Regulation: Too Much or too little?

[CrusaderFrank]

Whats your take on American in the 21st Century, do we have too much or too little regulation?

 

[Avatar4321]

Too much government regulation. Not enough self-regulation

 

[The T]

Whats your take on American in the 21st Century, do we have too much or too little regulation?

Way too much. Liberty of the individual has been neutered.

 

[Granny]

Too much government regulation. Not enough self-regulation

Excellent!!

 

[Yurt]

depends on the subject matter

avatar is spot on though...kids can't ride bikes without a helmet, i can't drive a car without a seatbelt, i can't drive a motorcycle without a helmut, i can't buy poison without a warning telling me poison is dangerous and might harm me....

 

[Derideo_Te]

Whats your take on American in the 21st Century, do we have too much or too little regulation?

Depends on whose ox is being gored. The regulations that exist are usually as a result that something needed regulating. The law stipulates that cops need a warrant to search your premises because in the past they did it whenever they felt like doing it and there was nothing to stop them. The building codes are because houses caught fire. The safety regulations exist because people got hurt.

 

[Flopper]

Federal regulations are the result of Congress delegating the administrative branch to fill in the gaps in legislation. If you're going to have laws, then you're going to have regulations. Regulations don't go away unless you repeal the laws. I'm afraid that what most people want that demand less regulations is a government that will ignore the laws not repeal them. Almost everyone wants just and fair tax laws, clean water, clean air, and fair markets; they just don't want the government enforcing those laws with regulations.

This reminds me of a small town I lived in a number of years ago. The city fathers passed a 1 hour parking limit on main street. Everyone applaud the action until the city put in parking meters.

 

[Mad Scientist]

America loves to pass Laws but hates to enforce them, especially on the Bankers.

 

[The T]

America loves to pass Laws but hates to enforce them, especially on the Bankers.

And WHY should Bankers/Capitalism be bound by laws that inhibit growth and thus foster a piss poor economy as Obama is fostering NOW?

Enemy to liberty are you? SURE you are.

 

[Pogo]

Whats your take on American in the 21st Century, do we have too much or too little regulation?

American what?

Regulation on what?

Can't vote. Too vague. We don't have enough regulation on poll construction.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

For example: Banking

If grown ups want to own and run a bank, risk their capital and reputation and be responsible for the property of others, they should be able to do so with little oversight and absolutely no taxpayer guarantee.

In sort, way over regulated

 

[Wyld Kard]

Whats your take on American in the 21st Century, do we have too much or too little regulation?

There is way too much regulation is America, which is slowly stripping away rights and freedoms.

 

[Mad Scientist]

America loves to pass Laws but hates to enforce them, especially on the Bankers.

And WHY should Bankers/Capitalism be bound by laws that inhibit growth and thus foster a piss poor economy as Obama is fostering NOW?

Enemy to liberty are you? SURE you are.

Name ONE Banker prosecuted since the Meltdown of 2008. Name ONE that did a Perp Walk and is in Jail right now. One.

Plus, you can't just be a "reverse rDean" and blame Democrats for everything. A Republican House and Senate Passed and Democrat President Signed the repeal of Glass/Steagall in 1999 which HAD kept Investment Banks separate from Deposit Banks.

 

[BobPlumb]

Regulations should be regulated by the KISS Regulation.
Keep it simple stupid!

 

[konradv]

Whats your take on American in the 21st Century, do we have too much or too little regulation?

That's just another trite either/or question. Things are rarely that simple. Not much different than positing a question about whether we'd prefer a government of sweeping totalitarianism or anarchism.

 

[Flopper]

For example: Banking

If grown ups want to own and run a bank, risk their capital and reputation and be responsible for the property of others, they should be able to do so with little oversight and absolutely no taxpayer guarantee.

In sort, way over regulated

??

Most bank regulations are for the protection of customers, not the bankers.

 

[blackhawk]

To much right now we have this bad habit in government from going from one extreme to another.

 

[jgarden]

For example: Banking

If grown ups want to own and run a bank, risk their capital and reputation and be responsible for the property of others, they should be able to do so with little oversight and absolutely no taxpayer guarantee.

In sort, way over regulated

Americans are "slow learners" when it comes to regulations - they are still under the illusion that less government automatically translates into an increase in personal freedoms.

Successful societies require a system of checks and balances - when government deregulates it creates a vacuum filled by those who often don't have the best interests of their public at heart. The ultimate goal by business in a capitalist economy is not to create competition but a monopoly - as demonstrated by the era of the "robber barons" during the late 19thC.

This period was characterized by "..... exerting control over national resources, accruing high levels of government influence, paying extremely low wages, squashing competition by acquiring competitors in order to create monopolies and eventually raise prices, and schemes to sell stock at inflated prices to unsuspecting investors in a manner which would eventually destroy the company for which the stock was issued and impoverish investors."

( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robber_baron_(industrialist) )

Minnesotans nearly wipeout the James-Younger Gang
Sep 7, 1876:

Attempting a bold daytime robbery of the Northfield Minnesota bank, the James-Younger gang suddenly finds itself surrounded by angry townspeople and is nearly wiped out on this day in 1876.

The bandits began with a diversion: five of the men galloped through the center of town, hollering and shooting their pistols in the air. As the townspeople ran for cover, three other men wearing wide-brimmed hats and long dusters took advantage of the distraction to walk unnoticed into the First National Bank. Brandishing pistols, one of the men ordered the bank cashier to open the bank safe. Though the cashier recognized the famous face of the dangerous outlaw, Jesse James, he stalled, claiming that the safe had a time lock and could not be opened. As Jesse James considered his next move, a brave--or foolish--bank teller made a break for the back door. One of the robbers fired twice, hitting the teller in the shoulder, but the man managed to stumble to safety and sound the alarm.

The citizens of Northfield ran to surround the bank and mercilessly shot down the robbers as they tried to escape. A 19-year-old medical student killed one gang member, Clell Miller, while the owner of the Northfield hardware store mortally wounded Bill Chadwell, peppering his body with bullets from a rapid-firing Remington repeater rifle. Jesse's brother, Frank, was hit in the leg, while their criminal partners--Jim, Cole, and Bob Younger--were also badly wounded.

"CrusaderFrank's" example reminds me of a recent episode on the Military Channel - the James-Younger Gang's Bank Heist at Northfield Minnesota, 1876.

Once the citizens knew the bank was being robbed, they also realized that all their life savings would all be lost, because in 1876 there was no taxpayer guarantee by the government on bank deposits. What ensued was a desperate shootout on the streets of Northfield between the citizens and the gang - with casualties on both sides.

The loss of life far outweighed the money stolen ($26.70) - this incident reinforces what could happen without taxpayer guarantee by the government on bank deposits.