@Meslin, a great comment! That is exactly how the governments and the elites in the so-called "liberal" capitalism have fleeced the taxplayer. And in many, many other creative ways! They are liberal indeed. With other people's money, other peoples assets, and by pushing wars, other people's children. I am cautiously optimistic that the developing countries, especially those that did not fall for the "development model" of the liberal persuasion, are not doing business the same way. If they did, they would not have the money now, would they? Well, they will say that France had to sell those shares, as it needed money to fill its budget holes. Fair enough. But why did France, and other developed countries had to resort to selling their assets to support basics of the society, when once, they were the creditors of the world? Because they were giving away the assets. You see, at first the assets were given away in support of inane ideology that "private sector and free markets know best", and once having lost the shirt on the gamble, they have to keep on selling, just to keep the budget afloat. One day, historians and economists are going to have a field day with the Hubris that underpinned it all. But now Nemesis stalks the land.