Two seemingly unrelated news stories, publicized in the last couple of weeks, have highlighted the symbiotic relationship between our government and our major banks. In one, it was reported that whistle blowers were paid a total of $170 million for aiding in the recovery of $16.65 billion from Bank of America in a settlement announced last August in connection with offenses related to pre-2008 mortgage financings. The Bank of America recovery figure is roughly equal t...