The die had been cast, however -- a way had been found to market property at ever-inflating rates, and to make vast amounts of money by trying to make the debt of these inflated assets solid securities. It's fraud on a massive scale. Our economy was wrecked and the inflated property values collapsed, showing the true value of these bad assets. This paper was sold all over the world to support the war on terror, and to buoy our crashing banks.

The election in 2008 should have closed the book on these mistakes, but the same forces that were made rich by this fraud are now in power again -- not the Republicans or Democrats, but investment banks and bankers.

We finally have undercut our nation. Our democracy diminished the value of the vote of individuals by multiplying that vote by who has the loudest voice and the most money.

Michael Ferguson

Augusta