Even after the bailout of Bear Stearns, of Fannie and Freddie, and then AIG, the government has decided that it needs to do more. So what we're seeing now are extraordinary moves that are designed to end the crisis; not reduce the severity of it, but to end it. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson is discussing a massive plan to buy up distressed assets the way the old RTC bought up failed thrifts. That alone would constitute the biggest bailout in history. But that's not all. The government is also talking about a $50 billion insurance program to prop up money market funds, some of which have broken the buck. Putnam shut one down. And on top of that, the SEC has banned short sales of nearly 800 stocks. This is massive intervention that should put to rest the idea that Wall Street represents free-market capitalism at its unbridled best.

For more:
- here's a New York Times article