If things financial interest you, Kaus has a very understandable post on the Fannie Mae scandal, and believe me it's a SCANDAL. What nobody mentions in the racial component which has left both FannieMae and FreddieMac free from any oversight for decades. Blacks run to HUD, Fannie, and Freddie like lemmings to the sea for preferential treatment when borrowing for homes. There was a time when Blacks had almost no chance of getting loans from the normal places and there was a need for somebody to lend them money. Should you doubt it just when was the last time you dreamed you were Black so you could have the best things in life? Things need to be changed and Kaus opens the door in a simple way so we can all understand. BTW the NYT is doing their best to cover up a Kerry fund raiser who is at the epicenter of the scheme--I'm shocked, shocked etc. That newspaper is simply not worth reading at all.