I'm talking about the notion that we should let the financial system collapse. Right. It looks like most bloggers here have become proponents of McKeynsian economics: Bitch first, study the problem later if ever. If you're too dumb to understand that credit is the lifeblood of the economy; that some of the biggest players in capitalism have gone the way of the dodo in the past two weeks; that lenders are afraid to extend credit they may never get back; and that your boss, your job and the food on your table all depend on credit; then, by all means, let the banks fail. Go ahead and fire Paulson and get some newby in to ask where Treasury's washroom is. And watch Main Street burn to the ground and the economy burn its way through the earth all the way to China because you're pissed about Wall Street's malfeasance and your share of the national debt. Yes, what has happened on Bush's watch—almost all of it—amounts to ludicrous flushing of national assets down a rat hole. It's a fair question to ask if Bush is crying wolf again. But remember "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" ends with people deciding they won't get fooled again and someone getting eaten. The difference is, this time the villagers will be the ones consumed by their skepticism. No, Lehman Bros. would not voluntarily surrender to bankruptcy if this were a hoax. No, Democrats would not fail to use the slightest evidence of a hoax for political advantage. No, Fannie and Freddie and AIG would not be under the yoke of government control if this were a hoax. No, Russia would not have allowed tens of billions to evaporate on its stock market if this were just the American president's final hoax. So get real. Yes, 6.1 percent unemployment, skyrocketing mortgage defaults and rising prices are bad and they're already here. But don't kid yourself that this is anything like the Worldwide Great Depression of the 1930s. And don't dismiss the fact that our economy is in no shape to sustain a massive collapse of credit. So if you're one of those screaming about your family's tax burden increasing by $10,000 over this bailout, quit lying. It won't. The bailout adds about 6 percent to the national debt. We have progressive taxation in this country and you probably don't pay more than a few thousand dollars in income tax now. So add six percent if you want to squawk and bitch in high dudgeon, but remember that government will soak the rich who deserve the burden, not you personally. Remember, too, that taxpayers will see some of the $700 billion recovered over the next few years, particularly if Sen. Chris Dodd's plan is adopted. I'd link to it here, but the buttons aren't working. Look for the link in a Politico story today. Yeah, if you need to, call me out on your "facts." Bitch and moan about the programs that might not be funded or that might get cut. And then go ask the nearest 90-year-old about the breadlines and beggars and sickness and wars that accompanied the last Worldwide Great Depression. Ask them if the government acted quickly enough or paid more heed to the skeptics.