Riginslinger: I was not talking about how much it meant, but about the need to think it means something. Christians believe that their faith is validated by martyrdom, beginning with that of its founder. Marxism, which hoped in many respects to emulate Christianity (socialism : capitalism :: Christianity : the Roman Empire) supposed that the Revolution would be generated by the suffering of the working class. (Note the symbolic importance of Spartacus's revolt in its propaganda: mass crucifixion for a mass movement.)

ObSongs: Well before the S&L scandal, Tom Paxton wrote a charming song, "I Am Changing My Name to Chrysler", about the similar irony of the Chrysler bailout. But it is a far older observation that business people believe in the free market only for other people and will put up with it themselves only if they are forced to. There is a famous passage in Adam Smith in which he notes that it is impossible for persons in the same trade to gather even for convivial purposes without at least discussing a conspiracy against the public. He did also note, tho, that the market tends to have its way with such conspirators in the long run if the do not succeed in getting the police on their side.

The S&L scam was pretty massive, and the people who participated in it were not all rich. I suspect (tho I have not looked it up) that they were numerous enough that their votes would have entered into the calculations of the politicians who came to their rescue.