"We are in the most serious crisis since World War II." - Inspired by John McCain

Well... no... but I am sure we will be in such a crisis within 12 months if war-obsessed McCain becomes president. Hey, Nam is over! This is a world of progress, collaboration and high tech, John! It's not a bunker in Vietnam...

I have to agree with the old man on this one.. The Wall St crisis, combined with the Iraq situation and our (lack of) standing in foreign affairs could combine into a perfect storm if we're not careful. Imagine if we remain in Iraq, spending untold $, and we lose credibility globally to the point foreign investors lose complete confidence in our economy and currency? It is imperative we select the right people to chart a course that will steer us away from this quagmire. I do not have confidence McCain is the right choice for these times.

Ahhh, yes. Nothing like a good old unprovable, gut-feeling statement from a presidential candidate. What McCain's doing here is stretching the definition of the word "crisis" to a point where the word can mean anything. I'd like to think that Sen. McCain fancies himself ready to handle this "crisis," and perhaps he might be. However, to compare the current economic situation to WWII is laughable. WWII was a horror of unspeakable magnitude, 55 million dead. To use the same word for WWII and the meltdown is patronizing, assuming that voters will conflate war and economic struggle. We are currently in an economic situation predicted by many, and yes, it's serious. But let's be realistic here. Let's start acknowledging that words have meanings.

Since McCain was in boot camp during WWII he would know. No seriously, just another clueless,language-mangling,old,white guy being propped up by the Republican Party to be in charge of the free world. I'd like to think he doesn't have a chance but the last election has proven no matter how bad things are- war,economy,etc. The Republicans will make it about God,guns,gays,abortion and 911. Why do you think Rove and Cheney were over in Georgia prior to the Russian conflict? Bringing back the cold war so McCain can have something to talk about.

We are in the most serious crisis since the dot-com bubble burst. To compare WWII where actual American lives were dying by the 1,000's to this crisis where greed is running its natural course is ridiculous.

You Gen-XYandZ'ers don't have a clue. I'm a Boomer, a little younger than "the old man" and haven't decided which 3rd party candidate I'll vote for. But McCain DOES have foresight into how global this "crisis" is and can soon escalate. Anyone ever heard of "die-off"? Go to the dot com site and see how many millions are in peril of "gigadeath"--without firing a shot. To quote "If humans can't control the explosive population growth in the coming century, disease and starvation will do it, Cornell University ecologists have concluded from an analysis of Earth's dwindling resources...When global biological and physical limits to domestic food production are reached, food importation will no longer be a viable option for any country...At that point, food importation for the rich can only be sustained by starvation of the powerless poor." Saving the banks will not avert the soon-crisis.

What about the cuban missile crisis? Despite the doom and gloom, nobody really believes that America will cease to exist, nor that the American way of life or institutions will be very much altered, do they (I'm presuming the 'We' means the USA and not the rest of us)?

The current situation and reaction of the conservative administration convinces me that the conservative mind set, beliefs, philosophy and consequent action (it is a belief like any other religious doctrine) is irreconcilable with the growth and sustainability of a healthy civilization. This belief is becoming a moral question as much as political one, mainly because conservative thought and action impacts peoples lives, not only in the US but around the world, in very negative ways. Hey folks , people are getting hurt out there!

McCain has some cheek, he has been at the core of the conservative drive for less government and leaving the running of the country and its economy to the capriciousness of the "free market" for over 30 years. Now in typical conservative fashion, he invokes fear in hopes of being elected to a position where he can impose more of the same philosophy that is a direct cause of the current pain.

The current bail-out, which is aimed at buying bad assets to save the perpetrators of the crime as well as a power grab by the Secretary of the Treasury, is another fraud which the current administration hopes to pass quickly in the current panic. This is indeed the fox asking to manage the hen house.

Finally we have to ask, what percentage of the world,or US population owns stock in corporations or in funds managed by the vaunted financial institutions of Wall Street? How did this flock of birds get so much leverage over the economy, the politics and the policies which impacts so many lives? A mind game no doubt where paper and the mornings headlines, focused on a very small portion of economic activity, dominate people's thinking and the way they act as economic players- consumers and corporations alike. Capitalism is a great generator of economy no doubt but without the appropriate and artful regulation, it is an engine on wheels gone amok.

--
Mel Blitzer

The shadow of the cold war looms with the nuclear arms race that continues (Iran, North Korea, China...) We have a moral obligation to step outside the box and retreat from the old model of world dominance. Self reliance --- a self-sustaining domestic/foreign relations agenda, and not war, must be the priority for the new administration. The US has to clean house (rebuild Wall St., US industry and trade, improve foreign relations...) and operate from the inside/out (set a model for sustainability and economic power ---Agenda 21?) to improve foreign relations and gain the self respect sorely missing in the present state of affairs!

Sort of. Thing is we've been in the crisis for quite some time... it's only now starting to become painfully evident. We're witnessing the decline of an empire. Sad, but true. We're where Great Britain was in the late 19th century --- becoming a has been... unless we make some really drastic changes.

Anyone who lived through the Cuban Missle Crisis probably knows that this is not the most seriois crisis since WW II.

The economy is in a mess now. It all started in 1999 when Clinton signed the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Financial Services Modernization Act. In 2002 John McCain stood in front of Congress to warn them about the very institutions that failed. He called for an end to this act. Barney Franks told McCain that if he did this he could have him branded as a racist because he would prevent lower-income people from realizing the American dream. Since GW has been in office he has made 12 attempts to stop this act. In 2006 we the USA voted for change by voting out the Republicans from Congress and giving the power to the Democrats. Since they took the reigns nothing has changed. Personally I don't think either party can deliver change. I think they're both full of hot air and empty promises... unfortunately.

Has it occurred to anyone other than me that the de-regulation of the past Republican Administrations, coupled with the in-our-faces greed & out-of-line payoffs to crooked, inept CEOs is actually a concerted effort to destroy the Constitution, put all the political power in the hands of a king & court (President & Administration), and otherwise destroy democracy as a way of life? The UN-Patriot Act certainly falls in with this. The War Powers Act is blatantly in this vein. That's where the REAL crisis is. This didn't "just happen". It was planned, nurtured, and promoted over a longer span of time than just 8 years. I don't care if you vote for your dog - just don't vote for McCain & Palin. We surely will have a crisis if they are elected in November, because it will mean another 4 years of "living under a (B)ush", with all the screw-ups, failed policies, outright lies, and general subversion of the Constitution we've seen the past 8 years. Along with further efforts at turning the Presidency into a king-ship, the Congress & Courts into paper tigers, and "we, the People", into prisoners in our own land. We Indigenous Turtle Islanders know this scenario ALL too well - we've been subjected to some version of it ever since Euro-"Americans" formed a government, framing its Constitution over 85% on Indigenous practices. McCain & Palin are a crisis all by themselves, and they represent the part of the crisis-iceberg we can't easily see. Don't sucker for them, or for the President's $700 BILLION bail-out bill. Raise hell with your Senators & Congressional Representatives "NOW". The life, Constitution, and economy you save ARE your own.

Yes we are, and it has a lot to do with: the widening income gap, which McCain is perfectl fine with but which means finally crime is beginning to break out and it's not just desperate people stealing to survive, they're pissed too and they're violent; the deregulated markets, which McCain totally backed and his chief economic advisor Phil Gramm designed; the war-mongering machismo that led us to disregard facts in favor of a $700 trillion war that has cost more US lives than 9-11 and perhaps a million Iraqis (which we will be living down for generations) and which he plans to continue; and general willingness to abandon the foundational principles of American law and the structure of American government for the sake of expediency, not to mention plain old ethics and respect for people-- instead, lying is now okay if it gets you another vote. No thanks, McCain. I'm for Obama.

See this article for an expose of the fake letters to the editor (and blog comments) the McCain campaign is systematically employing: http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2008/09/24/mccain_letters/

It is absolutely correct that McCain and Obama suspend campaigning in order to meet the responsibilities of their positions as Senators.

Sober, serious, and substantive analysis and discussion is absolutely the duty of every Congressperson and Senator, ESPECIALLY for any expenditure this large, or even one-tenth this large.

Treasury Secretary Paulson requested and was almost granted unparalleled control over an unprecedented amount of taxpayer money in a bill that explicitly rejected any oversight by Congress or the Judiciary.

Those provisions were at least foolish, likely unconstitutional, and ridiculously panicked.

With Buffett finding $10 Billion worth of profit opportunities in this week's markets, one can legitimately question whether taxpayer money is needed, especially at the panicked levels Paulson wanted.

This is a global war... A war being waged against anyone who has debt... It is a war that is not being won by Wall Street or on Capital Hill... US leaders there are making matters worst as they pump more money into a system that is broken because it has had too much money pumped into over the past 20 years and particularly the past 5 years... We have all contributed to this financial mess... Now that the financial mess is infecting Main Street we will all begin to pay some price... Be in no doubt, you and me, are the front line soldiers in this war... Will it become a global war as devastating as the Second World War? It will if we let things slide and thus produce a US or global Depression... Is that possible? Yes! It seems the most likely outcome at present as the Generals fighting this war are not up to the challenge and their staff are even less capable... We need a new team in the White House not just a new President... We need a team that is drawn from both political parties, a team that inclusive of all points of view, a team that is way beyond the ideological presentations of both Mc Cain and Obama right now!!! Neither of these men are showing us anything like what will be needed from them in 2009... Neither is showing any real leadership right now... So when you cast your vote look at who will be in the Mc Cain team and the Obama team .... In other words stop listening to what they say and start looking into what they are doing to actively prepare themselves to fight a war on behalf of all the citizens of the world... If this war is lost then we all will pay a price - some people will pay a big price if they lose their jobs, homes, retirement funds, dignity, .... It is a war that can be won - it will need a strong President with a capable and experienced team of people around him to cut through the "political double speak" that led us all into this war in the first place....

Don't underestimate the real storm brewing here. House Republicans and and Senate Republicans up for re-election are scared to the point of inaction. People everywhere have bought in to the idea that only "Wall Street" is impacted by this problem. There protests are pushing congressional incumbents into a frenzied state of inaction. They believe a misstep in this "crisis" will lose their office, blind to the fact that it was the hundred other missteps that put them at the brink. They are so afraid of the "Champion of Change" McCain that the cant vote without his endorsement. Meanwhile, the largest thrift in the nation failed yesterday and, as if to reinforce the legitimacy of a free market approach, JP Morgan scooped up the assets. Don't be fooled. JPM did this to gain instant access to California and Florida markets. Other failures will not be such bargains, nor will they be as attractive to takeover. And, that is why some intervention is necessary. But, it has to be at a grass roots level. Early reports on the McCain backed plan revolve around some form of government backed insurance. This is just a Trojan Horse bailout. Because, in the end, the taxapayers will be on the hook while a few thousand rich people will have their wealth preserved. And, homeowners in default will be on the street.

Don't underestimate the real storm brewing here. House Republicans and and Senate Republicans up for re-election are scared to the point of inaction. People everywhere have bought in to the idea that only "Wall Street" is impacted by this problem. There protests are pushing congressional incumbents into a frenzied state of inaction. They believe a misstep in this "crisis" will lose their office, blind to the fact that it was the hundred other missteps that put them at the brink. They are so afraid of the "Champion of Change" McCain that the cant vote without his endorsement. Meanwhile, the largest thrift in the nation failed yesterday and, as if to reinforce the legitimacy of a free market approach, JP Morgan scooped up the assets. Don't be fooled. JPM did this to gain instant access to California and Florida markets. Other failures will not be such bargains, nor will they be as attractive to takeover. And, that is why some intervention is necessary. But, it has to be at a grass roots level. Early reports on the McCain backed plan revolve around some form of government backed insurance. This is just a Trojan Horse bailout. Because, in the end, the taxapayers will be on the hook while a few thousand rich people will have their wealth preserved. And, homeowners in default will be on the street.

It's the worst crisis since 9-11.
At that time, we had military/executive coup of the US, we had serious financial instability from a debased currency, huge over-investment in the IT sector, social vacuums filled by growing evangelical cult leaders, massive numbers of racial profiling and imprisonment, etc.

But, we eased up credit to almost ZERO to hide it. Paulson and Bernanke (spokespeople for the profiteers of the Fed and banking cartel) are proposing to use the same 'cure' as last time.

This means that, if the 'rescue bill' passes, and we continue to live beyond our means, we'll have an even LARGER PROBLEM in 6 or 8 years (as I predict).

By then, the US will probably be willing to submit to the NAU since a 3 currencies will be worth nothing. Why not start fresh with an Amero?