Orgy, I feel your pain.

But I live in Canada, and something puzzles me. Even in your expressions of upset, and there is a lot to be upset about. Why does everything have to be extreme in the U.S.?

Why can't the U.S. do anything carefully, and in moderation?

Why does a market have to be absolutely free, or absolutely manipulated? Why do their banks have to be villains or heros? Why did the government repeat the same mistakes of the Great Depression in terms of financing? Why does the housing market be booming outrageously, or crashing?

We're far from perfect here in Canada. But none of our banks went bankrupt in the Great Depression. None. None of our banks are even close to going bankrupt right now. A few of them had initial losses do to owning some American asset backed paper, but they're doing fine.

Why? Simple. Limit the amount a bank is allowed to leverage themselves. That's called common sense. Now the U.S. is leading the G20 to try and impose a tax on their banks in case they fail. Canada is opposing it. Why should we have to introduce legislation when all that's needed is common sense and moderation? Why should we be expected to (possibly) contribute towards a World Bank initiative when we weren't stupid enough to have the problem?

Why can't the U.S. simply impose some common sense home ownership standards, and stick to them? We don't have any of the low grade real estate paper that was pawned off in the U.S. because it's such a pain in the a%% to get a mortgage. Whe have an institution called the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation that insures your mortgage, and between them and the bank I spent three weeks furnishing documentation. I think I've still got some of the fax numbers memorized. For a brief period, there were zero down mortgages in Canada, but even those are gone. It's normal to have to put down 10% on a home, and, once again, you can't get mortgage insurance if you don't. Sure, some real estate went down in a few cities in Canada. But the real estate in my area has actually gone much higher in value since the onset of recession.

Why can't the U.S. realize they can't have everything? They can easily afford the social programs being put forward. There's a lot of misinformation, especially on the negative side of the health care debate. But the U.S. will have to completely change their foreign policy and value system. Sacrifices will have to be made, and no-one seems willing to make them.

There's a part of me that really wants to sympathize with the situation in the U.S., and another part that finds it very foreign.