Tragically, I'm of almost exclusively Brit stock...sorry to be disappointing. Scots, English, Irish, etc. (I think, although of course it all gets a bit complicated what with us all killing each other every few minutes). And they've all been over here since God was a child or at least since they got kicked out of some crappy little island on the edge of the world for their insane belief systems. It seems as though my Mom's mom's mom was from the Caucuses somewhere, though, so I guess I still have a tiny little dog in this fight. In any case, I quite agree with you about the dangers of corporatism...but I'd make a strong argument (or at least I'd view it as Stronk) that corporatism is one of many things our system of Government was intended to avoid. One rather imagines that Thomas Jefferson would have some rather sharp words INDEED for Goldman-Sachs. Tree of Liberty, blood, etc etc. You get the idea.