Another great article. I had a conversation with another friend on here last night about the same thing. Since the late 70's banking became America's #1 industry. Banks operate by lending (debt). This is especially true when you factor in fractional reserve banking. I know this sounds simplistic, but I'm used to teaching people with NO background in economics so I apologize for the simplicity. You cannot have an economy based on debt, at least not for long. At some level you have to produce something...except perhaps in some Keynesian Utopia. Derivatives are without a doubt the absolute worst thing to happen to our economic system. It's like gambling with no rules. Like Ron Paul and others say; it's not a question of if, it's a question of when the house of cards will collapse.