Dwight D. Eisenhower agonized over the growth of a military - industrial complex and its implications for government. After watching the overnight shenanigans of our government, I have to say Ike's concern has morphed into the huge interconnect between government and financial insitutions. The biggest political donors are now the largest recipients of government aid. Perhaps there's a conflict of interest somewhere?

For those of you that don't really care, you just want your credit cards to keep working and your houses to continue to appreciate, I leave you with these thoughts from Benjamin Franklin:

They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.

Sell not virtue to purchase wealth, nor Liberty to purchase power.

From this point on, we might as well live in Shanghai. The government bureaucrats own us. They can change the rules at any time, for any reason.