prompted lawmakers to issue new regulations, like the Sarbannes-Oxley accounting rules, that made it more costly for young companies to go public I can vouch f

prompted lawmakers to issue new regulations, like the Sarbannes-Oxley accounting rules, that made it more costly for young companies to go public I can vouch for this part -- having dealt directly with SOX audits for several years, the cost of regulatory compliance and audits would be prohibitive. And worse: the regulations do nothing to prevent another Enron. They enforce compliance for mid-level employees, and do little or nothing to stop executives from messing with the numbers. Yes, the CFO and CEO have to sign off on reports and cannot use ignorance as an excuse. But that wouldn't stop another Jeff Skilling (Enron CFO) from routing money to an offshore account; he wouldn't be taking any more of a chance now than in 2000. SOX regulations don't protect investors, and are a boon for only one group: big accounting firms -- the same firms that were part of the accounting scam to begin with.