Without question, there is a fundamental role for government, including the SEC, in regulating our financial markets and our economy more generally; and we need a regulatory framework that is resilient and that fits our increasingly interconnected and complex financial system. None of us welcomes the kind of hardship and turmoil that the financial crisis wrought. The key question, therefore, is not whether we will or should have regulation. The answer to that question is straightforward: we will and we should. The real question is, “How much?”
When it comes to the question of “How much?”, I am concerned that the present wave of regulation will prove to be excessive, unduly burdening and restricting our financial system and suppressing private sector innovation, entrepreneurism, and competition at the expense of our country’s economic growth and global competitiveness. My concern that we are overregulating is accentuated when instead of evaluating each rule and regulation one-by-one, the totality of the regulation that the private sector must bear is added up. As regulatory mandates mount, I worry that the cumulative impact of the aggregation of rules and regulations will make it more difficult for companies to raise capital and to manage their risks effectively; will make it more costly for individuals to borrow when they need to; will stifle the cutting-edge innovation that we depend on to drive our economy forward; will leave investors with fewer valuable opportunities for building their wealth; and will undercut job creation.
Please go read the whole thing, he's exactly right. And, if I may so, he's basically making the same point I made in Corporate Governance after the Financial Crisis
