You wonder if Gollum Sacks (for instance), might offer payment to a rating agency to diss US Treasuries (for instance)?

Well, thought I'd start with the most outrageous example possible. It certainly is safer to downgrade smaller European sovereigns, especially after the recent (inspired?) news blitz on the subject, and the Brits have a similar system, The City generally supports Wall Street in Europe on regulatory issues and vise versa, but the bigger the tree you shake, the more fruit you find on the ground. And when you have Obama and the corporatist Dems as well as the Repubs flying air cover...who knows. But if I were charged with the stability of the British Pound, I would be concerned. With these folks money is a lot thicker than blood or friendship.

You smoking powerful stuff.

Just my sig line.

As the Dutch said while fighting the Spanish: "It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."