Many Private Harms Caused By The Government Shutdown Are Due To Its Own Insistence On Meddling In Our Lives
” The government is so involved in our lives that even basic commerce—simply hiring people—is threatened by political jockeying. Democratic Sen. Harry Reid attacked Republicans as “anarchists” for bringing about the shutdown. Nothing could be further from anarchy than fishing boats sitting idle, waiting for a government functionary to give sailors permission to work. And yet, the common response is anger about the government shutdown, not anger about having to jump through so many hoops in the first place. Even before the shutdown, it would take months for the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau to approve permits for craft breweries.
Of course, should the crab fishers attempt business as usual, they would undoubtedly find that the parts of government that enforce the regulations are still working. The federal employees with the ability to punish are still on the job.
Such is often the case when municipal governments face cutbacks as well. Citizens may discover it can take months to navigate government bureaucracy and workers point the finger at staff cuts. But fail to jump through the hoops, like small businesses in non-functional Detroit have attempted, and the bureaucrats and enforcers will come to shut it down.
Government has cleverly made itself impossible to live without because officials have made it illegal for nearly any commerce to take place without its extensive permission structure. The ultimate consequence of such broad government intervention in all aspects of the economy reinforces the idea that we cannot shut down or cut back government, because the regulatory structures and laws still exist.”
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Tag Archive: Regulation
New York’s Petty War On Airbnb
“Huddled masses yearning to breathe free” isn’t the first phrase that comes to mind when describing tourists in 21st century New York City booking stays through Airbnb, the wildly popular website connecting residents wanting to pick up some extra cash with out-of-towners looking for cheap alternatives to a traditional hotel. Although the terms and conditions have changed, the commercial impulse is much the same. Take a twenty-something couple named Lauren and Rob, who asked that I not reveal their last names because of the legal issues surrounding Airbnb. They moved to the Big Apple to make it in showbiz. Struggling to make ends meet, they now cover about half the cost of their $2,250-a-month Manhattan apartment by renting out their living room couch for $65 a night.
But unlike New York of a century ago, when capitalist transactions between consenting adults were generally allowed, the government has been waging war on the short-term rental business. A new front just opened that might ultimately drive many of New York City’s roughly 15,000 resident users to quit Airbnb. Last Friday, New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman issued a subpoena demanding that the company hand over a spreadsheet listing all its hosts statewide, their addresses, the dates and durations of their bookings, and the revenue these bookings have generated. News of the subpoena was chilling for many of the people whose names will appear on that list because they’ve been using Airbnb in violation of the law (more on the legality of Airbnb in a moment). Seth, a Manhattan lawyer who started hosting short-term rentals of his Upper East Studio during a period when he was out of work, says he’ll probably quit as soon as his lease is up. “The subpoena is scary,” he says, fearing he’ll have to hire a lawyer and pay a big fine.”
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Ready-Fire-Aim Rulemaking
” The broadest evidence of a regulatory rush job on health care comes from the Mercatus Center’s Regulatory Report Card. The Regulatory Report Card evaluates the quality of the regulatory impact analysis federal agencies produce when they propose major regulations. A team of economics professors at universities around the country assesses how well the agency’s analysis identifies a widespread problem that a regulation might solve, considers a variety of alternative solutions, and assesses both the benefits and costs of alternative solutions.
Five major federal regulations established most of the rules for health insurance exchanges, and the highest-scoring regulation among them earns just 48 percent of the possible Report Card points—a solid “F.” The rest are worse.
Consider, for example, the regulation governing how the federal Office of Personnel Management will contract with insurers to create multi-state health plans to be offered on the insurance exchanges. Multi-state health plans could play a key role in promoting competition and portability, since insurers could draw customers from—and offer insurance in—all 50 states. For this reason, one would hope that regulators would conduct the regulatory impact analysis for this regulation with great care and consult it frequently as they wrote the regulation.
Americans are upset about the Affordable Care Act. They should be even more upset about a federal regulatory process that allows agencies to promulgate sweeping regulations in ignorance of key consequences.”
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” The Mercatus Policy Guide is intended to summarize and condense the best research available on the most pressing topics. It serves as a starting point for discussion, not a comprehensive overview of economic policy. Anyone who wants to go deeper into these studies should consult the references listed at the back. Mercatus scholars are available to further explain the results of their studies. We hope the guide will prove to be a valuable tool in your evaluation of economic policy.”
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People Who Have Been Trying To Control Your Life Since Reason Was Founded In 1968
” In 2003, to celebrate 35 years of publishing a monthly magazine dedicated to Free Minds and Free Markets, reasonnamed “35 Heroes of Freedom”—innovators, economists, singers, anti-communists, pornographers, professional athletes, and even the occasional politician who contributed to making the world a freer place since 1968.
These weren’t necessarily the 35 best human beings to span the globe. Richard Nixon, for example, was selected for encouraging “cynicism about government” through his rampant abuses of power. And, well, let’s say Dennis Rodman hasn’t aged particularly well. But the list reflected the happy, unpredictable cacophony that has helped liberate the world one novel or deregulation or electric guitar at a time.
Our 45th anniversary has come along at a darker time. The post-9/11 lurch toward unchecked law enforcement power has now become a permanent feature of our bipartisan consensus, with a Democratic president now ordering assassinations of American teenagers and with millions of Americans unaware that the feds are combing through their telecommunications. Keynesians in Washington responded to the financial crisis of 2008 by ushering in a lost decade of government spending, sluggish growth, and the worst employment numbers since Jimmy Carter was president. And after an initially promising Arab Spring, whole swaths of the Middle East seem poised for a long, sectarian, transnational war.
So it’s fitting that this time around we’re anointing reason’s 45 Enemies of Freedom. Again, these aren’t the worst human beings who bestrode the planet since 1968 (though Pol Pot and Osama bin Laden rank right down there). Some, like John McCain, are even genuine American heroes. What unites them is their active effort to control individuals rather than allow them free choice, to wield power recklessly rather than act on the recognition that the stuff inherently corrupts, and to popularize lies in a world that’s desperate for truth.
You’ll see some familiar names there (we can’t quit you, Tricky Dick!) and some others that deserve to be more notorious. But in our otherwise alphabetical list we’ll start with the man who nearly everyone on our staff nominated, a figure who embodies so much that is wrong with public policy and the political conversation in these United States.“
1. Michael Bloomberg
Click here to read the whole list
Click here to cast your own vote for the biggest enemies of freedom.
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Republican Governed States Crush Democrats in Economic Competitiveness Rankings
” Think it doesn’t make a difference if you’re in a blue or red state? On the contrary, my friend. Check this out from the Daily Caller:
Thirteen of the top 14 best states for business and economic competitiveness are led by Republican governors, according to the 2013 edition of an annual study by CNBC.”
Here are the top ten
- South Dakota (R/R)
- Texas (R/R)
- North Dakota (R/R)
- Nebraska (R/-)
- Utah (R/R)
- Virginia (R/R)
- Colorado (D/D)
- Georgia (R/R)
- Wyoming (R/R)
- Idaho (R/R)
Click the link to see the rest …
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New Taxes Penalize Gun Owners, Threaten Second Amendment
” Liberals are trying every tool at their disposal this year to go after guns. They have failed on Capitol Hill to restrict the Second Amendment, so they are moving through the states to enact their agenda. The latest maneuver is to hike the tax on guns and ammunition to dissuade the law-abiding from buying firearms. It’s the perfect storm of liberalism — more revenue for a bigger government and fewer people keeping and bearing arms.
President Obama’s hometown of Chicago started the movement late last year by enacting a $25 tax on new firearm purchases, which went into effect on April 1. Cook County stopped just short of adding a levy on ammunition.
In February, Rep. Linda T. Sanchez, California Democrat, and 26 of the most uber-liberals in the House introduced a bill to amend the Internal Revenue Code to create an excise tax of 10 percent on any concealable gun in order to empower Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. to establish a firearms buy-back grant program. Since the Newtown, Conn., school-shootings tragedy, anti-gun states across the nation have introduced similar measures.
A new bill in the House would prevent this infringement on the Second Amendment. Rep. Sam Graves introduced legislation on June 13 that would make it illegal for states and municipalities to raise taxes or fees on firearms and ammunition. The Missouri Republican’s proposal would also prevent raising taxes in order to pay for background checks. “The Constitution says ‘shall not infringe,’ ” Mr. Graves told me in an interview Thursday.
These costly measures disproportionately affect lower-income people, who often live in higher-crime areas. Along with other costly mandates, such as maintaining liability insurance, these restrictions would likely be overturned as unconstitutional by the courts.
“This is no different than a poll tax — but on the Second Amendment,” said Lawrence Keane, general counsel of the National Shooting Sports Foundation. “These anti-gun politicians are clearly trying to unduly burden the exercise of the Second Amendment by pricing firearms and ammunition out of reach of many law-abiding Americans. Mr. Graves’ bill will put a stop to these sinister schemes.”
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The Economic Situation June 2013
” The US economy is creating new wealth and growing employment, albeit at a slow pace. But uncertainty is the key word that describes the economic situation at mid-2013.There are major unknowns with respect to Fed policy, taxing and spending, the effects of the Affordable Care Act on employment, the implementation of Dodd-Frank financial reform, regulatory policy affecting the production of electricity, and the prospects for Europe’s recovery from an extended recession. Add to this pallid picture reductions in growth in China,India, and the developing world taking some of the edge off the global boom, which, in spite of that growth haircut, is still tugging away on America’s export growth.
With the closing of the books on the 2012 economy, real GDP growth registered 2.2 percent. But the current picture suggests we will be lucky to break 2.0 percent in 2013 and a bit more in 2014. This compares with the results of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia’s Livingston Survey in December 2012, which predicted 2.1 percent growth in 2013’s first half and 2.3 percent in the second half of the year. It will be a while before Livingston speak again, but right now, Economy.com’s dynamic GDP growth meter indicates the economy is expanding at 1.8 percent.
As Goldilocks might put it, “It’s not just right.” Not by a long shot. We can see images of the slowdown in the Institute of Supply Management’s indexes for the manufacturing and non-manufacturing (service) economies shown below. Both indexes are headed south of the border. Recall that 50 is the magic number that coincides with zero growth.”
” Now the bad news. Consider the next chart. It shows in nominal terms the level of federal receipts and expenditures for 1Q 1990 through 4Q 2012. Even with progress being made, there is a yawning gap waiting to be closed.
If the gap is to be closed, there is no doubt but that it will take more revenue and less spending. But when it comes to getting revenue, there is a never ending political debate regarding tax-rate fairness and which taxpayer income group, if any, should pay the higher or lower tax rate. (After all, there could be a flat tax.)There is hardly any discussion of revenues, which seems odd, to say the least.
But of course, there is reason to be concerned about fairness. People understandably rebel when they perceive they are being treated unfairly by government. (Consider the current IRS controversy.) But if revenues are the chief concern, then how much revenue is collected may be an equally important consideration when politicians talk about taxes.
Writing in 1924, treasury secretary Andrew W. Mellon said this about the political manipulation of rates:
I have never viewed taxation as a means of rewarding one class of taxpayers or punishing another. If such a point of view ever controls our public policy, the traditions of freedom, justice and equality of opportunity,which are the distinguishing characteristics of our American civilization, will have disappeared and in their place we shall have class legislation with all its attendant evils. The man who seeks to perpetuate prejudice and class hatred is doing America an ill service.
But why pay attention to the thoughts expressed by Andrew Mellon? Does he have credentials that command attention? Yes, indeed. As Secretary of Treasury during the Harding, Coolidge, and Hoover administrations, Mellon led a successful effort to reduce the size and debt of the federal government. In the earlier part of his government service, the nation was adjusting to a post–World War I environment, with lots of debt overhang. Sound familiar? His arguments about the relative merits of lower tax rates to produce higher revenues won the day. And he saw higher revenues when rates were reduced. He literally discovered the basis of what we now celebrate as the Laffer Curve. In all fairness, we should call it the Mellon-Laffer Curve.”
Read the whole thing for it’s glimmers of hope and dread .
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America Falls Behind In Creating Rich Entrepreneurs
” The creation myth of American wealth is almost always rooted in the entrepreneur.
It’s the two kids who start a computer company in their garage or dorm room. Or the former standup comic who creates form-shaping undergarments, or the South African immigrant who creates a new electric car and private space program.
But despite the high-profile examples, America may actually be falling behind the rest of the world when it comes to creating entrepreneurial wealth. A new study from Barclays, “Origins and Legacy: the Changing Order of Wealth Creation,” finds developing countries now lead the U.S. when comes to wealth creation by entrepreneurs.
So is America losing its entrepreneurial mojo? There is some evidence that entrepreneurial activity is flagging. The latest data from the Kauffman Foundation found that there were 514,000 new business owners a month in 2012, down from 543,000 in 2011. The 2012 numbers marked the lowest in five years.”
Another one for the Obama record books … killing the entrepreneurial spirit … all is proceeding as Alinsky planned .
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Photo: 20,000 Pages of Obamacare Regulations
” Late last week, Obamacare regulators added more than 800 pages to an ever-growing document that will govern your healthcare. The bureaucrats’ work product now prints out to 20,000 pages — nearly eight times the length of the infamous original bill:
That tower is already taller than Kobe Bryant (see update), and much of the law hasn’t even gone into effect yet. According to the Government Accountability Office, Obamacare is projected to add $6.2 trillion to the nation’s long-term deficits, despite presidential assurances that it wouldn’t add a “single dime” to our red ink:
Not one dime , but 58 trillion dimes … Good grief
See also :
And we wouldn’t want Fido to feel left out :
Obamacare May Bite You At The Vet’s Office
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Majority Says the Federal Government Threatens Their Personal Rights
As Barack Obama begins his second term in office, trust in the federal government remains mired near a historic low, while frustration with government remains high. And for the first time, a majority of the public says that the federal government threatens their personal rights and freedoms.
View original post 1,224 more words
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
“A business-backed group chaired by former Democratic Sen. Blanche Lincoln is decrying what it terms “a regulatory tidal wave” under the Obama administration.
The Small Businesses for Sensible Regulations Coalition issued this infographic, meant to illustrate the increasing number of notices, proposed rules and final rules published each day in the Federal Register.
“About 2,000 new or proposed regulations are entered into the federal register each month –a rate that the business community cannot keep up with,” according to the group.”
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32 Days Of Higher Gas Prices Comes At Tough Time
” That means that the average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline has increased more than 13% over that period to $3.73.
It’s hitting wallets right in the middle of winter, when people are already looking at large home heating bills. And it comes just after many Americans have been hit with smaller paychecks, and are worried about looming budget cuts that could deliver an even deeper blow.What’s behind the higher prices at the pump? It’s a confluence of factors, from rising crude oil prices, to production cuts and refinery closings.”
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- Gas Prices Jump 16 Cents a Gallon in Metro Orlando (hispanicbusiness.com)
- Economist: Gas prices will keep rising (wptv.com)
- Gas prices continue to rise in Chicago, nationwide (wgntv.com)
3D Printed Gun Parts Hit Road Blocks (and Why it Matters)
” As states like Colorado try to make manufacturing some magazines illegal, than legality must be a concern. But regulation is going to be complicated, if not impossible, when people begin printing magazines at home.
But it goes beyond legislation. After Sandy Hook, many people and corporate entities are distancing themselves from guns. There is the proposed sale of Freedom Group. Even firearms retailers pulled back from controversial guns.
Even Ebay is getting (more) skittish. They’re paranoid about the mention of “Assault Weapons” in any description. You can still sell a part that might fit more than one gun, but not if you mention assault weapons, or any of those taboo guns associated with assaults. Theirpolicy page now reads: “Accessories that fit a variety of different weapons, including assault weapons [can be posted]. But in your listing, you can’t mention any assault weapon compatibility.”
And Thingiverse, the online repository of printable projects associated with MakerBot printers, recently pulled the plans for an AR-15 lower, citing a violation of their service terms (you’re not allowed to store files that can be used to make weapons).
This has to be an expected setback for HaveBlue (aka Michael Guslick), the designer that posted the AR-15 plans. Similar things are happening to others. Cody Wilson and the team at Defense Distributed, for example, now seem to be spearheading the printed firearms movement. They have an SLA Printed 30 round AR magazine. The only thing that isn’t printed is the mainspring.”
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- Introducing Defense Distributor’s “Cuomo” AR Mag … DIY … With 3D Printing (youviewed.com)
- Gun Parts Purged from 3D Printing Database (storiesbywilliams.com)
- Print and fire: 3D printing could muzzle new gun laws (foxnews.com)
- FACT SHEET FOR LIBERAL IGNORAMUSES. We’ll speak slowly and avoid big words, I promise. (iowntheworld.com)
FACT CHECK: STATE OF THE UNION 2013
” President Barack Obama’s State of the Union address included few new or unexpected proposals, but many factually incorrect or misleading assertions. Here are the lowlights.
“Corporate profits have rocketed to all-time highs – but for more than a decade, wages and incomes have barely budged.” Wages and incomes may not always be the best measurement, because they leave out benefits, which have increased overall compensation over several decades. Regardless, Obama chose his timeframe carefully, because over the past four years, middle class income has actually declined.
“In 2011, Congress passed a law saying that if both parties couldn’t agree on a plan to reach our deficit goal, about a trillion dollars’ worth of budget cuts would automatically go into effect this year.” Obama is referring to the sequester. He omits the fact that he (or his White House) proposed the sequester, and he personally signed it, with the hope of using it to push Republicans into passing higher tax rates on high earners.
Illustration By Lisa Benson*
Editor’s Note: This cartoon is a bit out of date , but still pertinent , the debt according to the US Debt Clock now stands at $16,519,646,395,560 and climbing rapidly . Warning … It climbs so fast that my number is out of date as you read this .
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- Obama pledges to raise minimum wage in second term (euronews.com)
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WE NEED TO REGULATE CARS THE WAY WE REGULATE GUNS
” I keep hearing people say they want to regulate guns the way we regulate cars. They don’t really mean that, of course. What they mean is they want to make it
acceptable to find more ways to intrude on the right to keep and bear arms.
I propose instead, we regulate cars the way we regulate guns.
Let’s start:
To buy or operate a standard car, one will have to be 18 years old. Under that age, adult supervision will be mandatory. This means the adult must be in the vehicle with the underage driver. To buy a sports car, you will have to be
21.
A “Sports car” will be defined as any
combination of any two of the following: 2 doors instead of 4, spoked rims not requiring hubcaps, aerodynamic effects such as spoilers or air dams, a wheelbase under 100 inches, a manual
transmission, a curb weight under 3000 lbs, fiberglass or other non-metal construction, or painted logos. For every purchase, you will have to fill out a questionnaire confirming you’re a US citizen, do not use drugs or abuse alcohol, have never had a conviction for
alcohol related incidents or reckless
driving. Lying on this form will be
punishable by 10 years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine.
New cars will only be purchased from Federal Automobile Licensees who must provide fingerprints, proof of character, secure storage for all vehicles, and who must call the Federal Bureau of Motor
Vehicles to verify your information
before purchase. They may approve or decline or delay the sale. If they decline, you may appeal the decision in writing to
a review board. If they delay, it becomes an approval automatically after 10 days. However, the dealer may decline to complete such a sale in case of later problems. “
America’s Ranking in the 2013 Index of Economic Freedom
” When we talk about “economic freedom,” what do we mean—and why does it matter?
Economic freedom is the fundamental right of every human to control his or her own labor and property. In an economically free society, individuals are free to work, produce, consume, and invest in any way they please, with that freedom both protected by the state and unconstrained by the state.
Since reaching a global peak in 2008, sadly, economic freedom around the world has continued to stagnate.
What are the reasons for the worldwide sluggishness? As Ambassador Miller writes in The Wall Street Journal, “Particularly concerning are the rise of populist ‘democratic’ movements that use the coercive power of government to redistribute income and control economic activity.”
While “corrupt political and legal environments cause underdevelopment in poorer countries,” Miller writes, “unfortunately, economic favoritism and cronyism exist in advanced democracies, too.” Americans are well aware, and the overall U.S. score has been dropping since 2009. From 2009 to 2010, the U.S. declined from being a “free” economy to “mostly free.” This year, it ranks 10th in the world. “
So , economic freedom in the US has taken a downturn since 2009 . What came about in 2009 to cause our precipitous drop in the rankings ? Where will we being after four more years ?
” One reason for America’s lack of freedom is that its scores on regulatory efficiency—which include business freedom and labor freedom—have dropped. The editors point to the fact that “over 100 new major federal regulations have been imposed on business operations since early 2009 with annual costs of more than $46 billion.” ”
Surprise , surprise … Regulation is the culprit . Who would have guessed ?
” It is no exaggeration to blame the recent slowdown in economic liberalization around the world on the lack of U.S. leadership. Trade flows—the engine of world growth—have declined as the U.S. economy has stagnated. Protectionism threatens consumers and businesses with higher costs and restrictions in supply. Ill-conceived banking regulations such as the Dodd-Frank law generate uncertainty and anxiety. And investment freedom declines in the face of higher costs and new legal and tax liabilities such as those introduced by ObamaCare. These misguided U.S. policies hurt Americans first, but others feel the harm as well. “
Lack of leadership in the ” Leader of the Free World ” is very costly , not just to Americans but to all the citizens of the world .
” Launched in 1995, the Index evaluates countries in four broad areas of economic freedom: rule of law; regulatory efficiency; limited government; and open markets. Based on an aggregate score, each of 177 countries graded in the 2013 Index was classified as “free,” “mostly free,” “moderately free,” “mostly unfree,” or “repressed.”
The broader areas are broken down into 10 measures: property rights, freedom from corruption, fiscal freedom, government spending, business freedom, labor freedom, monetary freedom, trade freedom, investment freedom, and financial freedom.
The New Website
The updated website, launched today, is interactive:
- Compare up to three countries of your choice on all 10 measures of economic freedom with an interactive, color-coded chart feature.
- See a colorful heat map of the spread of economic freedom around the world, or select a specific region.
Each country’s profile includes quick facts such as its population, gross domestic product (GDP), unemployment rate, and the amount of foreign investment flowing into the country—and you can embed this data in your blog or website.
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As 2d Term Looms, Obama’s Hope and Change Become Fear and Gloom
” Faced with the prospect of 1,478 more days of empty Obama promises and speeches, at least half of Americans have now decided that America’s best days are behind us. While whopping majorities expect this year’s economy will remain troubled. That federal deficits will continue. That crime will increase. Taxes too. Along with foreign turmoil. While America’s influence and power decline globally.
Good thing these geniuses voted to return the Chicago crowd to the White House to handle all this. Again.
The post-New Year’s Gallup survey finds that less than half the population (47%) now believes the country’s best days lie ahead. Optimism about the future of the United States has been a standard popular expectation for many years and a staple of political discourse. Remember Ronald Reagan’s “Morning in America”? But half the country is sure those days are as far gone now as Obama’s promises of 2008.
A majority of independents (55%) are convinced the best is past, while three-out-of-four Republicans agree on that gloomy outlook. (Scroll down for an effective political video capturing that sense.)
Sixty-nine percent of Democrats, however, are sure the nation’s best days lie ahead, possibly due to mental damage from previous drug use. While only 28% of Dems agree with independents and the GOP.
By a nearly two-to-one margin Americans are certain that 2013 will see 12 months of economic troubles. That seems like a pretty safe expectation since that’s what we’ve had for four years of this administration, despite $800 billion-plus in wasted economic stimulus. Call it Obama Continuity. “
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‘Richard Windsor’ departure from EPA is
a victory for transparency
” Lisa Jackson’s forthcoming departure from
the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is
a major victory for transparency and
accountability in Washington.
After years of whispers that EPA officials
frequently used private email addresses,
fake names and coded messages to
circumvent the Freedom of Information Act,
or FOIA, Jackson admitted recently to using
“Richard Windsor” as her chosen nom de
plume on a government email account. ”
” The EPA IG could hardly do otherwise. The
use of private or secret emails enables high
government muckety-mucks like Jackson to
hide things about which they don’t want the
rest of us to know. But we don’t need an
investigation to know officials have been
hiding bad things within the EPA for a very
long time.”
Obama Releases First Part Of New Regulatory Agenda, Drawing Criticism From Supporters, Critics
” The Obama administration this weekend released the first major part if its second-term regulatory agenda, an initiative costing as much as $350 million targeting fossil-burning boilers and incinerators that critics says hits companies already struggling in a tough economy.
The Environmental Protection Agency regulations released late Friday attempt to improve Americans’ health by reducing soot from the industrial boilers and incinerators.
The agency estimates the cost of implementing the new standards will cost $53 million to $350 million. “
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ELECTION OVER, ADMINISTRATION UNLEASHES NEW RULES
” WASHINGTON (AP) — While the “fiscal cliff” of looming tax increases and spending cuts dominates political conversation in Washington, some Republicans and business groups see signs of a “regulatory cliff” that they say could be just as damaging to the economy.
For months, federal agencies and the White House have sidetracked dozens of major regulations that cover everything from power plant pollution to workplace safety to a crackdown on Wall Street.
The rules had been largely put on hold during the presidential campaign as the White House sought to quiet Republican charges that President Barack Obama was an overzealous regulator who is killing U.S. jobs.
But since the election, the Obama administration has quietly reopened the regulations pipeline.”
Illustration By Steve Rustad
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