> The point is that the money's out there somewhere. We need to give a
> good (non-metaphorical) account of why it's not being "loaned."
There's one of those psych study pieces in the NYT today that legitimizes humanity for academics. This one concerns people's deep desire to force the people who cause the crisis to answer for it. (http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/07/health/research/07fair.html).
I'm not alone in wanting the government to confiscate a portion of the excessive pay the bankers took and use that money before charging bailout costs to the middle class. Talk me down- I like this discussion group because you're so very skeptical of this kind of simple approach.