... meritocracies may be fairer and more efficient than some alternatives. But fair in an absolute sense? Think about it. A meritocracy is a system in which the people who are the luckiest in their health and genetic endowment; luckiest in terms of family support, encouragement, and, probably, income; luckiest in their educational and career ( Read more... )

"...congressional leaders were told [[last night, by Bernanke and Paulson]] "that we’re literally maybe days away from a complete meltdown of our financial system, with all the implications here at home and globally.""http://www.nytimes.com/2008