How amazing, two decades after we crushed the USSR into oblivion with the simple and very American tactic of out-spending them, we are now faced with having to nationalize the foundations of our financial system in order to avoid joining the Soviet Union on history's dust heap.

This is an actual case of irony, by the way, unlike so much else that is merely coincidence or just goofy-wierd.

This is also deja vu of the worst kind. We've been down this road plenty of times before. Huge corporations run amok, the federal government "regulates" wth a wink and a nod — or in the case of the Bushies, with as much assistance to the corporates as possible — and it all falls apart. Straight to hell in a golden handbasket. Now, under the rules of capitalism, to which corporations give the greatest of lip service and little else, these businesses should die off and be replaced by others more fit to be part of the great enterprise. Given that we do not, in fact, live in a capitalist society, this is not possible.

If the banks and financial institutions fail, there is nothing else to take their place. And in the same the sinking Titanic sucked under anyone too near it as it went under, the banks will destroy far too many innocent people. Not to mention lead to a global depression that would dwarf the 1930s and possibly lead to World War IV.

So we have, sad to say, no choice but to bail out the fuckers. We do have options within that sad circumstance, however: No golden parachutes. Severe limits on CEO compensation. More help for homeowners and small businesses. Strict regulations that force these businesses to serve and devour customers.

We have, for all intents and purposes, nationalized these industries. Regulation could have made that unnecessary, but the hard-right idealogues won those battles. Too bad for us all. Now let's use the opportunity to not merely fix the immediate crisis, but fix the whole mess for the long-term.

For the citizens of this country who are picking up the tab. And under Bush, of course, that means: not the rich. Let's fix that, too.