The large number of rules lifted by federal, state and local governments in response to this pandemic reveals the sad reality that many regulations serve little to no good public purpose. Hopefully, people will realize how counterproductive these rules were and will not allow them to be reinstated after the crisis is over. In the end, we’ll all be freer and safer.
– Veronique de Rugy (Ph.D, senior researcher at Mercatus Center at George Mason University, blogger, writer)
It is AMAZING, during this emergency, how much of our regulatory regime has been seen and noted as being in the way rather than helpful. In fact, like with the example of distilleries trying to change their production lines to produce hand sanitizers, the regulations turn out to be the problem and gunk up the process of getting to solutions. Look at how fast innovators are coming up with solutions for facemask shortages – from home sewers to 3-D printing. Look at how fast Big Pharma (for as much as many knock them around) came up with testing solutions (with testing times starting in days to hours to now a mere handful of minutes) – perhaps the FDA / CDC “fast tracking” should become the norm instead of the exception.
And look at what the ATF did – allowed gun stores to eliminate the risk of contamination in the selling process to “drive-in” transactions. No, for the folks like NH State “Assault” Rep Katherine Rogers who aren’t keeping up, all of the normal paperwork and checks are still in place but the financial and material transactions mean no one has to be in a confined space.
Better, and taking advantage of the LARGER food supply change, that restaurants are being allowed, in some locals, to curb-side sell their stock as specialty grocery stores. That took some thinking outside the box AND having local government go “yeah, not a bad idea at all right now” and waiving ordinances and regulations.
A Free Country means a Free Citizenry. Slowly, one regulation at a time, Freedom has been reduced in all kinds of areas of our lives. If nothing else, “good enough”, even if not meeting all of the regs that have been put up over the decades that were supposed to keep us “safe” from ourselves, is better than “government perfection”.
Hey, did I just create a new oxymoron? Always remember:
The Bigger the Government, the smaller the citizen
