would have a Right to Know if she did. It's just more Bushit: hide, privatize, or classify, to make sure the public can't find out what you're really doing.

If you loved Georgie Junior, you've gotta be a big Palinophile.

You can change position, 180° and it's okay - you're A Maverick™! You can contradict yourself day by day, bur hey - that's what we expect from A Maverick™! You can, after 26 years of holding one philosophy, turn on a dime - whatta Maverick™ you are!

Whether by prescience or dumb good luck (I'm with option 1 on this one), John McCain has established a reputation of - doing absolutely anything! Whatever he does, it supports his media persona, The Maverick™.

Mr. Bug is trying to make this look dumb. But it's dumb like a fox. It's all good when you're John McCain™ (a trademark of the Republican Party).

You show 'em, Cletus.

Salon used to have a higher class of readers.

No, read my letter again, slowly this time. Think about it. Have you ever heard of "humor"?

Okay - one more time. Lt Gov Judge says she can - get this - castrate a calf. Okay? Get it? Castrate a calf? That means she's a castrating woman. Because she can - remember? - castrate a calf.

Oh, why bother. You're just one of Limbaugh's overpaid trolls.