The article goes through the Bush economic claims one by one and finds the evidence to the contrary. Holland lays much of the blame on a compliant press that has not investigated the claims. They have pulled a TARP over their heads and hid.

This was hard to review because it did explore some new territory and present both facts and expert opinion. But it also left some out. I have seen other reports of small businesses that could not fill orders because they could not get normal business lines of credit. In fact, that was exactly the problem with the window company that shut down and triggered the pre-Christmas sit-in by workers. My son is still house hunting, but finds the pre-approved loan he had last year is no longer good because lenders are requiring a bigger down payment--even though his credit is still excellent and his job secure. So, while this report provides a counterbalance to much of the mainstream media coverage, which has--as Holland accurately ... More »

It is counter-consensual, which in this case is an asset. A consensus is the goal of all PR and propaganda. Given the consistent behavior of the power elite in skimming cream off the top of the economy, the consensus view should be highly suspect. Joshua Holland is an excellent writer and reporter. I read articles from Alternet daily. I don't give a 5.0 very often, but I have spent some time with this article, thinking and reading about the situation, and I must give it the best rating.

A very well researched article that if true would be something Paulson and Co. would dream up to hide the deficiency's In the banking industries.