Welcome to the panic room.

Mr S. and I have been having a big debate about the bailout. He's against it. I'm begrudgingly for it. This is why.

The market is in full school of fish fear mode. You can't see where the sharks are coming from, so everyone just scatters at shadows.

Take this as an example. Mr S. says he just read on a blog the Bank of America is closing accounts for people with credit scores under a certain amount. You can find the criteria if you want to.. I'm not going to repeat it.

Since the information only seems to be coming from one target source. I'm calling it a rumor.

At any rate...if this were to happen - we would not be affected in any way. But I find myself rushing over to check my credit score. As a matter of a fact, the reporting agency says that 96.5 percent of people score lower than we do on their credit scores. So.. I shouldn't feel panicked. But - I'm still panicked.

Congress needs to put a clamp on that fear. Right now. The fear is rampant and pervasive.

Don't misunderstand me - I'm pissed about the bailout. I played by the rules. And now I have to give money to people who didn't. Pisses me off. I also understand that job loss is a real issue. A nation full of panicky people do not help.