“It is worth noting, in answer to the libertarians who are wary of government intervention in the economy, that if there is a serious crash, we will get even more government intervention in the economy–and intervention that is much less to our liking.  That cost has to be weighed in your assessment.  On the other side, to those who are averse to bailing out Wall Street rather than Main Street, it’s worth noting that Main Street will suffer worse than Wall Street.  Because of the way that their compensation is structured, Wall Street bankers tend to do things like buy their houses for cash.” — Megan McArdle, blogging on the gamble