What Is Created By Gubment?

"The guiding purpose of the government regulator is to prevent rather than to create something."

Alan Greenspan

Gubment doesn't create anything - not jobs, not economic activity, not wealth.

But it can go a long way toward PREVENTING all those things from being created by a free market economy.

How? The easiest way is crushing gubment regulation. When

• oil companies cannot drill (or drill where there is oil),
• banks have to lend or have to lend in certain ways contrary to long-held banking practices,
• the general populace has to hire accountants to do their taxes so they don't get into trouble from making a mistake,
• cars cannot be produced without using certain materials and meet certain weight criteria,
• a dog cannot spend a night in a kennel without a multiplicity of shots not needed even a short time ago...

Certainly this could go on and on, and get more and more micro. I just received our new "rules" for use of the neighborhood pool this summer. The rules now encompass 8 pages - last year's manual was only 6 1/2. This is new - in addition to showing our neighborhood pool pass, we are now required to show a valid photo ID proving that we live in the neighborhood. AND LEAVE IT WITH THE GUARDS ON DUTY! Oh, and if we forget our neighborhood pass at the end of the day, it will be returned for a $25 fee. What?

Can you spell m-o-n-e-y-g-r-a-b boys and girls?

I wrote the HOA nazis - if they think I will be leaving my driver's license with a group of 14 year olds at a table at the door to the pool, they can think again. I haven't heard back and don't expect to. I must conform!

I was shocked last summer to learn that my dog needed a flu shot (a flu shot!?) or could not spend any time in the kennel.

What's the problem with protecting my dog and everyone else's? These very, very micro edicts cost and cost and cost. And for what benefit? My dog has never had the flu. I have never heard of a dog that has had the flu. But the kennel told me there was an epidemic in some state not near here and that our County came down with the new regulation. That regulation probably prevents more economic activity than it promotes dog "health." Who does it benefit? The vet, the kennel, and no doubt the County that takes their portion of the fee. But my dog?

I DON'T EVEN GET A FLU SHOT FOR ME, NEVER HAVE AND DON'T REMEMBER THE LAST TIME I HAD THE FLU!

And so it goes. Regulations and regulations, tens of thousands of pages designed to "prevent rather than to create something."

Updated 28 Dec 2011, tens of thousands of pages of regulation were added to the Federal Register regarding the importation of shredded lettuce just from Egypt! There were already tens of thousands of pages! As a tax-paying citizen, how many people do I employ writing and managing regulations to keep me safe from shredded Egyptian lettuce?

If you think that is creating anything viable and ongoing, except the growth of gubment, think again.