"Does anybody really believe that these people's mindsets have changed from their original desire to obtain status without the ability to pay for it?"

i think that's a pretty darn good point right there. there will always be financial institutions, political parties, gov't agencies, etc around to help & assist (or exploit & screw, and we are right to point out their shortcomings when they do), but ultimately it's the individual's sense of entitlement and/or fervent drive to try to attain happiness/emo security/peace of mind through material wealth that sets all these wheels in motion.

at the lamentable risk of getting Mick involved in this thread, i offer this:

'If you want to change the world, first try to improve and bring about change within yourself...from there it just gets bigger and bigger. Everything we do has some effect, some impact.' ~ Hello Dalai

i think he's on to something there. i'm still quite politically active, but i'm finding that the more i concentrate on my own growth, the better equipped i am to deal with the world around me. i'm far from perfect (something i of course would never admit to my hobbit disciple), but me working on me instead of everything but me has made an enormous difference.

(uh-oh: does embracing personal responsibility in this fashion now make me a "conservative"?)

anyway, sorry to interrupt the blaming and arguing. as you were.