Saw this photo of a zombie menacingly lurching down the aisle at an auction of foreclosed homes, probably attracted to the rapid-fire speech of the auctioneer. Isn’t it interesting how blasé the audience is toward it? Times are tough indeed.

Photo from Ozier Muhammad /The New York Times

In an op-ed piece for the New York Times, Paul Krugman rails against government officials for overvaluing troubled assets, what he calls “toxic waste,” and underselling the danger of “zombies,” bankrupt financial institutions whose survival depends on government aid. As Economist’s View aptly observes, “If you try to bring dead assets back to life, you may end up creating zombie banks.”

Zombies? Toxic waste? Times are tougher than I thought.

Photo by Tod Seelie