I've lost track of how many billions of dollars of Taxpayer money have been pledged to bail out Wall Street. I suspect, however, that the number is staggering. What will be the long range effects of the orgy of spending? With a "pay as you go" Social Security System, it seems sensible to conclude that one effect will be that the well runs dry much quicker than anticipated -- pity the poor souls who DEPEND on Social Security for their retirement. Ditto Medicare care. Long overdue improvements to infrastructure will again be postponed. Public investments in education, research, the environment, etc. will also be set back. Dipping into the Taxpayer's pocket is not a magic elixer . . . money diverted to this financial crisis simply won't be available to fund other programs. Once again, we hock our future. I for one find it difficult to take much comfort in the "solutions" being created by the FED and the Treasury. They may staunch the bleeding -- but they do so at a terrible cost.