"The first stage is just the bailout, but the second stage are all of these radical reforms.....

[marmar]

.... that are going to be invoked in the name of the crisis that the bailout is creating, whether it’s pushed through right now or whether it’s pushed through later.

But what’s important—you know, Amy, in the book, I talk about—I start the book with a quote from Milton Friedman that has really made the rounds a lot lately, which is that—and this is a Friedman quote—that “only a crisis, actual or perceived, produces real change. And when the crisis occurs, the change depends on the ideas that are lying around." And then he goes on to say, “That, I believe, is our basic function: to keep the ideas ready until the politically impossible becomes politically inevitable.” So I think it’s really important for people to look at the ideas that are lying around."

- Naomi Klein yesterday on Democracy Now! with Amy Goodman. The complete interview is at: http://www.democracynow.org/2008/9/24/naomi_klein_now_is_the_time

[The River]

1. Agreed

President Obama will have a mandate to re-regulate an out of control
private sector in a way that everyone benefits, not just CEO's, bank and
speculators.

[EFerrari]

2. This is another transfer of power from Congress to Treasury.

It's likely unconstitutional.