Reply #2: er.... what regulators let alone overreaching ones?

[salin]

yet folks are still gambling on the stock market like there is no tomorrow. For a minute, after the second round of implosions, it appeared that the public "got" the problem. Earnings reports that have so many gimmicks in them that are almost impossible to understand, are absolutely meaningless. With no meaning, there is no real way to judge investing in x company over y company. A complete crap shoot. There is also no incentive for the gimmickery to stop - and thus making sound long-term business planning decisions that may divert some earnings into reinvestment - is more likely to be viewed as frivolous - as it doesn't help the quarterly earnings report. *sigh*