The Other Firestorm

"In all 1800 homes were destroyed in California as of Friday. A half a million acres had been consumed. Those responsible for containing the damage blamed the weather in the short term and climate change in the longer term as well as earlier fire-fighting techniques. This disaster is expected to cost $1 billion dollars.

Yet, [the] pervasive subprime mortgage fraud...threatens to lead to far more homes lost, not 1800, but an estimated two and a half million. (The LA Times says foreclosures in California are at a record high. The third quarter's total surpasses 24,000, which is a record.) More homes are at risk in the fires that have yet to be contained.

Its hard to predict how many of these people will get sick or die because of psychological disorientation and homelessness. Many of them are poor, while those scarred by the fire lived largely in affluent communities.

Senator Chris Dodd, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee characterized the subprime crisis as a "50 State Katrina."

...So by all means let's be supportive towards the fire victims who have lost their homes in California's "natural" disaster -- and those that may in fires that may soon have Texas burning -- but we should so so without forgetting the millions of Americans who will soon lose their homes and their economic stability in Wall Street's man-made storm."