Be careful, someone's gonna get hurt...

Yes, things parents say, or an ode to George Carlin.

Picture the time when you were kids, and you were on a see saw, balanced by your friend who was on the other end; OH what great fun, and giggles and laughs, up and down, up and down, and the giggles and laughs wafted all over the playground; then up and down sped up, then you were overcome, all of a sudden out of nowhere, by the great silliness, soon other kids heard and saw what loads of fun and silliness was to be had and they wanted to sit on your side too; then more kids joined; then one suddenly jumped off one end and the kids on the other end went ploof, banging their heads, breaking arms and dislocating shoulders as they spilled onto the play ground pavement, like scatter shots.

Pity, before 2008, certain TBTF banks' didn't remember that lesson of leverage implicit in the children's frolic of see saw; for it is indeed great fun for BOTH sides of the see saw when it's a balanced game; except TBTF banks', knew at the time WHY house prices were rocketing north, but somehow forgot to inform mortgage borrowers that their leverage bets were being doubled, not carefully underwritten if at all, and hidden and upped, to be fueled by an relentless push for more new mortgage, often no-money down 2nd, 3rd, 4th house, borrowers (mind you primarily if not nearly only within GSE conforming loan limits) who fully thought they were playing real estate see saw but in reality were being suckered, make that defrauded into believing that house prices were going up due to market (make that FREE MARKET, some would recognize that as Capitalism) forces...