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document.write("<h5>Are you for real?</h5>");
document.write("Never let nasty things like reality get in the way of ideology, hey. <br />The entire premise of what you've written is based on the flawed assumption that people must continue consuming at all costs, whether or not they can afford it. That's exactly what got us into the mess we're currently in.<br /><br />Markets were grossly over-valued - fact.<br />The NCA is, by and large, refusing credit to people who cannot afford it. That makes sense. I don't know what you earn but most people in this country are getting by on a lot less than 10k a month. What planet are you on suggesting that banks continue to lend for stuff people don't need when many are already going to the wall on their bonds and car repayments? You don't have to like it, but people simply cannot afford debt at the moment and they are not obliged to incur it so that those who have done so well out of the current system can continue to be profligate. And it's only going to get worse now that people have had their pensions effectively stolen from them. But you're right, blame it on the man on the street. <br /><br />The solution to the crisis is clear. There's a middle ground between the \"blame it all on the capitalists\" brigade and the people who insist on talking about markets like they're sentient beings. Unfortunately, you don't seem to be one of them. <br /><br />We're here because of naked greed, bad practices and even worse \"reading\" of the economics of the situation. This is so much more than a natural blip.  . flim");
document.write("<h5>Crunch caused by government</h5>");
document.write("Well done Mr Louw. Your analysis is entirely accurate, notwithstanding the denialist. If Freddie and Fannie as US Government sponsored enterprises did not start this ball rolling, none of this would have happened. However, the market has caught them out and will do its own correcting .....if left alone by interfering governments.. Peter B");
document.write("<h5>Fallacy?</h5>");
document.write("And yet of all these \"unsuccessful\" systems we stil continue with one that allows people to die every day from lack of food, to live in horrible conditions and allows the wealth of some at the expense of many. Myth or not. . Joe");
document.write("<h5>Subprime</h5>");
document.write("I would be a lot more convinced by Leon Louw if he didn't sound so defensive about the free market. It is all well and good to defend 'greed and fear\" as a necessary condition but directors and managers purposefully pursuing irresponsible risk so as to boost the short term bottom line and then retiring on a golden parachute is beyond the pale. Their fiduciary duty remains the best interest of the stakeholders; when they fail to do so they should be punished severely. . Roy ");
document.write("<h5>The reserve system is already govt. intervention</h5>");
document.write("I think the problem is the federal reserve system (any reserve bank system) in the first place. The market should be allowed to be free enough to determine its own equilibrium prime rates, i.e. even less govt. intervention.  The reserve bank system makes it too easy for banks... and on top of it big banks feel they can fall back on a bailout. Real productivity should be able to finance new productivity.  Problem is our population growth is climbing at such a high rate that productivity is struggling to keep up, especially as we add the equivalent of a Germany (80 million) to the planet each year and each member of that 'Germany' wants a luxury car with a villa by the sea.. Nix");
document.write("<h5></h5>");
document.write("Finally someone with a sane take on what the 'free' market is all about. A friend asked how we could let Wa-Mu in WA State, go broke? I replied that none of the depositors lost any monry, its all FDIC insured, but that the recent, new, 41 story HQ building was not sustainable & way too expensive, but that the building or shell, simply had to go to the wall. Someone else could buy it later @ 30c/$1.00<br />Thats real capitalism at work. <br />Not SABC TELKOM MTN SAA VODA ESKOM etc<br />. Mac");
document.write("<h5>Fallacy Joe</h5>");
document.write("What point about the countries with free markets are the richest? The systems that continue to 'allow' people to die every day are the ones that don't allow free markets. Why should people with an ideology that works (most of the time, nothing is perfect) be held hostage by ideologies that don't work? The amount of charity (aka AID) into Africa is most likely half the GDP of Africa, and people are STILL dying of hunger. The myth is that 'rich' countries or people want poor countries or people to remain poor. If you know the first thing about free markets / capatalism it's that the more people with money, the more there is to make. It's in NO-ONE's interest aside from despot politicians that can only maintain a grip on power by blaming everyone else for their lack of leadership and ability. . Lepper_Messiah");
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