I see that gonzo journalist Matt Taibbi has a
new piece about the "gradual takeover of the government by a small class of connected insiders, who used money to control elections, buy influence and systematically weaken financial regulations." Taibbi's case study is the now-famous AIG. Of course, the piece was released during a week in which the House passed a retroactive 90% tax on bonuses, which might not be the best evidence that the company has the government completely cowed.
This article available online at:
http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2009/03/timing-is-everything/4851/