It sounds so stupid that it actually makes sense. If the "talents" think that they are so talent that they deserve more than $400,000, they can always go out to start their own company -- if they are so damn smart, they will make more than $400,000 without government's helps, right?

Quote from article: "It could also force a lot of the best talent out the door."

Well, where is this "talent" going to go? And wasn't it THIS TALENT that helped to orchestrate and to perpetuate the FRAUDS that caused our national economic melt down via the methods that THEY used to bolster THEIR WEALTH via those FRAUDS.

This "talent" appears to be talented at using scams, pyramid and Ponzi schemes, and other forms of FRAUD to make HUNDREDS of MILLIONS of dollars for their corporations via BLATANT FRAUDS.

We, the American people, will do just fine without these types of "talents".

Now the banks came up with a new way of making additional money.

The banks are raising credit card interest rates as high as 28%. If the consumer chooses to opt-out in order to retain theit lower rate of interest. The bank closes down that credit card's line of credit. Thus, reducing the card holders FICO and 3 other major credit score report's by as much as a 10 - 12 point reduction in your total FICO score. Therefore, pretty much ruining you credit. Is this consumer extortion or what?

On an NPR - National Public Radio this morning they put a perspecitve on the root cause of the problems rather succiently.

As they said the vast majority of the problems have been caused by the excessive actions of the "special interests" . . . The FIs with the fraudulent "derivatives" and other frauds; the AMA, HMOs, pharmaceutical corporations, etc. for the exorbitant costs of medical care, the BAR Associations for all of the frivilous lawsuits, the UAW and other unions for excessive labor costs, and Congress for their selling out to the special interests, and on, andon, and on.

As was stated, during prosperous times, most Americans are too apathetic to be concerned with these matters, and the special interests are too powerful to change. Hard economic times provides an opportunity to address the excesses of the special interests groups who have excessively enriched themselves by defrauding the "average Americans".

Our primary problem is that Congress is the key, pivotal agent for change; and Congress has yet to provide, or require to be provided, the financial INTEGRITY and reform that is needed.

The American people have the choice of either reforming Congress or continuing to suffer the abuses of the special interests. Americans should be "pounding on the doors of their Congressmen", supporting recall elections, and demanding effective actions by their Congressmen.