by Stephen Lendman from Mathaba news service.
Over the past decade, "$5 billion in political contributions bought Wall Street freedom from regulation, (and) restraint." From 1998 - 2008, "Wall Street investment firms, commercial banks, hedge funds, real estate companies and insurance conglomerates (the FIRE sector)" spent over $1.7 billion in political contributions and another $3.4 billion on lobbyists....
Then Lendman goes on to list what the Banksters and Wallstreeters received in return for their "investments".