Why Are We Bothering To Re-Regulate The Financial Industry, Then?

According to President Obama last night, part of our recovery must involve re-regulation of the financial industry.

President Obama says this is looking forward.

President Obama says this is necessary to carry our country into the 21st century, to keep us responsible.

But mostly, President Obama says we must do this re-regulation to keep this sort of thing from happening again.

Hmmm...

As regards the attempted coup on our government by the Bush cabal, though, to prosecute and investigate with the full force and will of the federal government, in the name of the Law, our Constitution, and the People, is looking backwards. So making sure Wall Street can't screw us again is more forward looking than securing our liberties against domestic enemies, against those who would break the law with impunity and suffer not a single consequence, thereby leaving the door wide open for similar abuses and illegalities in the future.

I don't think so.

But investigation and prosecutions are really looking forward -- to say we need the deterrence of prosecution so this does not happen again.

We need to change financial regulations, so massive fraud and theft and abuse don't happen again.

But to protect our Constitution and the rule of Law by prosecuting those who violated the law, is...looking backwards? By this same logic, we should not fix the regulatory problems in the financial industry, because to do so is "looking backwards." Or am I missing something here?

I don't like this. Not one bit...