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I must admit, I find it amusing to watch the CEO’s of the auto industry as they beg for taxpayers’ money for themselves. Make no mistake, just like the original TARP (which was so easily altered from its original intent) has had no effect on main street, this bailout will only temporarily keep autoworkers in their doomed jobs. While making these CEO's even wealthier.

“What bailout?” you may ask. At the time of this writing, just as was the case with the TARP, no decision has been made and ‘serious’ Senate hearings are being held with no logical answer coming from the CEO’s. When asked, these guys can't give a reasonable answer as to how their troubled industry will be changed in any substantive way by this injection of free cash. They won't even commit to what they'll do with it (again sound familiar?. Trouble is, despite it making no sense, I can predict with absolute certainty that this bailout will pass nevertheless. Why? Just as in the case of the TARP, this nonsense has given the lobbyist’s plenty of time to work their (money and power) magic with our beloved senators. Bought, sold, signed, sealed and delivered-stick a fork in it-ITS DONE!!! Who needs re-election when you've just become rich beyond your wildest dreams? Just as the TARP was initially rejected while under the scrutiny of the press, I expect the first attempt to agree on the auto bailout to fail in a public show. Don't be shocked, it'll be back, but quietly and without rancor, probably after the first of the year.

Everyone is taking a piece of your wealth, your liberty and your kids’ future as I type this blog. The CEO’s will keep their jobs and siphon off the lion’s share for themselves. That couldn’t have happened in bankruptcy. No the boys will all take care of their own. Maybe today, maybe tomorrow, but count on it. In the near future, those that know about the bailout passage timing (ie: lobbyists, ultra wealthy, government officials and of course-members of the Senate) will buy up the auto maker’s battered stocks and be even wealthier within hours after they ‘leak’ the news of the impending bailout. They’ll become millionaires in hours at your expense, but, surprisingly, it won't help the broader market, because the market knows what its really all about. Watch and see. I could be wrong…..but in the matter of government and greed-I seldom am.

POST SCRIPT:
During the course of the afternoon on November 20th, a "rumoured" bailout plan was leaked. Over the course of 2 hours, both GM and Ford stock prices soared into double digit gains as the rest of the 'normal' market tanked! The bailout announcement turned out to be "premature", but it didn't stop traders 'with knowledge' from profiting big in the matter of hours as ther rest of the market was crushed. What I want to know is, when do I get to run for Congress and leak such profitable premature announcements?

In the near future, history will read just the opposite of my title. The real truth may well have to wait a long time to surface again. The winners write history, and those who are ignorant of the past are condemned to repeat it. I’m afraid that on this day the new Socialist era will be ushered in, with Pelosi and Reid riding on the flowing cape of the next anointed one, Barack Obama. Many are simply ignorant of their history and can't see the pattern I see. The Republican Presidential campaign has certainly done little to enlighten them. No matter which of the front runners you were backing you couldn't escape the facts of what they'd both done and what each has proposed to do. You and your kids will be taxed into submission to continually "bailout" failed business models, gamblers, and irresponsible homeowners.

I’m as angry with the Republican Party for stabbing myself and other fiscal conservatives in the back through their deceit as I am with the Democrat Party who openly say what they expect to do. Time and again since the Clinton years the republicans have had opportunities to show that they were the party of liberty, ethics, fiscal controls, small government and individual self-determination but failed on nearly every occasion. Had the Illinois GOP been anything less than an absolute travesty, Barack Obama would not have been in this position at all! Our Governor failed the ethical test. Obama's first GOP opposition failed the moral test and was dropped. Obama's final GOP opponent was a carpetbagger who the party knew would fail miserably! We couldn't even run a true conservative against one of the most hated governor's of all time! The Illinois GOP is just a smaller version of an equally pathetic national GOP. Republican candidates don't know how to run because they aren't traditonal republicans anymore. In a final blow to my heart and soul and all that I hold dear, the republican party joined with the democrats (amid massive opposition from their own constituents!) to rob the working public for generations by granting gifts to their wealthy Wall Street gambling cronies in the form of the 'bailout'. As opposition to the far-left socialist regime about to take over they had no moral or ethical ground to stand on. Their corruption and indifference set the stage for what will be the dismemberment of all I knew as a country growing up.

Our economy is about to implode. Our politically lazy and needy society will allow almost any infringement of their freedom to secure their comfort, they’ve already exhibited that trait. And so, the stage is set. The blame for all missteps over the next four years will be shunted-off to the "evil republicans, way back when” (and some of it well deserved) and no matter how bad things become our helpless and hapless society will beg for more government to save them. Barack Obama won't need impressive credentials to win this day. Just as in his Senatorial race, he simply has to show up, smile and say, "change!". For years the two major parties have been more alike then different. Rhetoric is about all that seperates them. The world won't end for us in January, but the slippery slope to socialism will become far better lubricated!

I used to say that the majority of Americans treated their politics like professional sports, blindly supporting the team of their father's until that team turned into losers. These days I see many Americans treating politics more like religion, which removes even the 'performance' aspect of the sports analogy! This morning my local morning radio personality, Mike Tomano, did an informal exit poll on the air. I literally heard an Obama supporter explaining her support for the man, but not in terms of what he’s accomplished or hopes to accomplish. She simply summed it up this way, “he’s such a beautiful man-he’s simply touched my heart”. Words worthy of describing the divine. I find it ironic that the love of my life is frustrated that she can't reason with her friends who are Obama disciples. You just can’t argue reason with those who commit to a blind devotion to a deity.

I know, I’ve tried.

That’s the most obvious change I’ve observed since the beginning of the ‘Q” continuum (I love that I get to say that now…big Star Trek fan!). Practice is more physically difficult (which will help in those tough OT games of which we seem to have too many of lately) and also more structured, but two things seem to really stand out.

It seems that there’s more individual attention given to specific players with an additional emphasis on skills. I know that these guys are pros in the best league in the world and they should already have a great skill set. They do have great skills, but you begin the downhill slide when you think you can’t get any better.

I also sensed a feeling of reward and punishment-in a good way. Q could’ve worked the boys yesterday at practice, but it would’ve been like beating a dead horse. I’ve already opined that there are some tight nerves out there and that a sense of equilibrium has to be achieved. There was a time when the answer to a less than stellar performance would have been a forced practice the day after an away game. There was a time when the answer to a failed shootout would’ve been breakaway drills the following day. I appreciated (and I know the players did) that they were given a day away to catch their breath and know that they had a coach who didn’t react to every situation as though it were the end of the world…even when fans sometimes think it is!

A knee-jerk reaction would be the last thing a pressure-sensitive team needed right now. At the same time, I got a kick out of how demanding practice was today. It was a subtle reminder, but in a ‘game situation positive’ way-that there is a price to pay for anything less than total effort. I also enjoyed the session of keep-away the players had to engage in. It required skill, quick hands and feet, anticipation, and personal responsibility and personal assessment. No different than when we were kids, but with fans and a coaching staff watching the outcome. As tough as that drill can be, it brought the ‘kid’ back out in a lot of these ‘pro’s’. You can work hard and still have fun. In my experience coaching and teaching, those are the best learning moments.

There is no substitute for experience. The Quenneville era should be a good one!

It was great to talk to the BHMB members out at the EDGE today and all of the new folks I met who had so many nice things to say about my work. Thanks, folks!
GO HAWKS!

What does that say about the current Blackhawk team? It says a lot! Its easy to point out the flaws in this young team, but the positives to take away from Saturday’s game say even more.

Keep in mind that despite what we chant, Detroit is still the best team in hockey. Keep in mind that winning this game was an imperative to Detroit management, staff and players. They may not have come in well rested, but they did come in prepared. They have incredible talent, excellent coaching and a system that has been in place for years, which virtually runs on autopilot during the course of the game.

Up against the precision of the Detroit machine, Chicago put up a group of young men, still feeling nerves under the pressure of both new expectations from the organization and the roar of 21,000 fans. This young team has a lot of new faces, not the least of which is the head coach. They barely know each other on the ice, much less their coach. The ‘system’ they play can be summarized as ‘go play hard!’. With all of that in mind, they still came out of the contest with a point, an entertaining and enlightening night, and a more clear vision of what needs to be done to compete with the likes of a determined Wings team-most of which is time. Time to learn each other’s strengths, weaknesses, abilities and tendencies. Time to learn Quenneville’s system (which is more than ‘just play hard, but still includes it!). Time to find the place between youthful exuberance and seasoned patience.

I can already see a lot of the intra-personal aspects of the team improving quickly. Soon the nerves and pressure will equalize as well. After that its up to Coach Q and the staff to take them to dominance in the NHL-and they will. This year.
Go Hawks!
-tib

Its sad to see anyone leave a job when they loved to do it. Denis Savard really loved being the Head Coach of the Blackhawks and I was sorry for Denis that the rumors held true, just as I was sorry for Trent Yawney when his tenure ended. I've been around both guys since their early playing days and I feel privileged to know them. That being said, every coach gets fired at some point and neither of these former Hawks players left in disgrace or failure, they left simply as part of a life-long learning curve. If you gotta go, that’s the way it should be. Be angry with management if you like, or question the timing if you must, but don’t kid yourself-what happened is a fact of life.

Joel Quenneville is an experienced head coach, something the Hawks management owed to the fans for quite some time. Coach Q is pretty far along the NHL learning curve. He carries with him the hockey knowledge that may have been needed to take the team to the next level-deep into the playoffs.

So, like me, feel free to mourn the loss of a Blackhawk icon, but at the same time, be excited to welcome in a new era!
Go Hawks!
tib

I’m gonna have to give Pat Foley a hard time about that. I replayed the end of last night’s win and never heard his trademark shout-maybe I missed it? At any rate, the first win is in the books, but not without another bombshell. The Hawks have been purging the remnants of the past and I hear Savvy is about to be the next victim.

When I sit back and observe the players over the course of their development and then compare them to the players I’ve watched over the span of twenty-something years I believe I get to be a pretty good and objective judge of a team's potential. Its too early to see how quickly the team will gel because we have a lot of young talent, a very young captain, and a lot of new faces (in terms of linemates) on the ice. Every Coach gets fired at some point, its inevitable. What effect this has on the team? We'll see. What I can say at this point is that we have the most talent on the ice I’ve seen in a decade. Its no secret that I wish Robert Lang were still with the team, he was far more influential than most fans may have noticed, but his absence WILL be noticed. I am happy that there are even more observant eyes watching over the players and team development. Joel Quenville, Mike Haviland and Scotty Bowman coming on board reassures me that fans will get to see the best use of the talent we have. It should be reassuring to the players as well. All three have the confidence and credentials to take over behind the bench, but your guess is as good as mine as to who it will be. We should know later today (Thursday).

Game notes: I predicted it would be some ‘vets’ who’d be responsible for the first win. Khabi was terrific in net and its FANTASTIC to see the talent of Marty Havlat on the ice. Even when he ‘merely’ sets up a goal his presence unnerves the opposition’s defense and goaltending! Not many players can roof a backhand within an inch of the crossbar, but as I’ve reported in the past, I’ve watched him practice that shot countless times! Seabs looked to be overplaying, but he seems to need time every year to settle down and get his confidence. Since he's usually paired with a rushing defensman his role becomes magnified. Buff is starting to be more aggressive and as he feels the success in that role he’ll be hammering guys into the boards and become an immovable object in front of the net. Dustin faces both a learning curve and a change in playing style and fans had better realise that and get a little more patient. Campbell and Keith will both be making more crowd raising end-to-end rushes as they become more confident with their defensive pairings, and that's just pure fun! Where the veteran players go, the kids will follow as the pressure eases and their talent takes over. Look for a lot more razzle dazzle from the kids! There may be some bumps in the road ahead, but this team will coalesce and build momentum noticeably over the next few weeks, no matter who is at the helm. Be patient and don't despair Hawk's fans....this team is the real deal!

Tomorrow I’ll be at my usual post during practice, but with the noticeable abscence of Denis. On Saturday I'll head south to St. Louis for my personal favorite rivalry with the Blues. These are some really turbulent times-but one thing stays constant....

BLUES SUCK! GO HAWKS!!!!!
-tib

In some ways it seemed like last season never ended. After the playoffs, my own attention was turned to preparation for the inaugural Blackhawks Convention. After the Convention I began to prepare for the first Training Camp Festival. The one thing missing during the summer was interaction with the actual Blackhawks-the guys who make what I do so much fun.

A lot of the guys were around, in fact everybody was at the Training Camp, but I missed getting to interact with them. A lot of players were at the Convention, but they were usually scheduled to give autographs or do photo-ops, and when they weren’t, fans surrounded them. What you need to know about professional hockey players is this: they’re ordinary people-and ordinary folks can be very interesting if you get to know them. Hockey players are all ‘kids’ to me. They all seem young and immune from all the cares of the world. They goof around but they work hard. They play hard but have to be self-disciplined. I’ve had discussions with players about such diverse topics as guitars, surgeries, global warming and conspiracy theories. We’ve crawled under cars to fix hoses and work on turbochargers. It used to be easier to get to know the guys because life off the ice used to be less ‘scripted’. It used to be easier because I was closer to the players in terms of age-you don’t get to know a guy as easily when he’s trying to be ‘respectful to your old age’. It used to be easier because players stayed with the team longer.

For years, the Hawks were so under promoted that the ‘kids’, whatever their skill level, seemed to focus solely on improving their skill. Players could live their lives in total anonymity on the streets of Chicago. Fans or even press rarely attended practice sessions. Guys could work on footwork in the hallways or practice wrist shots up behind the Edge ‘luxury’ boxes! My main interactive time is before practice, when guys are out on the ice or working on customizing equipment. I had time to talk to Sopes about his Mom, who orders art from my site, Brian Campbell seems like a nice guy, self assured and easy-going. Kris Versteeg is a fellow dutchman so we have some culture in common. Did you know that his grandparents are still living in Holland?

My problem these days is the cult of personality. This season, in the blink of an eye the ‘kids’ have been transformed from hockey players to ‘personalities’ and superstars through promotion alone. Fans have always idolized great players, but now players who haven't yet achieved greatness and the maturity that goes with that process also have to deal with 'ego-stroking' conventions, autograph sessions, commercials, interviews and red carpet arrivals. These things aren’t just distractions; they can change a person if they're not well grounded. Its not only really tough to stay humble and focused in the rarified air that is professional sport, it can be tough to live up to expectations! Right now it seems like an awful amount of pressure is being put on some very young kids who may be 'gripping the stick a little tight', as anxious players like to say. I'm hoping some veteran players step up and put the puck in the net. I'm hoping that they'll take the pressure off the kids. I'm hoping a veteran (and much maligned-but not by me!) goaltender supplies confidence as a backstop. I’m hoping that the 'personality'-generated hoopla is over for a while, because its time to win some hockey games!

The team will be fine. Exhale.....
Go Hawks!
-tib

I haven’t had the heart to blog for a while. I’m not sure what makes me feel worse, the idea that as a nation we’ve turned the corner to socialism, begun a long recession, and become part of the ‘new world order’-or the idea that so few of my fellow citizens know or care.

The phrase ‘New World order’ used to be dismissed as a topic for the lunatic fringe and ‘Coast to Coast’ conspiracy theory types-but now it’s a fact of life. In this country we’ve clearly given up on the Constitution and any notion of fairness, stability, responsibility and free markets. The few times there are discussions of our radical new socialized market in the mass media they revolve around the merits to our wallets and economy, not our liberty. Greed is rewarded. Over consumption is rewarded. Debt and default is rewarded. Gambling is rewarded. In fact, in the past decade, nearly every moral and ethical standard that was proposed by my teachers, religion and parents over the course of forty years has been turned upside down. Nearly every institution of trust and reliability has been eroded. I now turn a cynical eye toward politicians, religion, banks, the education system, charities and ‘news’ organizations.

This attitude hasn’t been cultivated by vague reports of abuses in these areas, but by actual events. Politicians are greedy, self-serving liars and they’ve recently sold us out on a national level. Do you know anyone who hasn’t personally witnessed the results of corruption? Not here in Illinois where government officials are either impotent or under indictment! Religion has been shown to be greedy, perverse and corrupt on too many occasions these days. My old church forced a pastor to resign, and the Priest scandal has hit parishes within a dozen miles of my house. The spiritual leaders of the church can’t be conveniently separated from the religion when they commit bad acts since they’re the one’s closest to both the institution and, supposedly, the deity. Banks are closing on a weekly basis because of their misuse of the funds trusted to them. The institution that was once synonymous with safety (like money in the bank) is now equated with gamblers. Both political bias and political correctness taint the educational system and drag it down into mediocrity. Charities are increasingly being run by ‘professional’ fund raisers that care more about their own gains than anything they might raise for the actual cause they represent. News organizations have been bought by the entities that they used to investigate and report on. Very few television networks, radio stations or newspapers operate independently-they are now agenda or market driven and their reliability should always be questioned.

What does it all mean? In my case it translates into anxiety. What is being promoted as being the least painful solution to our problems is always the one we’ll get-even if it’s not the best solution.

Even if it’s no solution at all.

The Senate easily passed the bailout bill last night, while most Americans were busy watching the Chicago Cubs lose. The Senate couldn't be bothered to hold a hearing to listen to a single dissenting voice, although nearly 400 economists, including Noble laureates, have pointed out that this bailout will solve nothing.

It’s been one hundred years since the Cubs last won it all and it made me think about the generations that passed down their legacies over that period. In my own Dutch lineage we began with immigrants daring to leave their world behind to start from scratch in another continent. They fought a great war, rebuilt their new lives and worked together to prosper without credit cards or much of a banking system. They relied on each other and had the courage to do the difficult thing when it had to be done. The next generation was a group of their children who quickly became young adults when a famine and worldwide depression took hold. My dad was fourteen when he took over the family truck farm business after the death of his father. His situation was not uncommon. They personally reacted to the effects of their economy and adapated hard changes in their lives to insure the future. My dad’s generation worked hard to sacrifice, survive and save, before they were called to engage in another great war. Mom’s, sisters and brothers adapted to the immediate effects by taking jobs, rationing food and gas and growing ‘victory gardens’. The men that survived the war returned to a different world than the one they left, yet they persevered, restored their families, and worked to save money for the “American Dream” of ownership. They relied on each other and had the courage to do the hard thing when it had to be done.

I can’t tell you the exact reasons why those legacies of work, sacrifice and saving weren’t passed down. Some claim that the process was perverted by mind-numbing pastimes and advertising, but the chain was clearly broken. Our legacy, as it currently stands, will be one of excess. The next generation won’t look back at images of the smiling but lean, grizzled folks I see in our old albums. The next generation will look back on an obese heritage. Obese in every way. Many of us grew fat, lazy, self centered, and materialistic. Our generation was too busy with themselves to safeguard the future. We bought into credit and speculation. We gambled on stocks, we lived beyond our means, we turned our kids over to strangers. We chose entertainment and instant gratification over meaningful relationships. We ‘deserved’ it all and didn’t care about the future as long as we got what we wanted right now.

Today the House will begin deliberations on the same ‘gamblers bailout bill’ that they defeated last week. The substance of the bill is the same except another $150 billion in ‘pork’ has been added. We’ve set a new benchmark for waste. It’s only a trillion dollars! You should be outraged that they’re taking your money and enriching themselves. You should be outraged that they’re dooming your children to failure. You should be outraged that they’re trampling the Constitution! I'm not concerned with revenge or envy. This bill only makes the problem worse and 'mortgages' your children's futures to do it! I’ve faxed and emailed my representatives to let them know what I thought of this ‘obscene’ bill. It was pretty easy. I didn’t have to march on the capitol, I didn’t have to wait in an office lobby for an appointment. No picket signs. No riot police. No war to wage or rationing to endure. All I had to do was take a few minutes away from the Cubs game and hit a few keys on my computer’s keyboard.

Most of our politicians have lied to us. We let them. They’ve put together a scheme to steal from us and enrich themselves and their pals. We let them. Our local banks are not in crisis. Our local businesses have not shut down. Only the most leveraged home and business owners might possibly suffer from this, but this bill won’t help them or us anyway! It is NOT a mainstreet problem. It’s not even a Wallstreet problem. It’s the investment banking gambler’s problems and one of the worst of them, Henry Paulson, will be holding the checkbook with the power of a king vested in him. He joined the Investment banking firm Goldman Sachs in 1974, eventually becoming its chief executive. His compensation package, according to reports, was $37 million in 2005. His net worth has been estimated at over $700 million. Goldman Sachs is one of the few investment banks that has not gone out of business in the past few weeks and its shareholders stand to gain immensely from this bailout. Paulson has personally built close relations with China, which will also gain power and wealth from this bailout since they're allowed to transfer their 'toxic assets' to the U.S. by the terms of this bill. In July 2008 it was reported by The Daily Telegraph that: "Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson has intimate relations with the Chinese elite, dating from his days at Goldman Sachs when he visited the country more than 70 times." Is this really the man who you want to trust your country's future to?

My fear is that our generation will be too self-absorbed to be bothered trying to stop this. Please take some time today to contact your elected officials. These websites may be down when you try (another attempt to subvert YOUR system of representation!), but please be persistent. My own Congressman (Jerry Weller) refused to honor his commitment to his constituents and was the only congressman NOT to vote at all. I hope he shows up for the next vote because I’ve already told him what I want him to do-and you should, too! It really is the least we can do now, but its something.

The House website:
http://www.house.gov/

The AFT website:
http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/bailout_092308

Monday 9-29-2008
What a day! Some bad and some good. At the moment, the huge winners in my opinion, are the free-market system and our system of elected and representational government. The people spoke in droves against the 'billionaire's bailout' and at least a few of our representatives listened! Keep in mind, this bailout is far from dead, and the ‘new’ version was barely better than the first version that the President and future 'Czar" gave us. I still think it will be repackaged with even more fear mongering and threats in the next few days. Congress is taking a recess after another session of childish finger-pointing. These folks have no clue or conscience!

Wall Street pundits and politicians, those with a direct vested interest, will scream that ‘this (today's market frop) is what you get’ for failing to pass the bailout plan. The market movers will use the market drop as blackmail to get another vote on the bailout plan. Keep in mind that most of the numbers were already low before the vote (unemployment, the DJIA, NASDAQ, etc.) and a 'yes' vote did nothing to guarantee that it would’ve changed that. I see no connection between the proposed bailout and a fix of the underlying problem! They can give all the cash they want to Henry Paulson's pals, but it won't stop the decline of this economy or the rapid devaluing of the stock market. If you were responsible, had a broad range of investments and diversified, as you should have, today’s loss wasn’t as painful for you as it was for the major stock gamblers. If you were already looking at the probability of a recession and had moved into stocks and commodities that hedge against it, you weren’t hurt at all. Gold went up. Wal-Mart held quite steady. Oil and gasoline took huge drops making our cost of living a little lower. If your broker didn't warn you of this, he/she wasn't much of an advisor. If you still own stocks, my advice is to get out. Pundits would call me a coward for that advice. I'll call you a fool if you listen to the folks who were blind to the obvious. This kind of volatilty and carnage is only the begining. The gamblers no longer trust the house, so nobody is willing to gamble. This 'bailout' has nothing in it that will rebuild trust, so everyone will liquidate and move to cash as soon as they can or as soon as they're forced to. The beginning of the end....

On the other hand, our elected officials, for whatever reasons, made a choice to maintain the “American Way” by sticking to a free market system, refusing socialism, and refusing to empower a ‘czar’, who was at best, blind to the problem, at worst an active participant in it. Well, at least they pretended to do what's right. One analogy that comes to mind is that of an athlete having a badly sprained ankle. A sprained ankle is a very bad thing, but pump enough painkillers into the athlete, throw on some tape, and he may be able to return to the game in some lesser capacity. He won't be cured by any means; in fact, odds are greater that he'll be injured worse and for a longer period of time! The athlete may score some more points, but eventually that ankle is going to snap completely and then we’ll lose him for the entire season-or worse. Putting a cast on the ankle requires time but will eventually lead to healing and return the athlete to the lineup. We won’t like it, but it’s the lesser of two evils and in the long run leaves us healthy. The markets have to be purged of the gamblers who played with derivitives and credit swops. The free market has to set prices again. The rules can't be changed during the game or nobody will play!

Throwing billions at the 'financial' problem would’ve only been a temporary painkiller and tape-job, it wouldn’t have changed a thing in the long run. It sure won't stop the gamblers on the sideline betting on when the guys ankle will finally snap! If the recession that follows this mess (no matter what) cleans up the markets, clears out the fraud, teaches everyone (especially billionaire speculators!) to live within their means and at the same time gets us to pay attention to the things that count in life, it can be a positive….in the long run. That’s the problem, we’ve been programmed to expect instant gratification. We’ve been told that there are so many ‘things’ that we ‘deserve’ and that we have a ‘right’ to, that we forget our simpler past. There are better prescriptions for this problem than giving up our system of economy and government while saddling our kids with the bills and the mess. There are ideas in these links that cost nothing and may actually make this process less painful:

http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE48O9WP20080925?feedTy...

http://townhall.com/Columnists/JerryBowyer/2008/09/24/the_bowyer_bailout...

http://blogmaverick

http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/hotproperty/archives/2008/09/alte...

http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=35700

http://www.clusterstock.com/2008/9/two-better-bailouts