How did we get here?  The Sub Prime Mortgage Meltdown!  FRAUD!

NEW YORK - 10/10/2008 11:35 AM ET:
Wall Street extended its devastating losses Friday, but prices swung sharply as investors scooped up shares decimated by more than a week of intense and panicked selling. The Dow Jones industrials, down nearly 700 points in the opening minutes of trading, recovered to an advance of more than 100 before turning sharply lower again, and the other major indexes fluctuated sharply as well...

Stock Market October 9th, 2008