Let's keep this all in perspective. During the great depression the Dow lost 89% of its peak value. Unemployment reached as high as 25% and settled back to about 18% just before WWII. Most US banks either closed or restricted savings withdrawls and loan activities.

Keep in mind that at the time there was no SEC, no unemployment insurance, and no Social Security. More importantly, the Federal Reserve saw itself as a much more conservative entity that actually contracted the money supply at a time when it should have been expanding it.

So, for anyone considering comparability of the current economic woes with the Depression - overall, there is none.