FinReg Update: Rob Johnson Exposes the Financial System’s Plumbing
By Bryce Covert, courtesy of New Deal 2.0
The Real News Network sat down with Roosevelt Senior Fellow Rob Johnson to discuss what he thinks of the FinReg bill currently in conference. Johnson supports the split between proprietary trading and commercial banking; after all, the Federal guarantees for are meant to “fortify the necessary plumbing” of traditional activities. He argues using that money to subsidize proprietary gambles encourages the addiction. The problem is, though, that these risky activities are now the “sump pumps being used to fill the hole in these balance sheets.” It’s a risk-taking Catch 22.
Overall, the bill has been watered down, Johnson notes, because “people depend upon the mother’s milk of politics, called money, to get re-elected,” and a lot of that money comes from the financial sector. But there are a few areas where he sees glimmers of hope: the CFPA, ratings agency reforms, and resolution authority are all steps in the right direction. Watch the full interview:
