Greetings. A mob mentality seems to be taking hold regarding the financial crisis, and unless we all stop behaving like opportunistic children, we could find ourselves in a very bad place indeed, that might make today's situation look like a cakewalk by comparison.

Mobs are virtually always wrong, and typically end up doing far more damage than the targets of their wrath could ever do.

Politicians, news commentators, and others are now consciously using the AIG bonus situation to stir up populist, mob-type actions, apparently in the furtherance of their own future goals and positions.

The most likely outcome of these activities, like all demonization efforts (the manipulation of public opinion following the U.S. invasion of Iraq comes immediately to mind as another example), is typically the loss of much blood, much treasure, or both. In fact, the same style of rhetoric is being used on some cable news channels about AIG as was heard against Saddam Hussein.

Fomented emotionalism solves nothing, and only raises the probability that we make bad decisions and go down paths that may sometimes appear to have short term benefits, but bring with them immense long term costs.

People who know me well have sometimes accused me of being "coldly logical" in a crisis. I'll plead guilty to that, even at the risk of channeling Mr. Spock from time to time.

I get angry and upset like everyone else about our financial disaster, but there's a time and place for emotional outbursts later, after we're on a logical and clear path to real solutions.

Everyone needs to take a step back, take a deep breath, and think about what we actually need to do to save the global financial system from total cataclysm.

Emotional grandstanding and pitchfork wielding mobs will only help to assure that we all -- to use the vernacular -- end up well and truly screwed.

--Lauren--