“This is something that I am seeing in the current economic meltdown: nobody thought critically as they purchased a home that was 10-20 times their annual salary (if they actually had a salary!)”
The government forcing banks to make loans to people who the banks know would not be capable of paying back is just like later scenes in Atlas Shrugged. It is worthy of a character like Mouches.
That is the Midas Mulligan versus Lee Hunsacker business that comes later. I'll be writing an essay in that thread linking Hunsacker to Dennis Kucinich, who as mayor of Cleveland over 30 year ago, was on the cutting edge of all this.