i think everyone here is spot-on
banks/the banking system has thankfully gotten a lot of exposure- so people see and understand how this superpower operates and literally selects which companies are entitled to survive a market crash by propping it up artificially.
the article that was posted in this section just recently about the Fed giving money to general electric (which owns MSNBC, NBC, CNBC, etc), verizon, deutsche bank, etc was a good one.
unfortunately, the birth of the mega-corporation just continues to evolve but the good news is- that's where the consumer actually HAS power. An individual may feel powerless, like he/she has to support a monopoly, but you can do a ton to avoid it.
also worth noting- out of the immensely popular green/global warming trend grew a pretty popular live-independently, off the grid, buy american trend...and these trends are gaining momentum i think, which I'd assume a lot of us would like to see really develop. it's my opinion that technology can either be spiritual suicide, or it can be used to enhance your life exponentially...i plan to live my life by incorporating the two.
what i'd like to see more of is people taking the leading role in their lives and making this ancient american dream a reality once again for everyone. hard to do when you're the "little guy" financially...babysteps though.
as things stand where they are now- the situation in america is pretty sad. gloomy even. but imaginative minds will move forward...
things won't become "easy" again anytime soon- but it'll be adventurous...my mother (earth) offers all the support i need to get by