I agree with your last post 100% core… Some say the stock market is totally manipulated by crooks… maybe it is maybe it is not, I still invest knowing the risks….the same is true for pretty much any investment that will outperform inflation. It sucks all that much worse when you find that you were part of a deep rooted criminal scheme. I know, I have been there. It is lame.

Alot of people who post here have NO sympathy at all for the people who lost money. In fact there are many people who consider themselves victims because they have sat on the sidelines patiently saving cash because they were priced out of the market. That the housing boom was in part caused by irrational speculation. Thus they can never buy a house because of the greed of others.

Who is to say who is right? You see what I am saying? This is sometimes why you see the harsh responses about the people who (yes may have been victimized) but who also (in the eyes of many people) were part of the problem.

One last thing, I don’t think capitalism is built on greed. The rush of making easy money, whether it is because you win a football bet, or you flip a home, should not be intertwined with making a profit selling goods or providing services in a society.