Invading Iraq and the subsequent spikes in the price of oil and gas ruined our economy

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Until we deal with those two manufactured crimes, we won't see ANY reversal of the country's economic decline; no matter what financial institution we manage to prop up.

There's been incredible damage to the fabric of our economy. First there was the talking down of an economy by candidate Bush in 2000 which had just benefited from a budget surplus and token payments on the actual national debt. Americans were encouraged by the new republican president and his new republican Congress to buy SUV's in a defiant gesture of greed and indifference to the consequences of their oil glut.

Next, there was a massive rape of our treasury to give over 70% of a record tax break to the wealthiest 2% of Americans. Then, the republican president and his republican Congress responded to our national crisis in 2001 by committing our nation to dual occupations in the Middle East. We've since spent a total of some $850 billion on both Iraq and Afghanistan -- double last year's total.

If we don't reverse our military priorities and reverse (or at least, reduce) our dependence on oil, we'll never 'solve' any of our nation's money problems in a way that average Americans will be able to realize a prosperous future. The republicans say that continuing and perpetuating the occupations and continuing to coddle the oil industry will suffice. Democrats are on the right track, but don't let anyone tell you that we can have economic stability while we continue to covet oil (and oil profiteers) and continue to spend our hard-earned contributions digging our nation's defenders even deeper into the Mideast sand.

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1. It's kind of a perfect storm.....massive debt driving down the dollar while skyrocketing oil prices.

add fuel to the fire.

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3. It was orchestrated

From Bush's end, they wanted government to starve, except for defense and as a slush fund for their industry; military industry back on the dole and other industry lined up for tax breaks, deregulation and bailouts.

From the business end, they want Americans functionally poor and desperate for their lower wage, no benefit, temporary jobs.

They'll try and get oil prices to just within our reach. they don't care, though, if we bleed dry. Individually, they might want us still barely alive and on their dole, but if it's left up to them, collectively, we'll surely starve right in front of their engorged asses.

[Imagevision]

2. This is true however the fat cats made multi millions++

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4. while increasing record numbers of homes are being foreclosed on

'fat cats' always take their haul first