There were three things in succession that helped me understand most of what I now know about the economic meltdown that’s squeezing the bejeezus out of the markets and of us. Knowledge is usually a good thing, but it can be tricky when so few people know the root causes and effects of a given situation, and faulty reasoning by people with their own axes to grind are spewing half truths and nonsense. Enter Alex Blumberg and Adam Davidson, who did an amazing piece on the mortgage crisis in May on This American Life called
They did it again in October when the floor dropped out from beneath the markets. That one was titled
2. Another Frightening Show About the Economy
Just today, I read Michael Lewis’s mind-blowing cover story from Portfolio’s December issue,
3. The End
It does make me want to grab some of the people involved and shake them very hard by their Hermès ties, but it digs deeper into the depths of our recent, sorry financial history. I am very, very glad that I am not looking for a job in finance right now.
