Media

For many, this time of year reminds us of what is truly important in our lives the health of our friends, the well-being of our neighbors and the love of all those we hold dear. It is a special time of year, and it is encouraging to hear stories of the tremendous goodwill exhibited by our community. Unfortunately, the holiday season also brings increased risk for families both in terms of fire and theft, but it is also one of the deadliest times of year on America's highways, as the number of drunk drivers rises at a particularly disturbing rate.

Millions of Americans have felt the effects of the near-meltdown that jeopardized our economy last fall. But while those results are all too concrete, the causes are almost vanishingly abstract, expressed in a jargon that few Americans ever imagined had such power over their lives: phrases like "credit default swap" or "unregulated over-the-counter derivatives."