I see corporate greed and screwing the little guy is still alive and well.

Look on the bright side. There will always be the welfare office to visit before going to Walmart. Like the bumper sticker said. " Don't panic. There's always welfare."

What happens when there are more people on welfare than there are working and paying taxes? I understand why the bail outs should occur, but it sure seems unfair to almost everyone that the idiots and crooks who caused this problem are in effect rewarded for their greed and lack of scruples. Curse them: may those responsible rot in unpleasant places and circumstances.
metalman.

Who says the bailout is necessary?, corporate media, hardcore capitalists? Privatize profits and socialize the losses? Just as extreme leftism sucks, so does the other side of the spectrum!

So, you know a Rolex watch will set you back $1,000. A guy on the corner offers you one for $50. You buy it. Who is the sucker?

You know you should be putting down more than nothing on a major purchase. You know that interest rates should be in the 7% range. You know that you should not pay more than 1/3 of you income for housing.

Someone offers you $0 down, 4% interest, 40 year term, 50% of your monthly income as monthly PIT payments.

You take it. Who's the sucker? Who do you blame?

Buyer beware simply does not work, does it? Not if a whole system of economic activity is based on it. The companies here that were shipping lumber to the USA should have known it was too good to be true. Illegal Mexican migration cannot account for all that sudden increase in demand. There was no baby boom. People wanted more space than they needed and they wanted new space after living in the old space for 5 years.

So, private enterprise cannot regulate itself? Blame the government for causing it? How about greed all around.

not only is the bail out going to reward the instigators of the catastrophe, they are the ones coming up with the bail out plan.

I am sure the CEO's & CFO's & other leaders of the banking/investment community will still get thier bonuses for "guiding" their company's during these tough economic times even though I believe they are the ones whom caused it.

Billion's of $'s waiting on the sidelines for an opportunity to get back in the market, while billions are pulling their money out. The ones getting out will be the losers, the ones getting in will be the winners. Why can't people figure this out?

Do you think there is any correlation between lowest prices and maximum redemptions or, highest prices and maximum purchases.

And we hear the old adage, the rich get richer and the poor ??? We don't need economic's professors to tell us how to handle this folks. Just do the right thing for a change. The sky isn't falling. The world isn't going to come to an end this month. And if it was, it really doesn't matter where you put your money.

All you people commenting here seem to think that this stock market business is something that only affects the rich and greedy. Well, you're probably a little correct there, as I'm a greedy person, a little less rich because of the downturn/turmoil. But in effect, there are lots of people who interest in the stock market is not as direct as mine is, but in an indirect way. Their pension plan, that they have been putting money into for many years, is in danger of loosing most of its value in the past year, and in some cases, all of its value in the past month. These people would surprise many, they're just working types, working at Canfor, FMC, Caterpillar, Kenworth, etc, etc. You get the picture.

Some narrow-minded types here should become more aware of the real world.

Thanks for listening.

"We don't need economic's professors to tell us how to handle this folks. Just do the right thing for a change. The sky isn't falling. The world isn't going to come to an end this month. And if it was, it really doesn't matter where you put your money"

That's probably the most common sense thing I've read on this whole issue. IMHO, unless your needing to access your investment dollars immediately (in which case this is a big blow), the stock market will bounce back. It will take time but it will happen. Products will still need to be made in the future and businesses will still be around to do just that.

If you have the time, hang in there. Paying down debt is also never a bad option . . .

I think that the idea of the US treasury bailing out wall street and the banks is Hysterical (for want of a better word). Here you have a bankrupt nation giving away money to bankrupt lending institutions. Last I read, the US debt was 9.7 trillion dollars!