February 8, 2012
The company my husband had worked for the past twenty years went out of business just after the crash of 2008 .. our family has been struggling ever since.
While doing a little research on the internet .. I discovered that while the entire world GDP amounts to between 63 and 64 trillion dollars .. .. the OTC (over the counter) derivatives market now tops out at over $680 trillion. Surely this alone is justification enough to reinstate regulation on the banks who caused the crash of 2008.
I'm writing in support of a strong "Volcker Rule." My family and I were
affected by the economic collapse of 2008, and we don't want it to happen again. We need you to write a final rule that accomplishes the fundamental goals of
the law: separating risky proprietary trading from the traditional business
functions of banking institutions, banning proprietary trading at "too big to
fail" banks, reducing the risk that financial market gambles present to the
safety of our whole financial system, and stopping conflicts of interest like
those that saw Wall Street firms selling their customers deals they
had designed to fail.
It is important to not let the rule be undermined by exemptions or exceptions.
The Dodd Frank Act instructs you to make sure that the activities big banks
are permitted to engage in do not create the risk of another financial crisis.
Accomplishing this requires changes to current business practices on
Wall Street. I urge you not to be swayed by financial industry interest in
protecting a status quo that has benefited them and put the rest of us at risk.
It is also important that banks that break the rules should face real penalties
for violations. Violations of the "Volcker Rule" will endanger the stability of
our financial system. They should not be treated lightly.
Thank you for considering my views.