Since at this point in time we really don't know the depth of the damage

[blues90]

Who does and what do you see as the next year unfolds. Will we really be told the full truth of the depth of the damage or will we be in the dark wondering where we might end up in the big picture?

I must admit I know nothing of how the global economy works or what ties what to what other than it exists. I don't know a thing about wall street never had money riding on it but it does seem like a betting game to me.

[SoCalDem]

1. We'll never know the full extent, but I think we will eventually learn more

The sad thing is that once money is GONE...that's it.. can;t get back something that's been frittered away.

Assessing blame is not something our politicians do much.. They are usually in "move on" mode..and that;s why this shit keeps happening..

[anigbrowl]

2. A lot of the money isn't 'gone' but wasn't there to beginwith

People just assumed they could cash out any time, in violation of 'don't count your chickens before they're hatched'. There's a reason all those stock commercials have 'value of investment can go down as well as up'. If you want ironclad protection and no risk of losing your principle, you don't invest in the equity markets.

[SoCalDem]

4. True..but the financial debacle going on worldwide

is kind of our fault, since they bought OUR "securities & investments", thinking they were sound..and even vapor money "had" a value assigned to it, so when it goes away, it hits pretty hard to the people counting on the "reality" of their lost pensions :(

[blues90]

7. I don't feel moving on is at this time a very good idea

This is not to say you support moving on . We've been moving on for decades and where have we got from this , it's insanity.

Wall street in just moving on and all the other failed corrupt corporations that were handed a bailout yet the people are not moving on for the most part and we did not create this disaster.

I feel it's true that we could have prevented it at least from the area of allowing this admin to steal 2 elections but even then many people had no way of protesting this and we certainly had no idea 9/11 would come along and instill fear allowing 70% of the population to feel it was necessary to begin the wars.

I felt sick when * got in in 2000 and I knew we were in trouble when 9/11 happened and after that the admin began to tear down everything that we reached during the 90's crawling out of the 80's horror.

Now I have no trust in any political promise and there is no reason I can come up with to even come close to convince myself to trust any more.

Nothing ever levels out where the majority of the people can feel secure at one time. Even if we dissagree with ideas why the hell can't we ever reach a happy medium and live and let live without some group always wanting to be in control and have it their way.

People should be as branches on a tree and bend instead of harden with hate and prejudice and break off and blame someone else for their hardened temper.

It's just insane . We have roads and turnpikes and freeways with many different people and this works much better than almost anyother system we have where at least even with conflict it is still basically a system that works with less damage than anything else I can think of. Yet I hate the idea of a car and traffic.

It is sort of sad that people sitting in metal boxes on rubber tires seem to only find their place in isolation that is until they open the door and get out.

[MichiganVote]

3. The full truth is, they stole it, they got more because they stole it and

they will continue to steal more of it. "It" being money. Our money.

Wall street is about risk and always has been. However, it is not supposed to be about Las Vegas level risk. And that is what it has become.

[natrat]

5. billions sent to the caymans etc

[sam sarrha]

6. i want to see the people who did that have'n a Crip pimp'n their ass for cigarettes in prison

[lonestarnot]

8. I think NAFTA is going to get a once over.

[SammyWinstonJack]

9. Hopefully!

[lumberjack_jeff]

10. The banks will be forced to come clean about how much "toxic assets"...

are in their vaults in the last week of January. Absent major government intervention (*cough*nationalization*cough*), credit will dry up within the following month.

But only an idiot takes finance advice from someone who calls himself "lumberjack".

[Kip Humphrey]

11. Can you conceave of 1,000 Trillion dollars? No? Then you can't know the depth of the problem and

damage potential unfolding before us.

[blues90]

12. No I can't . nt

[lumberjack_jeff]

13. 1000 Trillion? The gdp of the entire world is about $60 trillion.

The net value of all the stuff in the world is about $115 trillion.