Engineering: New Magnet for Superstars

On the one hand, might be a good time to open an engineering services firm.

On the left, Perhaps the lack of best-n-brightest on Wall Street IS the problem?

Maybe not lack of the brightest on Wall Street, just the best. I think it is filled with too many bright people who know best about how to find short-term gains and to line their own pockets. When everything melts down, what do they care? They have their own nest eggs safe and secure. To hell with their investors, they can fend for themselves. When things turn around (which they always do eventually) they will ride the next bubble until it bursts, increasing their fortunes. And the investors they represent? Oh, well, they knew the risks......

Not to sound cynical, but people are best behaved when they are not operating in the dark and there are consequences for their actions.

No one apparently understood the derivative market - that is dark.

The president of the home loan division for Wamu who stood in front of Congress in '06 and argued the market would take care of itself, despite Wamu having to be "acquired" to stay solvent - is still the president of the home loan division - no consequences.

The real shame, expressed by the director of The Smartest Guys in the Room, was the segments on the bankers had to end up on the cutting room floor. The Enron debacle was done with the FULL KNOWLEDGE and cooperation of the bankers. But they were making too much money to walk off.

Given that American knowledge is all from Hollywood at this time, perhaps more scrutiny of the sub-prime situation might have come about had that film segment aired.

Should you doubt that Americans are educated by Hollywood, just watch Braveheart and then do some fact checking. There is a difference between history and "what everyone knows."