Reply #18: You make a good point.

[Lagomorph]

It's damn difficult to balance private vs public wealth.

Concentration of wealth is necessary for big projects. Even if it's just to deal with government regulations, it often turns into billions of dollars. That's what Wall Street is supposed to do, focus resources and come up with private sector solutions for our economic needs.

The problem I've seen with government control is that the money doesn't stay on the street. In government controlled economies, the money comes from the government and goes right back to the government. In a free market, the money bounces around for a long time before it goes back to the government. That's where the 14 trillion dollar economy comes from. The government gets a cut of every transaction, the marketers get their cut and on and on.

Unfortunately, government entitlement programs don't bounce very well. They get discounted or recovered far too rapidly to make any economic contribution on the street level, where we all live.

Before the system got gamed to death, every consumer transaction contributed to our wealth rather than diminished it. You bought something and your neighbors benefited. You could talk to your banker and expect good advice. They didn't just worry about their bottom line. Now it's just about what product they offer that will soak up your disposable income.

It used to be that you could get 5% on your savings account. Now it's 1% or less, while we pay through the nose for loans.