[macrich]

I think we're being a bit overdramatic here.

For starters, we have laws that protect us against being abused in the workplace. Unlike the Great Depression, we have a social system set up now. We have unemployment benefits, free medical and heavily discounted medicines. During the great depression all we had were food stamps. Where the US is at the moment, they are already getting shanty towns around their big centers, we aren't.

Also the Dark Ages weren't caused by a global recession or the collapse of any major companies, it was caused by religious zealots.

If in fact AIG does have over $60 trillion in bad debt, then it can't survive. It would never have the ability to repay any of that debt. Throwing money at it will not achieve anything at all.

We've had around 12 recessions since 1900, none of which did the world implode and we all die from some massive economic arterial explosion. Most recessions don't last more than 2 years.

I think if we all stop thinking like chicken little (that the sky is falling) we'll all recognize that all of this is not that bad.

Allow me to use an analogy. It's like being stuck in mud. You're driving along you stop the car and realize that you've stopped in thick mud. You panic for a moment, try to get out and only feel like things are getting worse. The you get a push out of this mud and start on your way again. Soon you forget that you were even stuck in mud and are happily traveling along.

That's what this is like. It will be yet another recession that will end, we will all survive and life will go on.