CONTACT CAROLINE
facebook
rss
tumblr
twitter
goodreads
youtube

  • Home
  • Write Away Blog
  • Books
    • Books
    • Trompe l’Oeil
    • Heart Land
    • Gothic Spring
    • Ballet Noir
    • Book Excerpts
  • Video Interviews
  • Press
    • News
    • Print Interviews
    • Plays
    • Ballet Noir in the Press
    • Trompe l’Oeil In The Press
    • Gothic Spring In The Press
    • Heart Land Reviews
  • Contact
  • About
  • Resources
    • Writer Resources
    • Favorite Blogs
    • Favorite Artists



Fanfare, But Not For The Common Man

Feb 21, 2014
by Caroline Miller
"The Voklker: A Triumph of Complexity", Allan Sloan, ills of complex legislation, Paul Volker
4 Comments

If I could add another amendment to The United States Constitution it would read: Section I: Congress shall enact no laws that a person of average intelligence is unable to understand. Section II: Any administrative rules created to regulate, enforce and/or clarify said law shall be limited to no more than 5 double spaced printed pages.

I make these proposals based on the Volker Rule which, with much fanfare, has just been enacted into law. This is the rule proposed by former Fed. Chairman Paul Volker after the last financial debacle. Its intent is to prevent banks from speculating with depositor’s Federally insured money. (“The Volcker Rule: A Triumph of Complexity Over Common Sense,” by Allan Sloan, Fortune, January 13, 2014 pg. 49.)

 Unfortunately, by the time the affected parties added their “ifs,” “ands” and “whereases,” and the lobbyists threw in everything but an old pair of rubber boots, the rule was 892 pages long and written in language so arcane that, according to financial columnist, Allen Sloan, the common man would be more at home squinting through pages of ancient Greek. (Ibid, pg. 49.)

Everyone knows a law that’s too long and too complex is no good to anyone except lawyers. Add the 1,000 pages of explanations and the courts are going to have a field day. Regulators are bound to get lost in the word thicket, which, I suspect, is the intent.

 If citizen’s are expected to sleep easier now that Volker and the Congress have spoken about the safety of our bank deposits, I can draw only one conclusion. Folks who hold this view are dreaming already.

man sleeping on railroad track

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Courtesy of www.barscene.sg)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Social Share
4 Comments
  1. Chuck Corrigan February 21, 2014 at 12:34 pm Reply
    The contraction "it's" has an apostrophe. The possessive "its" does not. I think I learned that from my high school English teacher.
    • Caroline Miller February 21, 2014 at 1:02 pm Reply
      You certainly did and I stand corrected by my former student.Thank you for catching the error. Glad I contributed so greatly to your education.
  2. Pamela February 21, 2014 at 1:28 pm Reply
    Chuck, initially I thought "what a snark," but see this was all in fun, as Caroline was your instructor. I am often floored by the remedial mistakes I make when blogging or writing an e-mail. To the subject at hand, Caroline, the mashing up of legislation with special interests and so-called "pork" is infinitely frustrating, and simply a form of institutional manipulation, IMO. I like your constitutional amendment, Caroline!
    • Caroline Miller February 21, 2014 at 3:45 pm Reply
      Yes, Pamela, I was getting a little ragging from a former student and now a friend. I am lucky enough to have a few of these wonderful people around but I rode them hard -- to their benefit -- so I am reaping what I sowed. As for the amendment when we get a quorum of 5, I'll know I have the beginnings of a peaceful but productive revolution.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

*
*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Contact Caroline at

carolinemiller11@yahoo.com

Portland, Oregon author Caroline Miller had distinguished careers as an educator, union president, elected official and artist/advocate.

Her play, Woman on the Scarlet Beast, was performed at the Post5 Theatre, Portland, OR, January/February 2015

Caroline published a serialized novelette, Marie Eau-Claire, on the website, The Colored Lens.  She also published the story Gustav Pavel,  a parable about ordinary lives, choice and alternate potential, on the website Fixional.co.

Caroline has published four novels

  • Ballet Noir
  • Trompe l’Oeil
  • Gothic Spring
  • Heart Land

Subscribe to Caroline’s Blog


 

Archives

Categories

YouTube-logo-inline2 To access and subscribe to my videos on YouTube, Click Here and click the Subscribe button.

Banner art “The Receptive” by Charlie White of Charlie White Studio

Web Admin: ThinPATH Systems, Inc
support@tp-sys.com

Subscribe to Caroline's Blog


 

Contact Caroline at

carolinemiller11@yahoo.com

Sitemap | Privacy Notice

AUDIO & VIDEO VAULT

View archives of Caroline’s audio and videos interviews.


Copyright © Books by Caroline Miller