I hope you'll enjoy my long rant The Empire Melts Down... on the current economic crisis at my personal blog. Especially check out my article linked there written in the mid-1980s called Finding Freedom in Your Own Back Yard about local economics. My bottom line: Solution wise, we have to assume people will always do stupid, manic and crooked things with money, especially with lots of money. What is the best way to protect yourself? Trusting politicians and bureaucrats who are constantly corrupted by wealthy, greedy and often crooked special interests? Or hiring an affordable private consumer agency whose researchers are totally on top of which banks, investment houses, insurers are trustworthy and which are not. Who do you trust - Bill Clinton and George Bush or Ralph Nader and Consumer Reports?...Keeping things local where we can keep our eyes on them remains a pretty good idea. In economics and in government... secede and survive!!