Regulations kept one 11-year old from selling mistletoe last Christmas in a Washington park where marijuana was freely sold, children attempting to sell lemonade are told to get licenses, the Federal Railroad Administration mandated an “F” be painted on trains so people would be properly advised as to where the front is. More serious regulations are forcing the closure of coal plants, significantly raising the costs of electricity, some regulations will prohibit private businesses from moving to right-to-work states and the regulation of water will now include something as insignificant as a puddle or a ditch.

In addition to robbing us of our freedoms, regulations are very costly.

Regulations are a government cash cow and the bane of free enterprise and entrepreneurs. They are a major funding source along with taxation and the printing of money. They fill government coffers with money from lower-level governments and small businesses with fees generated by these burdensome regulations. They are growing exponentially each year.

During the 2012 presidential campaign, President Obama recognized over-regulation as a problem that needed to be addressed, but the problem continues, though this year it’s growing at a slightly slower pace.

Keep in mind that regulations are almost never rescinded.

Each year the Competitive Enterprise Institute publishes an annual report on how the federal regulatory state is doing. It’s an eye opener.

According to this years report, the total cost of meeting the feds regulatory demands reached more than $1.8 trillion in 2012, more than half of all government spending. It’s more than the GDP’s of Canada and Mexico combined.

The federal government is adding a new regulation at the rate of one every 2 hours and 48 minutes. This year alone, there will be about 72,591 pages of regulations added to the Federal Register. The total estimated compliance costs of 2014’s economically significant regulations currently ranges from $1.64 billion to $2.01 billion. They also affect several billion dollars of government spending.

It’s almost impossible or maybe it is impossible for businesses to operate without breaking the law. If the government wants to close down a business, any business, at any time, there is a regulation to cover it.

There aren’t enough controls over abusive or incompetent regulators and it’s virtually impossible to fire them. There is little recourse to fight it and you need a lot of money to do it. No one ever attempts to remove dated or useless regulations.

Democrats are the party of regulation, it complements their totalitarian perspective. Keep it in mind this November.

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