I agree with Bobert that these derivatives are of no benefit except to the investors or maybe their creators. They produce nothing.

I feel the same way about commodities traders. What do they do besides drive prices up and create bubbles? Just more middlemen that contribute nothing to the economy other than their own profits which they avoid taxes on. There should be a rule that they must take delivery of whatever they buy like an airline buying fuel and not some weaselly bastard buying it and flipping it to an airline after it goes up and the airline is in a jam.

These people have no feelings for the people on the end of all that wheeling and dealing. The people who must bear the brunt of their money making schemes. They have no comprehension of what it's like. It is like trying to imagine what it is like to be blind. It's like "I'm not blind so what am I supposed to do abut it?"

Then the politicians are paid off by these people. That's right, PAID OFF in the form of campaign contributions so they have to make it look like they are doing something.

On CNN I heard them discussing the Blob. That is a group of lobbyists and staffers discussing and writing the bill. What? I thought lobbyists weren't going to run things any more.

From NPR:An obvious example: both liberals and conservatives are finding a lot of flaws with the financial legislation.