It’s been a decade since 9/11, with its terrible rumblings shaking the foundations of our free and open society. That is reason enough to pause, but there is another anniversary that is coming up as well. This is the third anniversary of the meltdown on Wall Street that has defined our economy ever since. As the kids go back to school and the northern hemisphere starts to tilt toward the chill of fall, this is a reflective time. Knowing how we got where we are may not be a great predictor of where we will be in the future, but the straight line between then and now is all we have as a guide