The "Market" has never really been free...and I doubt it ever will, to have that you need to have zero interference and or control from governmental sources.

I love Milton Friedman when it comes to a lot of things, but, his ideals, though they look good in "theory" imho are no more realistic in practical aplication than comunisium turned out to be and it looked great in theory too.

A lack of general knowledge coupled with a lack of ethics when it comes to business, (especially corperations) investment speculation, and a variety of other things; a ...not a so called "free market", is the real crux of the problem.