On the contrary, I'd say that public companies accurately forecasted that regardless of their shenanigans they'd be bailed out by the government, and acted acco

On the contrary, I'd say that public companies accurately forecasted that regardless of their shenanigans they'd be bailed out by the government, and acted accordingly in a long-term fashion. That's why, at some point, it will be critical to the future viability of our institutions and way of life to let companies fail when they make catastrophic mistakes, no matter how large they are. One strong slap from reality, and nobody there to back them up, will be a sufficient signal to engender long-term planning that doesn't rely on the public's largesse. Corporate corpses are the best fertilizer for the institutions we need to build going forward.