The Cost of Excess Government
The Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy estimates that it costs Americans $1.75 trillion to comply with federal regulations each year. To put $1.75 trillion into perspective, that amount is larger than all but eight economies in the world. It also means that over 10% of the U.S. economy is spent on trying to satisfy rules issued by Washington bureaucrats. That doesn’t even include federal, state, and local taxes.
This heavy regulatory burden diverts resources from innovation to compliance, discourages business investment, and chills job creation. It is no accident that as Washington adds new regulations, more and more Americans are unemployed and underemployed.
From 2003 to 2010, agencies did not publish Notices of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRMs) for approximately 35% of rules with a cost of $100 million or more. This number has nearly doubled since 1998. NPRMs alert the public that the agency is considering a regulation, gives the public the opportunity to comment on the proposed regulation, and allows the agency to use public input to revise the regulation. GAO found that when agencies consider public input while drafting legislation, the regulations are often improved and cost less.
Elected leaders need to carefully consider the costs and negative unintended consequences of unnecessary federal regulations. They need to remember that real people must comply with these regulations and that making them overly burdensome stifles American growth.
Sen. Ron Johnson’s (WI) shares these real-life stories of intrusive, arrogant and abusive federal regulations and how they affect the lives of Americans.
Victims of Government:
Does Dry Desert Land Fall under the Clean Water Act?
Steve’s Story
Alaska’s King Cove
The Department of the Interior believes a perceived risk to birds is more important than a very real threat to human lives:
The Department of Interior decision to prohibit a road between King Cove and Cold Bay 25 miles away has ired Alaska’s politicians, who made remarks after the decision.
Governor Parnell expressed deep frustration with the USFWS decision, saying , “I cannot fathom why the Fish and Wildlife Service prioritized a perceived risk to birds over an existing threat to human life,” Governor Parnell said. “After years of good faith efforts by the State of Alaska, the Alaska Legislature, the Aleutians East Borough, the City of King Cove, the King Cove Corporation, the Agdaagux Tribe, the Belkofski Tribe, and local residents to work with the federal government, the USFWS chose to deny King Cove residents access to basic services, like all-weather medical evacuation.”
Actually I think that when someone applies for a government job they are asked if they know how to use common sense….if they say no, then they are hired. But then the EPA & other government agencies have been running amok for decades ruining people’s lives by ruling capriciously what they can do with their own property (which we all know doesn’t belong to them- just try not paying property taxes for a few years & see how long you own it).
All good examples of the abuse and over-reach of an out of control and largely unaccountable federal government. The EPA is one of the most efficient destroyers of economic growth and jobs in this country. They create many regulations of questionable or no real value to the American people, with no concern for the economic cost and impact on the lives of the people they touch.
Yes, that is our federal government. regulate a waterway that doesn’t exist and punish the landowner. But what about the lack of government responsibility when it comes to frac sand mining? Landowners next to or near mining and processing operations are being ignored. They are subject to noise (sometimes 24 hours a day), air pollution, reduced land values, excessive traffic that damages roads and creates unsafe traffic levels. Wells are failing, wildlife is affected and the lakes, rivers and streams are being polluted. Government bureaucracy is out of control. Common sense is obviously not a part of their job description.
All too often government regulation is about control rather than positive results. That is why the government that governs least is best for the people.
What has happened to old fashioned “Common Sense”?