Will the stock market hold...or is the bubble ready to burst?

[Kirkland Laing]

I guess what I should say is that I would want for any dividends received from the preferred stock to go directly into paying the national debt down.

The bank equity purchases are going to pay 5% dividends but really it's just Kabuki theatre. The end net effect is transferring trillions of government dollars to the financial system. That you'll get a couple of percent of it back is irrelevant in the great scheme of things, isn't it?

every little bit helps, In my estimation thinking long term, getting the national debt should be a definate priority, number two in fact to short term stabilization.

Right now the prioirty is saving the world from economic meltdown, then setting a global regulatory system to prevent it happening again, then getting the US to save more, produce more and import less thus getting the balance of payments situation on a manageable long-term curve. After that maybe you can worry about the national debt. In relation to other countries it isn't that bad at all. It's 62ish% of GDP. Europe is 75-80%, Japan is 120%.