>>Well, of course they have. It's a huge victory for corporations. The part I don't get is why ordinary citizens consider this a good thing. When exactly did corporate profits become more important than the interests of American citizens who don't happen to be wealthy?
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>>All the markets are down today. The DOW is down about 200 points. When did it become a terrible thing to be successful?
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>I've heard numerous analysts state that the market is down because of Obama's plan to put a limit on banks. God only knows how the market will fair between now and 2012...unless there is a more balanced house and senate next year...

The DOW, specifically, is down because banks are getting hammered. Buyers are snapping up deals on the collateral damage as there's believed to still be a little run left. I predicted 11200 as a top a while back. I'm still about 60-40 against that now. As we move closer to February there's a fair amount of bad news coming on the retail and commercial fronts as the fallout from the holidays approaches.

Warning : Anecdotal evidence ahead.
- Two friends in retail sales (1 high end, 1 mid) both informed me in November that their stores are going out of business Jan 31. Both are now in full clearance mode.
- Another friend is now a former employee of a major bank due to quiet cutbacks
- A former restaurant owner in a building I own reported in the fall that sales never returned following summer's downturn. This is true across California.

As for a silver lining...Short sellers are having a field day.