Note that I'm not saying that the SEC should be in the biz of protecting folks from obvious fraud. However, once it has taken that as its job, it should be liable for failure to perform. Yes, I realize that increased govt liability might well lead to govt doing fewer things. I see doing fewer things badly as a good thing.

> After all, if the federal government could be held liable for every act of negligence it commits, the federal budget deficit would be at least twice as big as it is now. "It costs too much to pay for negligence" is not a defense when a private entity is involved. Yes, there is the supposed difference that I'm not forced to pay for GM's sins (oops, bad example) while I would be forced to pay for the SEC's, but paying for negligence is intended to reduce negiligence and compensate those injured. Since the SEC is "in my name", why should my inability to shirk that burden matter? If anything, govts should be more liable for negligence.

If we had an independent press, they could ask Dems who claim that Tea Party folk are violent, racists, and homophobes if that's why they endorsed a Democrat in Idaho. But we don't, so this looks like an own-goal.