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Parts of the United Kingdom have become so heavily dependent on government spending that the private sector is generating less than a third of the regional economy, a new analysis has found.

That's pretty much the socialist state of Michigan, too. Of a random check of 20 people I know who live there, 10 were employed in the public sector and four were unemployed.

My sister is a teacher in Michigan. She bought a 4800 sqft home in a nive neighborhood because all the doctors and lawyers are moving out. The only people who can afford to live in her neighborhood are other teachers.

INGSOC is double plus good.

The war with East Asia is going well on the Malibar Front. Coffee and Tea will soon be on the shelves.

INGSOC is doubleplusgood.

British subjects should take their government out back and hammer the head and sickle the knees.

France, too... at one point 40% of people there were directly employed by the government. They have a yearly strike season.

It can't last...

Thank you, GB, for showing us the light. You and the Canadians are clearly demonstrating where the good 'ol USA is headed, now on the "fast-track," shall we say, with the installation of the Messiah.

Every day we get less secure, more in debt, less free . . . Oh, and what a brilliant move there, Obambi, going on Saudi TV for your first interview (well, essentially an apology for the bad 'ol USA) -- guess Chris Matthews/Keith Olbermann/Rachel Maddow were not available (also could be that Obambi wanted to reach more than 6 viewers).

I don't understand, why didn't the market just fix all of this? Isn't it magic like that? Oh wait, it's because it was restrained by the filthy communists in government and wasn't allowed to work properly. Except when Bear-Stearns ran a 33:1 leverage ratio. Wait, the CRA forced them to do that, even though they aren't a depository lender. Wait...

Why didnt the free market fix it? A truly free market hasnt existed since the 1920s. Things would have fixed themselves had not Hoover in 1931 and 1932 and FDR for several years after that begun the socialization of America. Bear Sterns should have been allowed to fail as Lehmann Bros did - the bailout set a bad precedent. As for the others bad banks and finance companies, they too should be allowed to fail as a warning to others not to overleverage. Protect ordinary depositors only up to $100,000. Now that the bailout bonanza has begun there will be no end to it. Take risk? Why not? The Government will bail you out! Belly up to the feeding tough boys.

If socializing everything was the way to go Europe would be booming right now. These days most of them are worse off than we are only because America still has some semblance of a free market. Though daily its share of the economy decreases. Eventually we will all be working for the government. Welcome to the Socialist States of America.

As for CRA and lending to people who couldnt handle mortgages that was the part that helped inflate real estate prices which if these loans didnt exist would have prevented the overleveraging to begin with.

The way things are headed there will be a total collapse within 4 years and it will be time to begin again. Wipe the books clean and start over, starting with the cronies in Washington.

Even worse was the creation of the 2 GSE's Fannie and Freddie which became a dumping ground for bad mortgages. Why not take absurd risks when these government monsters were waiting in the wings to take bad debt off your hands?

If we are lucky we will only end up like the socialist paradise of Cuba, worst case? North Korea, the ultimate in Socialism - they tell you how to live every aspect of your life from birth to death.

Yeah, I wish the free market had a lot more reign than it does. Maybe if Chrysler had been allowed to fail back in the 70s rather then limping along all this time the other auto manufacturers would have shaped up.

Yep, the GSEs were to be the backstop, but everyone knew that house prices would alwys go up, so even if you couldn't afford it, you still could make money on the sale. Flipping it was known as ... Even had it's own TV shows, free money was the claim.

Flipping was and still is a good business depending on the geographical market and the location of the property. What ruined the flip (resale) market was too many inexperienced buyers. I knew it was time to get out of short term trading in 1998 when every a-hole on the block had a trading account and worse yet, an opinion. I once had a woman tell me a trade was "bad" cause her plumber said so. Susequently, I turned a 48G profit in a month on said trade. Flipping, as it is so glibly termed, is rehabing. A good business even now if you remember it is a business and not a lottery. It also helps to have a little education in these fields if you choose them as a career. Unfortunately, due to evey moron in the country getting into trading and "flipping" the government will now regulate both fields into the dirt. Not allowed to have loosers dontchakno? Everyone no matter how foolish the trade or how poorly the house rehab must win. If not it's somebody elses fault.

And a little from GILBERT & SULLIVAN and HMS PINAFORE and THE BRITISH TAR. THE BRITISH TAR IS ASOARING SOLE AND FREE AS A MOUNTIAN BIRD,HIS ENERGETIC FISTS SHOULD BE READY TO RESIST

The absolute evils of socialism and that facts are HANOI JANE once told a bunch of university students to hope and pray on their knees we will someday become a communists nation. BETTER DEAD THEN RED STAMP OUT COMMUNISM,ONLY GOOD COMMIE IS A DEAD COMMIE,CHE GUEVERA LETS BURN HIS EFFEGIES