Well, I haven't been around forever, have I?

Color me busy. Flower beds, soccer practice, home improvements, redoing home improvements becausing the damned foundation settled again. Plus politics...this time of year I kind of get sucked in.

And I'm only back momentarily to say this: With respect to the bailout, I don't think I've ever been so conflicted about an act of Congress. On the one hand, I think it sucks to preserve institutions run by freakish greedheads who got rich at our expense, gamed the system, and lost. On the other hand, the damage is done. Those bastards have their money, and if something -- anything -- isn't done, it'll be you, me, and those beneath us who suffer. Nothing we can do -- short of prosecution, and the sad fact is they didn't do anything illegal, for the most part -- will bring that money back out of their wallets. All we can do now is pray that we avoid a depression.

Then we go back, figure out what happened, and fix it. And as little as the parties involved are going to like this, it must needs involve assigning blame. Because I want to know who to trust, and who not to trust, going forward.

And no, "don't trust anyone" is not an option -- it's a recipe for anarchy.