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One voice is notably absent, to me at least, from the debate over the Obama banking sector reforms: Willem Buiter's. If ever there was a moment for Buiter's unrivaled insight, especially on two topics he wrote so passionately about- bloated banks and central banking, it is now.

For those unfamiliar with Buiter, he's not dead. Rather, he assumed the Chief Economist position at Citigroup this month (he also remains at a little school Dave and I know something about), a move that forced him to end his influential blog at the FT called Maverecon. While he assured his readers that he would continue to speak out on the important issues of the day, he recognized his new position would in truth limit his ability to do so. Buiter once called his new employer 'a conglomeration of worst-practice from across the financial spectrum,' and I'm sure he sees his current role as a step towards fixing that. So it is not surprising that he is silent on an issue that affects the very foundation of the firm he now serves.

But it's a real shame.