I have a brother that works for a major Bank. He calls the regulations on the banks as Cost of Doing Business. He does not care. They have to provide a floor for Federal Auditors that monitor thier bank all the time. The cost of the floor is not paid for by the Federal government but paid for by the bank. So the Bank is charged for office space that federal employees use to do their job. Too bad they could not charge the Federal government for the floor space they have to give up to them or the cost of electricity and heat to keep the space habitable. It is just another burden on the business. as my brother says it is the Cost of doing Business.

Historically any congress can affect the economy by its actions in 18 to 24 months. What policies they put in process will affect the economy. SOmetimes can take longer. Regulations can be a big factor affecting the Economy. YOu can not regulate an economy into success but you can Regulate the economy into a recesson or even a Depression. FDR regulations and new deal Programs extended the depression a decade longer than it need to be. So what congress does does matter. And the president by the policies he pushes can affect the economy. More regulations from EPA to shut down sectors of the economy can hurt everyones pocket book. But Al Gore must love it because he wants $5/gal gas. And that in 90's Dollars.