Here's a link to Bill Moyers' interview of John Bogle, the founder of Vanguard and index funds. I ran across it since there is a brief mention of buyouts of nursing home by big private equity firms, but overall it turned out to be a pretty insightful interview. He makes a great Rome/America analogy. Below are some highlights:
"...ultimately, the job of capitalism is to serve the consumer. Serve the citizenry. You're allowed to make a profit for that. But, you've got to provide good products and services at fair prices."
"...the financial side of the economy is dominating the productive side of the economy."
"We have our own bread and circuses. And they're a little different than the bread and circuses they had in Rome. But, we surely have our circuses whether it's sports teams or casino gambling or the lottery in the states."
"China owns — I don't know the exact number — but, let me say about 25 percent of our federal debt."
"I've often said we're in a bottom line society. We're measuring the wrong bottom line."