I agree but then the argument becomes what's the definition of a VIABLE business? Some would say a viable business is one that has positive cashflow while another person might say it's okay for a business to have alot of debt and maybe even not making any real money the first few years as long as there is a plan in place to get the business operating in the black in the next few years. Then you have to take into consideration being able to compete with other existing businesses, and sometimes not just businesses in town, city, region, and/or state but can you compete nationally and/or globally. The reason why the manufacturing industry is in such a dire situation here in America is because realistically the U.S. can't compete with cheaper and more efficient labor in other countries. Not to say that the U.S. can't make better quality products but they just can't compete necessarily as far as pricing goes. Most consumers will sacrifice some on the quality of a product if it's price tag is fairly cheap. Don't believe it, look at the success of companies like Wal-Mart whose motto is better prices and look at how many items you use and wear that are made in China or Taiwan. I agree that America needs to re-establish it's manufacturing sector but I'm not certain that it's realistically possible for that to be a successful endeavour unless American workers are willing work cheaper (and I definitely don't see that happening). Maybe with innnovative new technology America could compete but it would be short-lived for the simple fact that the manufacturing companies and industries in other countries would quickly catch on and soon the cheaper workforces of those countries would be competing right along side America as always. To be honest, America's manufacturing sector is on life support and I don't think that it's going to make it (unpleasant analogy I know). And you're right about this whole 'too big to fail' nonsense, ANY company can fail if it's being poorly managed, has too much debt, and is making no money.