It is estimated that total home value in the U.S  has declined over $8 trillion during the Great Recession which began in December 2007. It is also estimated that American households lost almost $4 trillion in stock value. This astonishing loss in family net worth seemed to begin out of no where. True speculators who were receiving virtually free money from the banks and the government were pushing prices up to unsustainable levels, but the question remains, what event precipitated the beginning of the Great Decline. I propose this hypothesis. … Read entire article »