I found this great editorial by Steven Brant that echos so many sentiments I've expressed for years, but a whole lot articulater. Brant makes the point that not only are all the government (and since they use our money, it's us really) bailouts of big (and supposedly private) business means that Capitalism in this country is dead. This passage is priceless:

They should have let A.I.G. fail, because -- if that had brought about
the collapse of the global economic system -- that would have just sped
up our journey to a point of systemic collapse we are destined to reach
anyway. I say destined to reach not because it's God's will but because
no system can continue to function when its fundamental design is
flawed. You see, the current global economic system is based on a
fundamental assumption that -- while it was true when the system was
first set up -- is no longer true today.

 Exactly! Let them fail - if they can't run a business, then economic Darwinism says let them die and be replaced with a smarter business than can do it better. And by the way, same damn thing goes for the airlines. If they can't figure out how much to charge for a ticket, then let them all go under. It's not harsh, it's Capitalism. Or is it?

Brant continues with another great point:

The funny thing is, I've known that a significant portion of the US
economy is Socialistic for years. "What are you talking about?", you
ask? "The Military Industrial Complex," I answer.

You do know that all military weapons are purchased using "cost
plus" contracts, in which businesses are guaranteed a profit, don't
you? And that literally every weapons system comes in over its original
budget... and that those cost overruns are absorbed by the government,
not the arms manufacturer? There is no Capitalism in the Military
Industrial Complex. It's all Socialism, justified by the concept that
these weapons are so important to American security that the companies
that manufacture them have to be guaranteed a profit, so they don't
accidentally go out of business.

 This is the same argument for bailing out airlines - they're so vital to the US economy that they just have to be kept going. If that is our truth, then fine - but make them publicly owned and controlled (Socialist) businesses not allegedly private (Capitalist) ones where the CEOs make scores of millions of dollars at eventual taxpayer expense.

And then there is this bit of neo-Marxism in Brant's piece:

And that's why Capitalism has died. Because it is a system that is
compelled to try and make more and more money based on Darwinian
principles that are no longer true. They were true when Capitalism was
created, but they are obsolete now. This death was inevitable, because
the mismatch between the world Wall Street thinks exists and the world
that really exists is so fundamental... the methods needed to continue
making money in a world of the past had become so complicated... that
self destruction was only a matter of time.

 Marx said that Capitalism is just one stage of economic evolution, not the end-all-be-all of economic evolution that most Americans think. So as Brant says, don't be sad at Capitalism's passing. It's natural selection in action.

But then Brant totally drops the ball right before crossing the goal line:

And with the choice of Barack Obama -- a man who knows cross-cultural,
systemic, and bi-partisan issues and who does not see the world through
warrior eyes as John McCain does - we have the opportunity to take a huge step (politically) in the direction of making this change.

 Missed it by that much. Brant just doesn't seem to understand that Obama isn't the Maverick that McCain claims to be, either. If Obama gets elected, nothing significant will change, that's what political history illustrates. The trouble is timing - the economic collapse that I've been waiting, indeed hoping for, just isn't quite here yet. The real candidate for change can only emerge when we are in it's throes, not before. Again, this is a lesson from history. Hitler rose to power because the climate in Germany at that time allowed him to - indeed, needed him to. FD Roosevelt was a key president for the US at a key time in our history, a couple of key times actually, whether you agree with his policies and actions or not. These two simple examples also serve as a great warning for us - when the collapse comes, it may not be a savior that rises to lead this country to a new future, it could be a great villain.

As the wand maker Ollivander says in Harry Potter, "He (Voldimort) did great things - terrible, yes, but great."