Financial speculators are a blight on the world's economy.

[stufl]

Some people become wealthy by producing and/or distributing a product or by providing a service. In almost all cases, some part of society benefits from their offering. And, as long as they pay fair taxes, that's fine.

Financial speculation is different. It is a zero sum game. They win and somebody loses an equal amount. And it's all fueled by the availability of cheap money and relaxed or unenforced margin rules.

First it was housing. When that disappeared (and now it's coming back...NY Times last Sunday...they're starting to trade mortgage bonds again) the target was food and oil commodities.

We permit a small number of people to become unimaginably rich while the entire world suffers. They have a lot of $$ to buy political favors but there are ways to curb this behavior. Will someone tell me why it's not happening...please!

[mbperrin]

1. All the right palms are being greased. Look at the way above average returns Congress critters

enjoy on their investments, for example.

Yes, they are a blight, and in any rational world, would be completely legal to shout, "Get off my lawn!" and bang 'em dead.