In The Financial System We Have Today,

We Have Parts Of Our System Which Are Overwhelmed By Regulation. It Wasn't The Absence Of Regulation That Was The Problem. It Was Despite The Presence Of Regulation You Got Huge Risks Built Up.

Some Think That By Preparing To Deal With Crises You Make Them More Likely. I Think The Wiser Judgment Is The Contrary. In This Area At Least, If You Want Peace Or Stability, It's Better To Prepare For War Or Instability

The Rest Of The World Needs The U.s. Economy And Financial System To Recover In Order For It To Revive. We Remain At The Center Of Global Economic Activity With Financial And Trade Ties To Every Region Of The Globe.

The World Is Likely To View Any Temporary Extension Of The Income Tax Cuts For The Top Two Percent As A Prelude To A Long-term Or Permanent Extension, And That Would Hurt Economic Recovery As Well By Undermining Confidence That We're Prepared To Make A Commitment Today To Bring Down Our Future Deficits.

The Recognition That Things That Are Not Sustainable Will Eventually Come To An End Does Not Give Us Much Of A Guide To Whether The Transition Will Be Calm Or Exciting.