Someone explain how putting our country $800 billion in the hole will help us.

[JaggedEdge]

Jonestown was a small commune.

When you isolate people from the larger society they are more susceptible to the will of a crazy but charismatic leader. Not exactly a positive thing.

Than again, most of Germany believed in Eugenics and Hitlers belief in eradicating the Jews and other undesirables in order to benefit a fictional "aryan" race.

So maybe people are susceptible to that in large groups as well...

My point is, I doubt small social structures are really any better.

I will agree they wouldn't be able to amass the army Germany was able to and cause as much havoc and destruction.

[hanayama]

it is really easy when your not pissing away your own money.

[GoldenBoy812]

The repeal of a "anti conflict of interest" regulation on financial institutions such as the Glass Steagall Act, allowed an insurance company (AIG) to act like a bank. Not a Fed regulated bank, but an investment bank.

So they write insurance policies against sub prime mortgage loans, and do exactly what with the premiums??? INVEST IN SPMBS, that they insured against!!!!

This caused a crunch, as they did not have the assets to pay out the credit default swaps, which required government action to save bond holders. Saving bond holders is critical, as they provide a liquid market for paper debt, thereby allowing credit to flow.

[GoldenBoy812]

I agree that this people exist in any society/system, and thats one of the reasons why socialism didnt work... instead progressing to comunism, that was its original goal (socialism being only an intermediate step), the revolution stopped in the socialism which allowed the existence of an "elite" ruling class... cause, of course, which elite in the world would willingly abandon its own power?

Anyway, while this people will exist in every society, i think in small groups of people (tribes, clans, small comunities) the damage this people are able to do is FAR smaller, cause its limited to one (or only a few) group of people.
One thing is the despotic village leader that eats twice (or thrice) the amount of food that his companions eat... another thing is a great banks CEO who gets in one month more money that many people wont get working their entire lives...

Government intervention in the economies, to save major corporations is a hybrid socialist/fascist procedure. Actually, we live in a corporatist society, with a corporatist policy:smokin: