Dear rru2s,
In the same time period you claim to have lost a 1/4 Million, I managed to increase my investment portfolio from $350K to over $600K. Hmmm, perhaps it's not the shorts and Reverse Chinese Mergers, but your investment decisions that have caused you so much grief.
However, be that as it may, I firmly agree with you about the current debacle in Washington. If history tells us anything, it tells us that "belt tightening" during a crisis is NOT the answer. Herbert Hoover probably single handedly increased the severity and length of the great depression by his efforts at saving his way to growth and expansion.