I wasn't planning to comment on President Obama's promise to "root out regulations that conflict, that are not worth the cost, or that are just plain dumb" because there's no point in debunking such outright hokum. If there's anybody alive who believes Barack Obama can be a deregulator, he probably shouldn't be let out of the house. But maybe there is value in stating the obvious:
Sounds rather subjective, though, don't you think? How do we gauge excessive regulation in the Age of Obama? I can't recall a single federal program, piece of legislation, or proposal in the past two years that was initiated to ease the burden on consumers or businesses. (If you know of any, please send specifics to sorry@dowelooklikesuckers.com.)
[. . .]
When Obama was in a place of political comfort, the free market was a place of unhinged self-interest, unfairness, and misery. Nearly all of our troubles were portrayed as a case of regulatory neglect—and nearly every dilemma was met accordingly.
Nothing's changed but the political conditions.
