Paul,

Exactly on target! Do you think the country will finally get it?

Obama certainly does: “What we’ve seen the last few days is nothing less than the final verdict on an economic philosophy that has completely failed.”

HMMMmmmmm . . . do either Obama or McCain really "get it" ?

After all, they both are promising things they can't deliver (not responsibly, anyway), and their voting records don't look like someone who really "gets it".

If they really "get it", they both would have been doing something about it a long, long, long time ago.
Especially John McCain, whose been in Congress for 26 years.

If Obama really understood the seriousness of America's current situtation, would he be promising universal healthcare when the federal government has $9.7 Trillion of National debt?
Barack Obama gets a dismal pork-barrel grade of 10% for year 2007 (see page 8) and 18% lifetime pork-barrel grade at Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW.ORG). Here's his 2004-2006 pork-barrel grades. Here's some of Obama's earmarks totalling over $89 million.

John McCain has voted on pork-barrel too, despite his claims otherwise.
Just ask McCain about the $1 Million for the brown tree snake in Guam (if he's able to remember that far back).
The fact is, it's difficult to vote on any BILL that's not laden with pork-barrel and welfare for corporations and the wealthy.

If McCain really understood the seriosness of America's current situtation, would McCain be promising tax cuts (for the rich mostly)?
Especially when the tax system is already regressive?

And neither one of them can answer one simple question:

• Where will the money come from to merely pay the INTEREST on $53 Trillion of nation-wide debt , much less the money to reduce the current PRINCIPAL debt of $53 Trillion, when that money does not already exist? Especially when now, 80% of the U.S. population owns only 17% (or less) of all wealth, and 1% owns 40% of all wealth (up by 20% from 20% in year 1976); a wealth disparity gap that has never been worse since the Great Depression.

And if either one of them really understood these cost burdens being imposed on American citizens, they would stop despicably pitting American citizens and illegal aliens against each other for profits , votes , and (supposedly) misplaced compassion}
John McCain voted for the first amnesty of 1986, which multiplied the problem many times over, but after 26 years, John McCain says he now "gets it"?

Both John McCain's ("D") and Barack Obama's ("D-") voting records on illegal immigration are pathetic.
And Obama seems to think Americans are bitter at all immigrants, based on his statement on (06-APR-2008):

• And it's not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns, or religion, or antipathy to people who aren't like them, or anti-immigrant sentiment, or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations".

And to top it off, Congress has given itself a raise 9 times between 1997 and 2007.

The problem is not merely a lack of regulation.
The problem in many cases is out-right law-breaking and violation of existing laws.
The Constitution is being violated in a number of ways, and Obama used to teach Constitutional Law.
The problem is so far reaching, that many abuses and law-breaking has become institutionalized.
The problem is simply rampant greed and selfisness.
Congress is corrupt and FOR-SALE.
The federal government is essentially a kleptocratic plutocracy.
And this week, the federal government is using $85 Billion of the tax payers money to bail out AIG insurance company.
On 16-SEP-2008, McCain was opposed to the bailout of AIG. Now he isn't?
So, the federal government is now in the insurance business?
And the thing is, 3/4 of AIG's assets are owned by foreign countries!
HHHMmmmmm . . . whose insuring who?

Yet, the already severely bloated government continues to grow and grow and grow to nightmare proportions.

Most of the voters are culpable too, because most of the voters rhetoric doesn't match their actions.
Too many voters don't "get it" either.
After all, who gives Congress dismal 9% approval ratings, but then rewards Congress with 85%-to-90% approval ratings?
Who can name 50, 100, 200, or even 268 (half of 535) in Congress that are responsible and accountable?

Perhaps enough voters will be less apathetic, complacent, and blindly partisan when enough of the voters are deep in debt , jobless , homeless , and hungry ?

At any rate, the voters have the government that the voters elect (and re-elect, and re-elect, and re-elect , . . . , at least until that finally becomes too painful).

The Federal Reserve and federal government are now looking around to see who they can stick with trillions of bad debt.

Guess who that will be?

You - the tax payers.

How? By creating more money out of thin air.

Look at what current 6.1% inflation does to $100 in 1, 2, . . . , 30 years.

A U.S. Dollar from year 1950 is now worth only 11 cents (or less, since the reporting of inflation is somewhat questionable, since it conveniently doesn't include all energy costs in its calculations).

Inflation has been positive every consecutive year since year 1956.
That's exponential inflation, since 5% this year is more than 5% relative to the previous year, which is more than 5% relative to the previous year, . . . . , etc., etc., etc. (for 56 years).
That's why CPI (Consumer Price Index) looks like this.

But why shouldn't the politicians and dishonest, usurious, inflationary Federal Reserve stick it to the tax payers?
Remember the "Life" cereal commercial:

• "Give it to Mikey. Mikey will eat anything!"

Even a sheep would probably have enough common-sense to move out of the way when a pig is crappin' all over it.

And still, no one can answer one simple question:

• Where will the money come from to merely pay the INTEREST on $53 Trillion of nation-wide debt , much less the money to reduce the current PRINCIPAL debt of $53 Trillion, when that money does not already exist? Especially when now, 80% of the U.S. population owns only 17% (or less) of all wealth, and 1% owns 40% of all wealth (up by 20% from 20% in year 1976); a wealth disparity gap that has never been worse since the Great Depression.

So, how do you legislate against greed?
Well, first of all, how about enforcing existing laws?
Since when did it become legal to bundle up bad debt, peddle it as non-risky, and then sell it to everyone on the planet?

Perhaps enough voters will be less apathetic, complacent, and blindly partisan when enough of the voters are deep in debt , jobless , homeless , and hungry ?

At any rate, the voters have the government that the voters elect (and re-elect, and re-elect, and re-elect , . . . , at least until that finally becomes too painful).

More1 . . .(videos about the monetary system)
More2 . . . (quotes about the Fed)
More3 . . . (monetary system)
Watch this 2 minute video about federal debt...

How can the U.S. government bail out all the bad debt when the Federal Government already has $9.7 Trillion National debt, borrowed and spent $12.8 Trillion from Social Security, leaving it pay-as-you-go with a 77 million baby-boomer bubble approaching, and the nation has $53 Trillion of current debt (NOT future debt)?

Who cares . . . "Give it to Mikey. Mikey will eat anything!

You cannot say that all regulation is inherently good. There has to be some middle ground that I hope you will clarify in a future article.