The New York Times is quite concerned about this economy and this "bailout" that is probably going to pass the Senate today in the most complicated form so far presented to the American People. They note, today, that its fate as political poison was probably set when it was labeled a "bailout" from the beginning. But just maybe, institutionally, as the voice of the moderate liberal establishment, the Times needs this bailout to work! So they spend a great deal of time trying to explain it, and they also seek to explain the effect of the bailout and The Crisis on You, the Little Guy on Main Street. And every other street! Join us, won't you, as we tag along on the Times Bailout Tour '08. First: it's not a bailout!

“The hurdle is overcoming the word ‘bailout,’ ” said R. Bruce Josten, executive vice president of the United States Chamber of Commerce. “It has continued to be used by members of Congress. You see it in the press today all over the place. This is not a bailout; this is Treasury buying toxic assets that they will dispose of over a period of time and resell.”

This doesn't stop internet commenters from being upset!

A CNNMoney.com blog post about the Bush plan announcement generated 2,200 comments, with greed being the most common theme. The site’s news story about those comments was headlined, “Mad as hell.”

But what do The Poors think of all this? The Times went to a barbershop in the Bronx to find out!

If disgust, or horror, at the bailout was universal, there was not unanimity on what had to be done. The owner of the barbecue stand, Dwayne Johnson, 50, said he was outraged that many members of the Congressional black caucus had voted against the bailout. “They voted no, they don’t have that right,” Mr. Johnson said. “The only way you can help the community is get it passed. If you’re the president and you can’t get 10 votes to pass it, then that’s bad. If you’re Obama, you can’t get 10 votes, that’s bad.” Midaglia Rodriguez, 60, said that she worried that a new Depression was just over the horizon, and that she believed the bailout was necessary. “It should go through, to fix the situation,” she said.

Street-smart wisdom! Thanks, guys. And what do The Ridiculous Riches think of the crisis? The Times went to a privately owned resort island to find out!

To many local residents, the island has become a cautionary tale. If a falling tide lowers all boats, they say, then Sea Island’s woes reveal the faltering economy’s toll on even the wealthiest, best-protected regions of America. “Now we know how Detroit feels,” said Harry Aiken Jr., a bar operator on neighboring St. Simons Island. “Everybody knew Sea Island was overextended, but we thought they could always just sell more property.”

Sigh, yes, of course. Good one on your requisite "incredibly out of touch asshole quote" there, Robbie Brown. And what do The Angry Voters say about this terrible bailout? The Times asked some random constituents!

Alisa Arnold, 42, a flight attendant from Jacksonville Beach, Fla., was having pizza on a layover in Providence, R.I., on Tuesday (and brought her own Diet Coke with her to save money), said she was afraid that the government was not telling Americans just how bad things could get. But Ms. Arnold also thought it was possible she was being manipulated by that very sense of fear. “I hope I’m not being scared into supporting the bailout,” she said.

Ha ha! By who, the Times? Yes, lady, you are being scared into this, by everyone. And what does The Man On the Street say? The Times runs a multimedia Man On the Street feature to find out. It is sad.

So, to sum up, The Man On The Street thinks he is screwed.