Look, I get why people are worried about insider trading. It's a real problem. But banning all stock trading for public officials is throwing the baby out with the bathwater. We already have laws against insider trading. The issue isn't that they're trading stocks—it's that they're trading on non-public information. Enforce the existing rules better, don't punish everyone. Plus, think about who we're gonna attract to public service. If you're a successful person with investments, you'd have to liquidate everything just to run for office. That's a huge barrier. We want experienced people in government, not just career politicians or folks with nothing to lose. And blind trusts exist. They work. Let officials put their money in those and focus on the actual violations.

Alright, let's be real here—this whole "ban them from trading" thing sounds good in theory, but it's a mess in practice. You can't just pretend that forcing someone to sell everything they own is a small ask. It's a massive financial hit. And for what? To fix a problem we already have laws for. Look, I'm all for stopping insider trading. I'm not against ethics rules. But the answer isn't a blanket ban—it's enforcement. We need better oversight, maybe real-time disclosure, and actual penalties when someone breaks the rules. That targets the bad actors without punishing everyone else. And here's the thing: blind trusts already do exactly what you want. Officials can put their assets in one and they don't know what's being traded. So the fix exists. Let's use it instead of making government even less appealing to normal people with careers.

I hear you on the lost trust, I really do. But here's the thing—banning stock trading won't magically restore that trust. It's a symbolic gesture that avoids the real work of fixing enforcement. We've got insider trading laws on the books. The problem is nobody gets punished. So instead of a ban that hurts everyone, why not push for actual prosecutions? Real consequences would do way more for trust than a blanket rule that just makes it harder for qualified people to serve. And honestly, blind trusts are the middle ground here. They let officials keep their wealth without knowing what's being traded. That's not a loophole, it's a solution. We don't need to tear down the whole system when we've already got tools that work. Let's use them.