Just thought I'd let you know I'm still out here lurking and enjoying your posts. If I'm crazy, at least I'm not the only one.

Amanda Lang on BNN made the observation that considering the wonderful solutions were happening south of the border, it was interesting to see how much money was flowing into the TSX as compared to the American stock exchanges.

Think about it. No restrictions on short selling whatsoever in Canada (although the prime minister said he may do it some time in the future). No wonderful solutions. No need for wonderful solutions (yet). And money flowed into large cap gold and commodity stocks today without any appreciable gains in commodity prices. The message seems to be that the smart money believes that a resolution to the issues was passed, but that will not benefit them if they return to the U.S. markets.

I wonder if that decoupling happened worldwide? If it did, then the U.S. is headed for inflation trouble sooner than I expected.

I am still mostly in pm's and have no regrets, although I must admit I took a pounding the last month. If I was better at timing, I would have gone to cash and moved back in last week.

I'm not out to defend naked shorts. If indeed they are as bad as some claim, (I admit I don't have the acumen to actually prove or disprove what is said) then the practice definitely should be stopped. But there's also something morally repugnant about saying that no one can bet that the market goes down. I'm saying this as someone who has definitely paid a price for shortselling, same as you guys.

Regulate short selling, yes. Wasn't that what the uptick rules were about? Curious they didn't reinstate those. Stop it, no. Even if it means bankruping some banks. Sorry, but if someone legitimately wants to borrow some shares and bet that the banks will go down in value, they should be allowed to do so.

I also find it curious that shortselling has become the scapegoat at the last minute here. Let's face it. The government has known about it for some time, could have made an issue of it at any time, and chose to make an issue of it AFTER Bear Stearns, AIG, Fannie and Freddie, and Lehman. They could have suspended short trading any time, and instituted some new rules. They could have reinstated a new variation of the uptick rule and no one would have blinked (except naked short sellers who have no right to blink).Could someone explain, if they know, why people at the SEC are such complete morons?

I have to think that U.S. politicians are paid (through lobbying efforts?) to look the other way, and influence what is going on. It is a bit scary that the SEC is this slow to react.

'Nuff ranting, and I hope you all have a great wekend.