ChrisCook, I think you've got the general outline right, and nobody can predict all the details yet anyway. I saw a joke that's going around in Europe.

Q: What's the difference between one dollar and one euro?  ...  A: One euro.

That not-so-light-hearted jest tends to confirm your point that the "deficit dollar" has about reached the end of its useful life, and high time, too.

On the other hand, I'm not sure about a "shortage of money." I think the Feds will continue to respond by feeding money into the system. What's not clear is how and where they would feed it. I do totally agree that a works program is the only possible right answer, assuming that's what you mean by a "Green New Deal."

Since our friends the financiers have failed so pathetically to manage the, you know, finances, it's time for others to get a shot at running the system.

Obama will be smart enough to make that happen, I think. A few more months like these past few and an awful lot of people are going to be ready to go along with him on it.

Less than a mile from my house in New Jersey, I just saw gasoline at $3.54 and diesel at $4.49. If those prices persist, big changes are coming to Main Street a lot sooner than most people realize.