This will begin a brief, related series of posts.  In Post #3 we examined why all organizations fail.  We found that the Homo sapiens species is sustainable, but organizations are not.  We learned two things:  
1). Almost all organizations are not designed as “learning organizations” and,
2). Because of that they are not capable of adapting to changing conditions.  
Both of which are closely related and critically necessary for survival, existence and sustainability.  Along the way we learned that functional societies are supported by three “pillars of society” – social organizations, political organizations and economic/financial organizations.  In a functional society those three pillars of society are well balanced in power, their ability to influence the other two pillars.  In a dysfunctional society they are out of balance. 

[Allow me to make some broad generalizations in the paragraph.]  Examining historic records of societies and civilizations that have declined, collapsed and disappeared,  (Roman Empire, Ottoman Empire, French monarchy, for examples), we see that the three pillars of society became out of balance.  The three, always being in motion around each other, became out of balance and eventually caused the collapse of the host society.  When we review American history, we see much the same except that the three pillars haven’t gotten out of balance to the extent that society disintegrated.  

Oh, there have been close calls when we take the American Civil War into consideration (political); when we take the Great Depression into consideration (economic/financial); and when we take racism and civil rights into consideration (social).  The potential of a national division has been healed and racism and civil rights also, at least in the statutes.  What is disconcerting is that since the 1980s the economic-financial pillar has gained the mass of a titan sumo wrestler to influence the other two pillars to its advantage.

When we review the economic/financial scandals and debacles since the early 1980s (Savings and Loan, thrift financial organizations, with the Lincoln Savings and Loan being the most prominent.), we begin to see how it all works.  As the saying went then, “Why rob a bank when you can own one,” fairly typifies the swindler mentality that has become more and more evident to contemporary times of late 2014.  However you name it, swindling money from others without their awareness is the scheme that has been played out over and over again.  It gets even sillier when the shills think they are making money too!