My friend "The Freak" sent the following to his Congressman. I like the metaphor he uses and the treatment he prescribes.

Dear Congressman xxxxxx,

Our financial markets are acting like drug addicts.

When an addict first begins taking drugs, he is initially high and giddy. As his addiction progresses, his behavior becomes erratic and often violent. Once he's fully addicted, he will go to any length to get his fix.

Our financial markets are addicted to Federal money. The Federal money that was given (or used as a guaranty) to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac infected and permeated the entirety of the market structure. Initially, this gave a false perception of wealth as real estate prices soared. As time went on, however, the addiction caused greed, corruption, and other ills. We're now seeing the addict becoming violent and attempting to shake down the Federal government for money to prevent more fits.

That's not the answer. We need to go cold turkey.

Yes, I know beating addictions is hard. I lost 25% of my retirement funds and, believe me, the idea of a quick fix appeals to me. Unfortunately, there is no quick fix. We need to wean the markets off the public teat so they can do what they do best: create wealth for America and the world.

Please reject any attempt to bring further government involvement into our economy (in fact, it's time to eliminate it). This will, inevitably, mean some hard times ahead for us as the system finds a new balance after being "cut-off". But find it it will and the three to five years of hardships will place the economy in great stead for us, our children, and grandchildren.

The alternative is too frightening to consider.

To paraphrase Nancy Reagan, "Just Say No" to bailouts.