“So, lucky you were in government,” the Rat’s neighbor said to him as he came out with the trash this morning. “This whole financial crisis must just be background noise for you.”

After prying the trash can lid off his neighbor’s head, the Rat explained that, no, Feds are not exactly immune to the stupidity of bankers.

If you haven’t been watching the stock market lately…well, if you’ve been hiding on a rock under a desert island for the past year, you might be surprised to see that Thrift Savings Plan share prices have come DOWN a bit recently. In fact, since last year, some TSP shares have lost as much as 22% of their value since last October.

This is, in part, why the whiskered one broke down and put up Google ads on the blog–it was more subtle than a handmade sign at the intersection.