Wall Street: Applying Lessons Learned in Yellowstone Park?

Posted on | September 30, 2008 |

I’ve been keeping a closer eye on the American economic situation today after taking a break yesterday.

On the evening news I listened to the station’s talking heads discuss a local wild fire. Right on the heels of that story, the bailout plan in Congress was covered.

As will happen, the two subjects blended in my head and suddenly I wondered, is our current economic crisis a situation in which we need to take a lesson from the 1988 forest fires in Yellowstone National Park? I can remember clearly how heated the debate became over the controversial ”natural burn” policy. Public outcry reached a fever pitch. Politicians, naturally, jumped on the band wagon — everyone screaming for the heads of those in favor of “natural burn” and demanding immediate action to put out the fire.

What the public didn’t understand, and what environmentalists tried to explain, was how important the burn was. That, as devastating as it was, the park would be better off in the long run.

Should we be following the same lines of logic regarding our current economic crisis? Should we just allow the situation to follow it’s natural course and let the chips fall where they may? Should we let the market correct itself no matter what the consequences?

The problem is we’re talking about people, not trees. And we’re talking about international consequences, not a localized situation.

I’m not an economist; just a Suburban Wife. I don’t have the answers. And I don’t think that many of my fellow citizens have any more of an informed opinion than I do. The public outcry against the bailout bothers me because at this point in the election cycle I believe that politicians are much more concerned about covering their asses and pandering to their constituents’ wishes than doing what’s right for our country.

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