Thanks for your replies! Extremely educational :3
I'm glad things seem to have bottomed out finally and are headed back up. I've spent most of this recession trying to figure out what triggered it, and I've found that there are just too many factors to blame one particular thing such as capitalism or greed, though those certainly haven't helped.
(Incidentally, I find it interesting how the right-wingers in America scream unholy murder about Obama being a "socialist". This isn't true, but even if it were, it's not like capitalism has done so well for us...
)
My only hope is that we've learned from all this. I wonder if there has been a collapse like this one as a result largely of the housing sector (which I believe is one of theprimary causes this time around) in the past? If not, I certainly hope some people have learned their lesson...