The New Laissez-Faire

You may have heard that this economic crisis (or meltdown, or whatever cliche it's being called) is the result of "cowboy capitalism" or "laissez-faire run amok" or "Anglo-Saxon economic liberty" (which makes no sense, right? But I did that yesterday). Well, I thought I would refute that with the magic of photography.



Here's a book I have to carry three days a week. You'll notice it's not called Greed is Good: Why We Aren't Regulating Securities At All, which is the first sign that perhaps capitalism in this country isn't exactly unrestrained. Still, how much could there be in this book?



Whoa, words! Lots of words. I thought maybe the title was a blind and the book was empty, maybe hollowed-out for a flask. But no, actual regulations relating to the issue and sale of securities in this country. Huh.



Look at that! The book that has "selected statutes, rules, and forms" relating to one part of the regulatory regime of the United States is almost a thousand pages long. Sounds like a strange unregulated world, when the regulations are so long.



Thicker than a finger.

Ball's in your court, Marx.