Value of Information

In an interview today National Public Radio reported on home construction data that the U.S. Commerce Department had been reporting erroneously for ten years. Not a sexy topic, but read on, since it addresses the whole subject of why we bother to collect data, and whether we need to spend more of our tax dollars in that effort.

Today’s post by Michael Arrington of “TechCrunch,” is on Newt Gingrich’s call for the repeal of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Often referred to as “SOx,” this law was enacted in 2002 in the wake of some sensational accounting scandals, to ensure stricter compliance with accounting standards by U.S. public companies. Very eloquently, Gingrich asserts that SOx has accomplished very little at very great expense.