Conspiracy!!!

We deserved the be downgraded.

the Gov. don't want it with me.

Honestly a lot of people believe that your country hasn't really been AAA for awhile, but the fact that a lot of these companies might have hidden agendas and influences from others, has resulted in you guys keeping it. Soon or later the cards will crumble, these agencies could either point out the problem now, or be known in history as shallow rating companies. 

or we could just live within our means and elect competant officials that will do the same.

The real problem is the source, and not the result whether it is justified or not. The United States will inevitably gain that rating back. This isn't about nationalism just realism. Most nations lack the volume of natural resources that the United States enjoys, or the incredible variety of industries. So the nation can weather the storm, and come back out stronger on the other side. It has happened before, and it will happen again. No matter what you think size matters.

No what irritates people is that this agency is no less guilty itself. They handed out their highest rating to utterly toxic assets. Signing off on ridiculously speculative ventures with next to zero possibility on return. So it is really shitty on their part to call others incompetent. When their own incompetence helped to create the bad global situation themselves. They are being investigated, because law enforcement thinks that it all may be more then simple stupidity, but complicity for the sake of profit.

They are being investigated, because they might have been selling their good name. Honestly I am thinking that is probably true, and they are probably going to get caught. Be it criminal, civil, or legislation. They are going to get crucified. I honestly cannot fathom why anyone puts any value in what they say now anyway. They have proven that they are either grossly incompetent, or seriously corrupt. Either way you shouldn't take them seriously in the least. Your better off taking financial advice from a homeless lunatic.

The fact that they're at least twice as big as Fitch? Fitch is the minor company out of the big three (S&P, Moodys and Fitch)

It's really a miracle they didn't downgrade us sooner.