OK, it could be worse, we could have the Shanghai market or Moscow but is this what we should expect from what is supposed to be the strongest economy in the world? We had a Republican right wing Congress from 1994-2006 and a pro-business president since 2000, both of whom promised to unshackle business and let it reach its true potential. Impressed? Me neither. They received everything they wanted, walked away with salaries and bonuses and golden parachutes that dreams are made of and this is what we get. Even today, the Republicans are unable to admit that their model failed. Many still believe that we need even less regulation and that we shouldn’t have any say in executive pay despite taxpayer investments.

Can we move on from this experiment in Republican economics now? Can we get back to real American ideas such as equal opportunity instead of a tilted system that favors the elite few? I remain skeptical that we’re going to see any significant change though I’d like to be proven wrong. One thing that is for sure, we won’t have any change if we let the Republicans control the message.