That's a good read, Crash9. Wow, I didn't know it's that bad! I think everybody in the government needs to read this, and do something about that budget deficit. Bush says pulling out of Iraq right now will weaken the US. From an economic standpoint, it would be a step in the right direction as the war is an enormous drain on the economy. That and the tax cuts. I'll keep my fingers crossed that we don't go through another Great Depression. That would really suck.
It's absolutely true that a free market is not totally self-correcting. A free market is great, but it does need restrictions. The Great Depression is a showcase example why. My fiancee does day trading and she has noticed how the market overreacts to events that are not all that relevant. Part of the free market is the well-known spiral effect of sell off. Real estate comes to mind and many predict it's a bubble that's going to burst.