Randall Hoven, an engineer by training, writing at the American Thinker asks a set of questions that are *on the money* (exactly right or accurate): How did this financial mess happen? And why did it apparently happen in Europe first then in the U.S.? And how could a proportionately small decline in the U.S. real estate market first bring about a sudden crash in European investment markets? See here: http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/03/how_did_this_happen.html Respectfully, the answers that Hoven and his online commenters give are mostly off base and likely confuse symptoms for causes. I would suggest that Hoven and others read Anthony Downs...