It's The Economy, And You're Stupid

When I was a kid and my mother told me to do something, there was only one explanation that she could give that would force me to not simply acquiesce. Only one explanation that would bring out my innate stubbornness and prove I was a true Taurus/Gemini cusp baby. That explanation was, "Because I said so." It's vacant of logic, vacant of reasoning, and most of all, vacant of thought. Now I can forgive my mother for the many occasions I received this answer, as I could very often be my father's son. However, I cannot forgive Secretary Paulson for giving this same answer when asked why this massive, years long, taxpayer-burdening bailout needs to occur, when there are so many people of the same understanding of economic intricacies and financial complexities stating that there are many other less drastic options. Is he trying to pull a fast one over on us? Does he truly not comprehend the financial crisis enough to think of an alternative solution? Either answer is scary considering we're speaking about the Secretary of the Treasury. One thing that is certain, whoever votes yes to this bailout better think long and hard about not only the consequences, but the alternatives. As Senator Dodd stated yesterday, "There are no second acts with this, so we better get it right."