I don't understand the financial system

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I don't understand the financial system. Not even one little bit.

Also, I don't understand the US political system, but I do get that the actual elected officials are essentially useless. For example, it took them two years to produce these stunning findings: a statement of the blindingly obvious.

By counterexample, there are people who have been saying from the beginning that it was all simply fraud (favourite quote: "It is not necessary to hope to perservere."). At the same time, little attention is being paid to some of the real impacts that the rest of us have felt from this debacle: I've seen figures that show a 20% decline in the average Japanese household monthly disposable income. 20%! I found the figure in a report prepared for a retailers' newsletter but never saw anything about it in the press, anywhere.

How on Earth have we gotten this far without anybody in a position of power being charged with these towering crimes?