DC, you're twisting the truth. There was a surplus. There was money in the bank. It may have come from false hopes and dreams, but the dollars were real enough. Quite frankly, the people who invested in dot coms were incredibly stupid. If some grungy kids set up a business in a Soho loft and added .com to the name of it, the money poured in. It didn't matter if they didn't make anything or provide a real service. It didn't matter if they lost money. People still gave them money. They deserved to be fleeced.

However, the taxes that were paid on that money were real enough to cause quite a surplus. And I find it difficult to believe that Enron alone caused a "fake" booming economy. All I know is that unemployment was half of what it is today, there was plenty of money to loan, and the housing market was brisk. And it was far enough back in history NOT to be blamed for the current housing mess.

As for my comments about your taking my words out of context, I had written a rather lengthy post and you took eight words from it to comment on rather than comment on the whole thing.

And you're right. I hope and pray for change, too. This country is in a mess and I fear that it's going to get a hell of a lot worse before it gets better.