Did the economy turn into a giant pile of steaming dung just yesterday, or is this the first I’ve heard of it?

• Government Seizes Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac
• Lehman Group Files for Bankruptcy
• Merrill Lynch Is Sold to Bank of America
• Washington Mutual Credit Rating Is Cut to Junk by S&P
• Financial Russian Roulette
• “When do we run down to the bank in a mob like in ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’?"

All of this happened within a week. Seriously, what is going on here?