This also seems to be a child of a wider process by which losses tend to be socialized and profits tend to be privatized. Apparently, the system "works" because

This also seems to be a child of a wider process by which losses tend to be socialized and profits tend to be privatized. Apparently, the system "works" because nearly all the wealth of the planet is in the hands of something like 1% of the population, while the debt, well... Another aspect is the speed at which profit is made. At one end there is education, for example, which is an exceedingly bad investment in financial terms because it is very slow and very uncertain. At the other end there is pure trading and seed/startup investment, with profit goals of, what, 25% per year. Who would finance education? Certainly not a financial investor in his right mind.