INTRODUCTION The world finds itself in the midst of the Great Recession that came to full fruition in September 2008 with the collapse of Lehman Brothers. Many have asked this simple question – “how can this have happened?” So why are we in this mess? Before proceeding with my explanation, I modestly offer to the reader my personal economic theorem: “A free market economy is a theoretical construct that only works if, and only if all of the players in the economy are both honest and competent. Both elements must be present for an economy to function properly. As this ideal is impossible to achieve, an economy will habitually require…