Once again you show brightly how dysfunctional your brain is. First this control you mention would have to include Zelig from Connecticut and a very ill Ted Kennedy and still not get 60 votes. The Dems went along with the bailout because they believed that the consertive economists were telling the truth when they refered to an economical Armageddon. Once again the sky was falling. I don't know if this makes them pitifully optimistic or just as dumb as you. Even a ignorant fuck like me could see it was just another Giant pot of money to steal out of, on the way out the door. In order for inflation to exist you have to have a functioning economy. We don't currently have one of those. The possibility of inflation would be a plus from the current condition. At least money would be moving. I'm glad you brought up President Carter. I was a teenager during his administration and I still remember plenty of his guffaws. The Olympic Boycott, the Oil Crisis (Powerful outsiders causing problems for the democrat at the expense of the general public. Not to be seen for the last time) , the Botched Hostage Rescue. But even as a cloudy thinking, sex obsessed, post puberty victim I believed he was honest and truly had the best interest of everyone in the country at heart. In fact most of this current pain would have been avoided had the American public had enough sense to see Ronald Reagan as the bumbling idiot he truly was, as opposed the smooth talking television commercial they voted for. It was an American Idol Nation even back then. With another term I believe things would have calmed down. Still a little painful but not terminal. The following administration could have continued the aggressive alternative energy platform and maybe could have inspired a few more citizens to join the you first generation. Still painful but getting better. Instead the couch potato, olestra swilling, diet coke pounding, sponge heads that obviously make up this country decided they needed "EVERYTHING NOW" put Reagan in. UFB. The slide back into "Cromagnus Religioso" began. It was nice to see a President who could put a coherent sentence together. He not only answered every question, he actually answered them (usually 2 per journalist) BOTH, IN THE ORDER THEY WERE ASKED. Obama is not the SAVIOR but he is without a doubt SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much better than the last 8 years. Weather he turns out to be better than any other President has yet to be seen. Maybe I'm pitifully optimistic.