We’re not paying reparations to the French.
Comparisons to the Weimar Republic are every bit as silly as comparisons to 1929 here.
The comparison to be made here is 1873 and the railroad bubble.
And yes, even then, the government stepped in to re-capitalize banks.
The market is clearly telling us that Paulson’s plan won’t work. The market is clearly telling us that the Fed actions aren’t working. And the market got here because of the “free market” in credit derivatives.
So: what’s your plan on how to go forward?
Step back and let the market purge itself.
Meaning massive collapses, massive unemployment, and massive hardships - but a cleansed system afterwards and it would take a lot less time than the propping up they're doing now.