I've come across a few articles that are well worth reading.
From my brother:
http://www.webofdebt.com/articles/its_the_derivatives.php
Ron Paul's take on the bailout with keypoints drawn out by me:
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/09/ron-paul-bailou.html
"This $700 billion bailout will only increase that debt, and increase the amount of money we pay merely to service the interest on that debt. The end result of this is higher taxes on our children and grandchildren, and the full-scale destruction of the dollar."
"As with many other government proposals, the opportunity cost of this bailout goes unmentioned. $700 billion tied up in illiquid assets is $700 billion that is not put to productive use. That amount of money in the private sector could be used to research new technologies, start small businesses that create thousands of jobs, or upgrade vital infrastructure. Instead, that money will be siphoned off into unproductive assets which may burden the government for years to come."
And of course a wiki entry on the Federal Reserve Act in case you were interested enough to gain insight into the non-government entity that has the largest influence on our economy.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Reserve_System#Central_banking_in_the_United_States
Also, note that the same year that the Federal Reserve Act was passed 1913, the 16th amendment was passed and we started legally paying personal income tax. Previously it was unconstitutional.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Income_tax#Ratification_of_the_Sixteenth_Amendment
I think you might start to see a pattern emerging here.
