The subprime mortgage crisis in the United States reached a critical stage in September 2008, forcing the federal government to take measures to stave off a potential economic collapse by enacting the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, a bailout of the U.S. financial system, on October 3, 2008. This situation in the U.S., linked with similar weaknesses in some other countries, has disrupted the global economy. The ramifications of the downturn may or may not be experienced for years--economists are far from agreement. As John Kenneth Galbraith said, "The only function of economic forecasting is to make astrology look respectable."