What is normal? Should we resume business as usual? Should we accept and indeed overlook the lack of a strong regulatory framework in the financial sector of the economy which may well have contributed to the collapse of world markets? Should we continue to promote highly questionable financial instruments such as credit default swaps and derivatives, many of which have masked billions of dollars worth of toxic assets and sub-prime mortgages?

Furthermore, if every seven seconds in the United States today there is a home foreclosure…is the recession over, and is that phenomenon normal?

While pundits paint a rosey picture about “economic recovery”, perhaps they are not even aware of the next financial tsunami headed our way — three trillion dollars worth of questionable commercial mortgages up for renewal in the United States…all of which dwarf the sub-prime mortgage crisis and the growing consumer debt in the country.

Those who are scratching their heads trying to figure out just what is normal would be well advised to listen to the wise words of Whoopi Goldberg, “Normal is nothing more than a cycle on a washing machine” (which is probably why some enterprising folks see money laundering as a recession-proof cleaning business opportunity)…just kidding!