I 'm hoping that by the time this column appears in print, all of the streets, Main to Wall, will be clear. Not of winter snow and ice, but of the fear, confusion, and chaos described in the headlines I woke up to this morning, and yesterday morning, and every morning for days and weeks before that. The news of the day, of every day, concerns another potential insertion of a federal finger in a very leaky financial dike. Another galactic-size corporation that a few months ago was rated as blue chip now concedes that it has almost no chips left. To keep the poker game going, the company seeks a house loan of, oh, say, 25 large. Large as in billions, which, as someone pointed out, is not that large by current rescue standards. If there is one thing this current economic crisis has taught us, it is that bad economic news that is reported, analyzed, punditized, and re-reported all day every day is a very effective form of torture.
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