Dr. Ron Paul is the only one who can handle this as the next president..........I'm sorry to say it but he is.  He already has worked on a solution because he already knew it was coming many years ago.  He's had time to think about it.  He's an Austrian theory of economic scholar and was the only one who could've worked us through this.  He entered politics because we went off the gold standard in 1971.  He knew where it would lead us.  Unfortunately, the media pushes the two candidates who contribute the most money. It's all about money.  Corporate greed is what's going to kill our great nation.  Now that I've found out how much money was donated to both main presidential candidates by big Wall Street businesses, I'm just sick to my stomach.  No wonder they voted for the worst bill in our history........the bailout.  Our Congress turned a deaf ear to "We the People" when heard from us 9-1 against the bailout and voted for it anyway according to the added "bill bribes".......oops "sweeteners".  This has got to be by far the worst Congress and President put together we've ever had.  

What can we do?  BRING THE TROOPS HOME FROM AROUND THE WORLD would be a GREAT start.  And I mean all 130 countries, 700 bases.  Cut unneccessary government spending (like the Congressional pension - that's a good one to start with since we weren't asked whether we wanted our tax money to fund it anyway).  Kill the Federal Reserve and IRS. Allow our hard-earned money to go back into the economy.  SOUND MONEY based on a gold standard.  The world will follow because their fiat money isn't worth a darn either.  We'd have the most honest monetary system if we did it and our government would have to live within it's means.

ChynaLeigh-You're right!  But notice that the price of things didn't go down when the cost of gas and oil has been dropping?  What's up with that?

I'm with Michael.  Vote out the waste makers.  I'm sorry that Mr. CEO of Whatever Company won't get his $10Million dollar bonus this year...boohoo!!!  Give money back to the people.  If we, the taxpayer, had $100,000. each most of us could payoff our debt and start savings accounts or buy other things that we want or need.  Maybe we would be more careful...then again maybe not but the thing is at least we could control our tax money instead of giving it to high priced gamblers on Wall Street or big banks and investment companies.

Michael has the right idea! I will not vote for the senator and my representative in congress who voted for this bailout scam. I can only hope the people in other states have the same idea (Pelosi,Frank,Dodd, etc). It may take 4 year to accomplish, but I will remember them for what they are, the greedy creators of this mess.

Heard a great idea the other day - take $85 billion out of the bailout (oops - rescue) and give it to every man and woman over 18. That's about 200 million people and amounts to around $425,000 a person. Since this would be taxed, say at 30%, $125,000 (total of $25 billion) would go back to the gov't for its use. WE would take what's left and payoff our mortgages (end of housing crisis), our loans (banks now solvent), new cars, tv's. etc. (businesses now prosper and start hiring people), medical expenses (lessen healthcare issues), and save a bunch in the banks (now there's money to lend to small businesses). Is that too easy?

There was so much pork with this bailout bill, I smelled the bacon were I live.  I thought, "Who's having the BLT sandwiches?  Oh yeah, I remember...not me and the taxpayers!"

Maybe I'll just write in Bob Barr for President for the hell of it!  Maybe myself.  My motto is "The country is messed up enough, I couldn't mess it up any further!"  N-GIRL for president!

The truth is the people borrowing the money and not paying back were driving the economy. Now their credit is ruined again. I doubt they even care about the USA. The people with good credit need to be rewarded. They don't borrow unless they can pay back. Who wants to borrow money in the middle of this mess. Not me.

I think we should fall into another depression.  Maybe then, not only government, but John Q. Public, would realize that spend, spend, spend is not the answer.  People must take responsibility for their own mistakes and start living within their means.  Try my salary on for size!  

It seems that there are two types of individuals in this country that can create a disaster like this - the seemingly intelligent but greedy company and banking executives, and the seemingly intelligent but selfish (not caring for the people only for what they can get) politicians. In either case it appears that regulation is the only recourse to stop the abuse. I would like to know what the 2 groups that put us into this situation are going to do to make sure that this country doesn't repeat the "Great Depression" or any kind of Depression/Recession, are they just going to point their finger at the other as the problem and continue to forget the proper ways to "run a business or run a country"?

Apparently the replacement of the clock is an indication that Obama is on his way to the White House.  The two extra digits should provide him breathing room for his spending binge...