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To: Sandy who wrote (2281)	2/21/1999 11:23:00 PM
From: Toby Zidle	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 17683

Sandy wrote: What about these guys preaching the dangers of online investing and worrying about its effects on the market. It wasn't us "little guys", as they like to say, who caused the October panic. What's being done to prevent that from happening again? Probably nothing. So what _should_ be done? Probably nothing! Much as I might disagree with the substance of what the 'big guys' said in October, I do NOT want to see the government regulate it. If the bears get regulated, the bulls soon will be regulated. If the big guys are regulated, the little guys will be also. If the analysts can't predict an October panic, the message boards won't be able to predict a November recovery. Soon you'd have to be a registered investment advisor just to be able to talk about specific stocks. Some of those are the last people I'd want to have guide my investing. As to what to do, fraud was and is fraud. Enforce the existing laws against fraud if a willful intent to deceive can be proved. We don't need new regulation. As you see now, any statement from a company these days contains a "Safe Harbor" statement to try to ward off potential litigation. Fraud is fraud, but reasonable comment and projection should not be a basis for lawsuit. Just because a person loses $3 a share is no reason to sue a company for its 'responsibility' in the matter. It's a total disgrace to see how much of our corporate assets are squandered defending against frivolous litigation and enriching plaintiffs' lawyers. So what should be done to the guys whose words caused the October panic? Nothing!