And then I'm outa here. For the gazillionth time, the failure of our economic system was caused by NOT ENOUGH regulation (and now I’m melodramatically capping just like you). Bankers, financial institutions and Wall Street were allowed to run wild, with CEO’s demanding huge compensation and stock options, sub primes being allowed to flourish, and all kinds of shady deals going on, including the Madoff pyramid scheme, the Stanford CD scheme and all the mini-Madoffs that are coming out of the woodwork. If you persist in worshipping at some libertarian shrine, you’ll never ever get it, Pub! Get real. Yes, absolutely I agree that the federal and state governments are aiding and abetting the exploitation of animals, but it’s because of their LACK OF sufficient and appropriate regulation to prevent the tormenting of animals, not too much regulation. The FDA is a joke where animal welfare is concerned, and the Animal Welfare Act only prevents the most egregious exploitation but hardly makes a dent in factory farming, which should be totally banned, and doesn't even classify poultry, birds and rodents as animals in animal research and factory farming, which would afford them some governmental protection. You can't rely on the animal exploiters to do the right thing by animals. They're too busy making money off them or enjoying their taste (!). The jury is still out on Obamanomics, but right now the best thing to do appeas to be to get the constipated economy flowing again, although economists differ on how much to do. What the federal government is doing is unprecedented in terms of the cash injected into the system, but I (and most Americans) believe it’s a necessary evil. Nobody likes what’s happening, but if nothing is done, the future will be untenable for the poor and middle class, and maybe even the wealthy, and the entire world will be negatively affected, as it is already. You just can’t sit back and say, hey, let the disaster happen, and hope the pieces will put themselves together again. I sort of agree on one of your statements. There was/is too much use of credit cards and resulting credit card debt, but as far as bank loans go, small business and private citizens need loans to expand their businesses and buy houses, cars, etc. But clearly, the sub primes and other balloon mortgages have to go. I do think that many people are irresponsible about their credit, including buying homes they know they can’t possibly afford and not reading the fine print. But many others, like me and my husband, are very responsible about credit and mortgages (we recently paid our mortgage off in full and I pay off my credit card charges completely every month), and I believe most Americans are fiscally responsible. The emphasis on “shop ‘til you drop” has to go too, and we’ll all have to get back to the basics and stop imagining that money and “stuff” buy happiness. I must say that I’m thrilled we’re morphing into at least a semi-socialist country. It’s about time! I don’t hate capitalism, but like the kid left alone while its parents go to a cocktail party, it needs to be babysat by the government so it doesn’t have to step in, like it has, and bail everybody out. Murderers (and often innocent kids) who get a hold of guns—which is very, very easy thanks to insufficient gun control—kill people, pub. And innocent kids who play with their parents’ gun collection or find a gun or rifle in the closet can also kill. Then there’s the screwed up kids who find a gun and stage a shootout at their school. It goes on and on. But that’s another issue.

The fatal flaw of capitalism is not greed...it is the government trying to regulate capitalism. Once they do that, it's no longer capitalism. Everything you and Rycharde complain about is a result of government trying to control markets and behaviors - and everything you despise is not capitalism, but a system that the government has created. For instance - you mentioned the needless exploitation or killing of animals. Was it not the federal government that wanted to kill livestock during the Great Depression in order to artificially inflate prices for farmers? Was it not our federal government today that spoke of doing the same thing? Obamanomics does not inject more capital into the markets - it injects more government into them. Everything the government is doing is artificially propping up false markets that need to either contract or entirely collapse. By delaying this process or preventing it from happening, the government is merely creating a bigger crisis in the future and extending the current hardships for every individual. The financial meltdown was due to too much credit...and government over-regulation of private business...and government financial backing for certain industries deemed "too big to fail." And it is about my liberty when socialists want to run my life. They are already willing to give up their liberty, so it is inconsequential and does not factor into any of my statements. Their ignorance poses a danger to my liberty. I stand by that remark 100%. For the record: Guns don't murder people. Murderers do. Who is Publius? What is Rational Liberty? How do I join Xomba and get PAID to write?

This kind of uneducated rant is exactly what I mean by the ignorance of my neighbors affecting my liberties. Luckily, you live in a different country, but unfortunately, there are millions of people who think just like you and live in my country. What you don't seem to comprehend are the fundamental tenets of individual liberty. Who protects people from those evil, greedy corporations? The people who buy their products. Learn about the business you are supporting. That's your right and you are free to express it. What do you do if a company steals your money or sells you a product that doesn't work? Well, if they steal your money, they are breaking the law. If they sell you something that doesn't work, then you return it. If they refuse to give you another product or your money back, then you have other options, including legal recourse. You complain about governments propping up corporations? That's precisely the problem with government inteference into the market. Do you honestly not see the parallels? It is not the place of government to control or financially support private individuals and the businesses they create and operate. You think the Fed is a private institution? How was the Fed created? By an act of government! It is a quasi-government institution, much like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. To wrap it all up, you claim that we are heading toward unfettered "corporate socialism," which you mistakenly assume would be the result of laissez faire capitalism. But in reality, it is the theories you advocate that have gotten us where we are today. By the way...you do know that Ludwig von Mises is dead, right? It really surprises me that everything you're railing against is a result of government intrusion into the lives of individuals and the markets they create and maintain through private and willing commerce - yet you either don't recognize your folly, or you have an ulterior motive. You've had ample opportunity to learn about your errors, so exactly what is your agenda? Who is Publius? What is Rational Liberty? How do I join Xomba and get PAID to write?