Spiteful lessons turn into tragedy

A recent Toles cartoon shows a lifeboat being lowered alongside the sinking USS Economy. The lifeboat is filled with baldheaded business tycoons with G.W. Bush at the helm, announcing, “Brokers and bankers first!”

Thousands stand on the deck, wringing their hands in despair. Unseen by everyone is the $1 trillion in loot the bankers and brokers have taken from the ship’s vaults.

Now if we could see the other side of the ship, we would find thousands of ordinary American laborers boarding lifeboats. In one small boat the Big Three auto execs are trying to board with a little stash of $14 billion...