Blame for the Financial Crisis

It's time to think about assigning blame for the financial crisis. I can think of two things that ought to be done:

1. Any financial assistance should be conditioned on the CEO or other leaders of an institution being fired. To be sure, this tends to disrupt an organization, but these people have demonstrated that they make such big and stupid mistakes that their talents in everyday management aren't important enough to outweigh them. And we need to set an example for the future.

2. The government should decertify the major rating agencies. Their AAA certifications should no longer have any weight in deciding whether, for example, a government pension fund is investing prudently.

This would kill the present rating agencies, but that's okay. Replacement companies would arise instantly.