Congress to repeal the Glass-Stegall Act in 1999 so that they could get themselves into the trouble they're in now. The rest of the financial industry supplied an additional $100 million to take them to Victory! Thank you ex-Senaor Phil Gramm (of the "Americans are whiners" fame)!

<a href=http://seekingalpha....-to-flail>Seeking Alpha</a> link.