Seems as though it worked perfectly. Banks stayed massively and impenetrably wealthy while the rest of us...well, who cares anyway, it wasn't really about us.
The 'rest of us' would have suffered the most from a collapse of the financial sector. During depressions, the most vulnerable, needy and poorest always suffer the most. Children top the list, as lack of proper nutrition during their formative years can affect them for life. For all of Bush's faults, at least he got that one right. He was a horrible President, but not insane. We don't need the bankers, but we need banks, for the functions they perform. Bankers, on the other hand, are well off regardless. So what if their net worth drops from $100 million to $10 million? They're still rich enough to fly to Dubai...
Edit- As for the chart,
see here.
