Kadoka High School

Kadoka, South Dakota

Teacher:  Teresa Shuck

Government As Regulator

By:  Lucas Mayfield

11^th grade

Does our world in this day and age need more regulation or less regulation? That is one of the questions most often used.  Governments roles should be easy to follow and easy to use. That is not the fact; most government regulators do not have and easy job.  They try to make all of there decisions equal for everyone.  The government’s roles should help everyone out. There is already enough regulation in this world to tell you the truth.

Government regulation is needed in this world because we need boundaries to function. Not all people follow the rules and they might get themselves in trouble.  Also, just because the government can put a regulation on something doesn’t mean they have too.  If they don’t get enough information to support whatever they are trying to regulate then they can’t really do any thing about it.  If they do get enough information I think they should look it over and see if they are really doing any good to this world as they think they might be doing.  Government regulation is needed in some parts though to make us all happy.

One example of legitimate regulation is having good airline security.  It may bother people if they are put into a room and have there stuff searched but in the long run it is a lot better than having a airplane blow up right in your eyes.  We need the extra security on planes. All the people that weren’t scared to ride on planes are probably petrified to ride on them now. So if we have the security then we should not be scared to ride on an airplane. 

Another example of legitimate is education.  It’s a fact that kids need to go to school to get a good education.  If kids get a good education they are probably going to go a long ways in the world.  Most people that have a good paying job and are making a good living in the world today have gone through the pain and agony of education.  Education is a good thing for everybody to have. 

Another legitimate regulation is being able to buy tobacco products when you are 18.  Since most kids that go to school are not 18 till their senior year, this helps out the schools in keeping it out of the hands of the younger kids. Besides people shouldn’t use tobacco if they are that young any ways. They should be able to be responsible enough to understand that you can only use those products when you turn the legal age.

An example of unnecessary regulation is having to drive with your parents for the first six months when you get your drivers license.  When you turn 14 you should be responsible enough to drive by yourself.  It should be the first responsibility you take.  I think that kids that want their license at the age of 14 should be able to drive without a parent.  The extra six months that they have to drive with their parents is nonsense. 

Another example of unnecessary regulation is not being able to skateboard on the streets.  What is wrong with skateboarding on the streets?  Most people who skateboard on the streets are good and some people like to watch them skateboard.  It’s not a bad thing and the skateboarders do no harm to the humans. Sometimes accidents do happen but you need to look beyond that because it’s a sport just like basketball and you still let them play basketball on the streets. 

Another example of unnecessary regulation is having to be required to wear a seatbelt.  It’s your decision if you want to wear your seatbelt or not.  If you get in a wreck it’s nice to have one on but most people don’t like to wear them at all.  You shouldn’t be required to wear a seatbelt.  It’s your decision weather you want to wear it or not.  Most people wear their seatbelt when they are on the interstate and most don’t recognize it.  It should not be required because it’s your decision weather you want to risk your life or not.

The people of the United States should have a say in some of this.  We should get to vote for some of these laws the government throws out to us.  We should all get an equal vote for all of this.  We are the people that have to deal with these so we should be the people who get to vote and make the laws.

There is too much regulation in the world today.  We are run over by laws every day in our lives.  The government does not need to put us through some of the laws that are not necessary.  In the world we should all have equal amounts of freedom and those keep changing almost everyday.  There is too much regulation in the U.S. today and we should cut back on some of the unnecessary regulations that are in the world today.

Q1.     What is the only way to prevent hijackers from gaining control of an airplane according

to the unknown author?

Answer:  The only way to prevent hijackers from gaining control of and airplane according to the unknown author is to harden the cockpit.

Q2.      What are the arguments given by lobbyists for the Bells in favor of HR 1542 (Tauzin-Dingell Bill) and arguments given by their opponents against this legislation?
CQ May 5 p 1012

Answer:  The arguments given by the lobbyists for the Bells in favor of HR-1542 (tauzin- Dingell Bill) is the way data is transmitted over long distances and how independent phone companies can connect        to regional bell companies’ local networks and arguments given bye their opponents against this legislation are that lots of people are interested in it and would like to have it.

Q3.      Why do small-business groups like HR 1831? From the small amount of information presented in your required reading, do you think the legislation is a good idea? Why?
CQ May 19 p. 1161

Answer:  Small-business groups like HR 1831 because it would protect businesses that discard less than 110 gallons of liquid waste or less than 200 pounds of solid, non-hazardous waste at a superfund site.  The measure is aimed at protecting businesses that have not significantly harmed the environment from being sued by large polluters that want to recover some of their government-mandated cleanup costs.  I think that the legislation is a good idea because it protects the small businesses by giving them a superfund site to dump the wastes.  More businesses will eventually follow this legislation and pretty soon all the businesses will have a safe place for dumping the wastes.  This will save the land and limit the pollution.

Q4.      Give an argument in favor of government regulating activities such as roller blading and bungee jumping.
Governing, March 1993 p 23

Answer:  Roller-blading and bungee jumping are very good activities. Roller-blading is a good way to get a lot of exercise and it helps a person get to places faster if they don’t have a vehicle. Bungee jumping helps a person over come fears. It is a great activity and should stay going.

Q5.      Define a “burden hour.”
CQ ‘April 28 p. 896

Answer:  Burden hours are when a person does paper work during the amount of time that a person is required to do so.

Q6a.    Graham is a proponent of “risk analysis.”  How is risk analysis defined on page 992 of the May 5, 2001 issue of Congressional Quarterly Weekly?

Answer:  Risk analysis is defined: It calculates the likelihood of hazard against the costs and benefits of preventing it.

Q6b.    Who was the first president to order federal agencies to weigh potential costs and benefits when writing a rule?
CQ May5 2001 p 993

Answer:  John D. Graham is the president to order federal agencies to weigh potential costs and benefits when writing a rule.

Q6.      How much would compliance with OSHA’s regulations to limit injuries or disabilities from performing repetitive tasks cost according to an estimate by business groups as reported in the 2000 CQ Almanac?   What was the response of OSHA and Labor Department officials? 
CQ Almanac p 2-111

Answer:  Compliance with OSHA’s regulations to limit injuries or disabilities from performing repetitive tasks would cost an estimated $14 billion to $80 billion a year.  They say that while costing employers $4.2 billion annually, the rule would also save them $9 billion a year in lost productivity.

Q7.      What was the makeup of the “iron triangle” during the Reagan years and what do environmentalists and consumer activists foresee as its composition in the current Bush administration?
CQ May 5 p 990

Answer:  The “iron triangle” during the Reagan years was an unbreakable alliance among Democratic committee chairmen, agency officials and interest groups that worked in concert to achieve common goals, whether it was funding for special projects or protecting specific constituencies.  Environmentalists and consumer activists foresee the formation of a new triad composed of industry officials, the White House and GOP committee chairmen, that leaves them out of the picture. 

Q8.      Name 5 actions of the Bush administration that have drawn criticism from Environmentalists.
CQ May 5, 2001 p. 994 and 995

Answer:  Five actions of the Bush administration that have drawn criticism are as follows:

1.)        Bush signed legislation to kill a Clinton ergonomics rule opposed by many major business groups. 

2.)        He also signaled his intention to reverse or revise Clinton regulations.

3.)        Bush went back on a campaign pledge to regulate carbon dioxide.

4.)        He rejected  the Kyoto Protocol on global warming.  

5.)        Bush also stirred up great public criticism by reversing a Clinton rule to reduce the levels of arsenic in drinking water.

Q9.      What did the executive order issued by Ronald Reagan in 1981 and still in effect today, requires agencies to prove before new regulations were enacted? How did the Democratic House counter in 1986?
CQ May 5, 2001 p. 995

Answer:  The executive order issued by Ronald Reagan in 1981 requires agencies to prove that a regulation’s benefits would “outweigh” its costs, before new regulations were enacted.  In 1986, the Democratic House forced a showdown by deleting funds for OMB’s regulatory division from the fiscal 1987 budget.           

Q10.    On the average, how long does it take to build an airport?  A highway?
CQ May 19, 2001 p 1163

Answer:  On an average it takes 15 years to build and airplane. The average number of years for a highway is 12.

Q11.    Discuss the pros and cons of licensing requirements.
Wall Street Journal June 18, 1993

Answer:  Many people are in favor of certain licensing requirements, people are against certain licensing requirements also.  The people in favor think that it is right to license young businesses to keep them from unreasonable barriers and from starting.  This would let the small business know what it's like to be licensed for starting a business.  It gives all the other businesses a fair chance.  The people against the licensing requirements think that it's wrong to tax a young business. This will eliminate all the small businesses and allow the big businesses to do all the work and business.  This will keep less confusion and business simpler with only having to deal with a few businesses instead of a lot of them.

Q12.    Discuss the pros and cons of master plans and planning departments.
Taking A Stand On Regulation pp 80-82

Answer:  Many people have different opinions about master plans and planning departments. By making plans the planning departments can make money and we can get better facilities out of the deal.  It's a win-win situation they think.  However, those people against the master plans and planning departments say that it makes a mess with old buildings and the construction of the new buildings.  This is an inconvenience for all people that are around the area.  The process of building pollutes the world and disturbs the public with all the noise.

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