Merrill Lynch and Lehman Brothers No Longer Exist

Forget them. They are dead to us. We will never speak their names again.

In one of the most dramatic days in Wall Street’s history, Merrill Lynch agreed to sell itself on Sunday to Bank of America for roughly $50 billion to avert a deepening financial crisis, while another prominent securities firm, Lehman Brothers, hurtled toward liquidation after it failed to find a buyer.

"Hurtled toward" is not something you want associated with your company. Ever.

During the credit boom both firms piled into risky real estate and ended up severely weakened, with inadequate capital and toxic assets.

So, they should die. For being idiots. This is the result of deregulation by Bush and the Republican Congress. Their policies have been a complete and total disaster.

Washington Mutual and AIG are next.