This essay was originally published on TomDispatch and is republished here with Tom's kind permission. ----- Lately, our news has focused on tropical depressions maturing into monster hurricanes that leave devastation in their wake -- and I'm not just talking about Gustav and Ike. Today, we face a perfect storm of financial devastation, notable for the enormity of the greed that generated it and the somnolent response of our government in helping Americans left devastated in its wake. As unemployment rates soar to their highest level in five years and home construction sinks to its lowest level in 17 years, …