I think that you fail to make the distinction that these were actually FREE markets in the first place . . . You may want to criticize the Govt. all you want regarding current financial market intervention, but much of this is the result of an Administration ( and Alan Greenspan ) embracing the notion that markets "self-regulate" and and do not incur market "failures" or "distortions" - - - and be simply left as laissez-faire Capitalism. Given that there was nothing to curb human nature ( think GREED ), and that the markets are in fact, NOT "self-regulating" the above concept has been shown to be False.