How much doesn't get done because we have too many rules?
One of my wierd habits is browsing bash.org, which even though I don't know that much about computers I find entertaining. Today I happened upon this, which made me think: how many people would be productive in "RL" (real life), but aren't, simply because there are too many rules?
Obviously such people are lazier than they should be, but there's a spectrum of laziness among humanity, and the harder it is to do something the further up the spectrum the line distinguishing between who does do something and who doesn't moves. Furthermore, those people who do choose to be productive in a difficult environment will be less productive because they must deal with those rules.
It's a question that bears extrapolating to other arenas. How many drugs aren't developed because of the FDA's silly and cruel (to animals) regulations? How many inventions aren't invented because high taxes make it too hard to get the capital to invent them? How many businesses aren't founded because the goods they deal in are pointlessly illegal or simply difficult to obtain?
When anything goes wrong in the business world, the solution of both the left and the right is to impose more rules, ignoring the fact that things like Enron wouldn't have happened had there not been regulations for those companies to play with. They need to take away rules to let the free market rule.
Obviously such people are lazier than they should be, but there's a spectrum of laziness among humanity, and the harder it is to do something the further up the spectrum the line distinguishing between who does do something and who doesn't moves. Furthermore, those people who do choose to be productive in a difficult environment will be less productive because they must deal with those rules.
It's a question that bears extrapolating to other arenas. How many drugs aren't developed because of the FDA's silly and cruel (to animals) regulations? How many inventions aren't invented because high taxes make it too hard to get the capital to invent them? How many businesses aren't founded because the goods they deal in are pointlessly illegal or simply difficult to obtain?
When anything goes wrong in the business world, the solution of both the left and the right is to impose more rules, ignoring the fact that things like Enron wouldn't have happened had there not been regulations for those companies to play with. They need to take away rules to let the free market rule.
2 Comments:
You are correct, however it will never happen here in our formerly free country
yeah, totally. I mean, the FDA dosen't do anything. Neither do regulations. I remeber the good old days of union wars and strikes with fond memories, when I could come home and eat my reprocessed pig feet while I choked on my nicotine laced coke-a-cola. Seriously, regulations are there so that, when a company does become big, they don't fuck the consumer up. You remember when america tried this before in the early 1900's and before. You might argue the conterpoint that the information gap has been lowered, but just because the internet was invented doesn't mean it's gone. If someone's not there watching, problems WILL occur and people WILL be hurt. Plus, I don't understand you're jibe at the FDA's "cruel" regulations about animals. Would you rather that rabit sacrifice it's life or a close member of you're family not yourself?
And also inventions. The government often gives tax credits( like, say, the Energy Efficiency Tax Credit) that helps people who have the spark of invention.
All that being said, there is a problem with an excess in beuracracy . It could be streamlined a little bit, but the real problem is lobyists and uniformed lawmakers. There's a tipping point though, when the law becomes two lax.
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