In his post today, Mike Grunwald bravely admits that “regulation is tricky” and “I’m not entirely sure what I think about these problems.”
Here’s one way to think about: As a general rule, regulations that require large numbers of fallible human government employees to ferret out wrongdoing are destined not to work very well.
Revolving-door scandals like this one are a reminder that the housing and financial meltdowns of 2008 — not to mention the BP gulf oil spill and West Virginia’s Massey mine disaster — should have launched a great debate over how to regulate. Unfortunately, because one of our great political parties is having an intellectual meltdown, …
A motion to proceed to a resolution sponsored by Senator Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, that would express the Senate’s “disapproval” of the Environmental Protection Agency’s move this week to regulate greenhouse gases failed today 47-53. The Agency argues that it is complying with a 2007 Supreme Court decision in …
I would point out two things about the SEC suit: The investigation began well before Obama was elected president and Goldman was warned in July 2009 — hardly the height of financial reform debate — that charges were coming. From the Wall Street Journal:
Goldman said it first heard from the SEC about the investigation in August 2008,
…
Republicans have been crying foul over the timing of last Friday’s Securities and Exchange Commission announcement of an investigation into wrong doing by Goldman Sachs. Yes, the timing – just as the Democratic push for financial regulatory reform seemed doomed and just as Goldman’s stock was approaching something close to where it …