Well, companies, Charles, like AIG certainly have been blamed by some for their part in stoking the financial crisis,
but now four years later as the U.S. recovery sputters, people are wondering who or perhaps what is to blame for that.
So who actually did kill the recovery in the U.S. economy?
Maggie Lake reports on a case that's got all the elements of a murder mystery.
It's all over. Goodbye, Margaret.
The play is called "Perfect Crime," an intricate whodunnit that literally begins with a bang.
Oh! Damn!
In this off-Broadway production,
the race is on to find the cold-blooded killer of W. Harrison Brent, who lives in Connecticut with his wife.
In real life, another mystery has been unfolding for months -- the case of who or what killed the U.S. economic recovery.
Just like in this show, there's no shortage of suspects for what's stalling economic growth.
I know you killed them.
Why do you think that?
Suspect number one: Europe.
The biggest headwind the American economy is facing right now is uncertainty about Europe.
American firms have seen European sales plummet amid fears that a Greek default could spark another global banking crisis.
Suspect number two: Congressional gridlock.
If Congress had passed the proposals the president submitted, there'd be a million more jobs today.
New stimulus the Democrats say could have created jobs has been shot down amid Beltway bickering.
They believe that government creates and spending creates jobs. We believe business and growth creates jobs.
Suspect number three: runaway national debt.
This $16 trillion worth of debt serves like a wet blanket over our economy, scaring employers of all size.
Fiscal uncertainty is a key reason why companies aren't hiring, and the fiscal cliff of automatic spending cuts and tax increases that could hit next year is terrifying firms.
And suspect number four: energy prices.
The ever-accelerating gasoline prices, this will break the back of the recovery.
High gas and heating bills act like a direct tax on consumers, taking away money that would otherwise be spent at restaurants and stores.
... and there's no such thing as the perfect crime. I could've told you that.
But one thing is certain:
U.S. growth has fallen from over four percent last year to under two percent today, amid one of the weakest post-war recoveries on record.
On stage, all of the suspects seem to have airtight alibis.
It wasn't me. I was at the country club.
I only kill unemployed husbands.
I was giving a speech at the British club.
I was busy being shot.
So, what do you think, Detective Ascher? You have a pretty good idea who did it?
Oh, yeah. I've got a real good idea who did it.
In the end, this cop gets the culprit, but our real-life mystery may prove much harder to solve,
because when it comes to who killed the recovery, all the prime economic suspects may be to blame.