What is actually wrong with this thread?? .... and how did carnets get in here from "trip paperwork"?

I think that this is as suitable a thread as any other that has arisen in the bar.
While it is traditional in many societies not to discuss politics and religion in public company, surely taking a view about the current state of the world and its' players is a fair topic?


+ there are credit unions and this also:-
Your Savings | Burnley Savings and Loans
as examples of ethical use of cash deposits for the greater good of the customers, ethical business practice and working for the greater good of countries and their populations.
The guy in the link above has already met resistance from the banking "industry" (which, of course, it is not an industry since it actually produces nothing - Sir John Harvey Jones' (RIP) definition of "wealth" refers)

Micro-financing also comes to mind as another example of "good" investment.

In contrast, the defence given in earlier posts of banks and bankers is how it is supposed to work; clearly this has been malfunctioning for quite some time and the banks have become akin to gambling houses/casinos, with more than a wiff of corruption to boot (LIBOR any one?).
If Hollywood is to be believed, the individual personnel involved (the bankers) have acted in a manner akin to drug-addled "rollers of the dice" at the gambling tables. The evidence for this broad point of view continues to mount, as the various investigations of the main players have progressed; of course, this is far from over, and there is every possibility that the ramifications will continue for some years yet.
The law courts may not be too busy with associated litigation yet, but I rest my case, my Lud.

__________________
Dave