Originally Posted by JCL

I fundamentally disagree with the concept that greed is good. Markets require a certain amount of regulation. That can be self-regulation, government regulation, or whatever, and it can range from almost no regulation to strict controls. We just need to decide how much, and what method to use to apply those regulations.

What has led to the current problem is unchecked greed, the lack of a real regulatory framework, blind faith in continuous growth, and uneducated consumers who got on the train, figuring that it was going to go forever.

Ambition is good. Creating value is good. Speculation, betting on companies failing or not without having a stake in the outcome other than the bet, or hedge, is fundamentally wrong. It just doesn't add any value, and eventually it catches up to you. It just caught up to the US.

Perhaps the question is whether the US is really a free-market economy, given the influence of lobbyists and others.