Rockridge High School
Taylor
Ridge, IL
Teacher: Barb Downey
Government as Regulator
By Carrie Long
12th grade
“Imagine there’s no country, it isn’t hard to do; nothing to kill or die for, and no religion too. Imagine all the people living for today.” These are the famous song lyrics written by one of the greatest singers and songwriters, John Lennon. The time these lyrics became famous all over the United States was a time of violence for the world. Many of our men were being killed every day in a brutal war being fought far away from home, the Vietnam War. Lennon’s intention of writing these words was to create a vision of peace and to show how good the conditions really are in our nation, and a country worth fighting for. Yet how can you fight for a “free” country if the government limits the simplest events in people’s every day lives? Government regulation is needed to help our economy function properly, but it should not be taken to the extent that it takes away our freedom as individuals.
The government may sometimes take regulations too far, but without them there would be no limits to what people can do. Regulations are basically set for our safety and protection. For example, the FDA makes sure that food is safe for us to eat and that pharmaceutical drugs will not harm us. Standards are even put on the amount of arsenic that can be put in water and how much a factory can pollute. The arsenic and pollution can contaminate the water we drink, so it is a good thing we have these acts to shield us from harm. Safety standards are always put on cars like seat belt and air bag regulations to make sure they are secure to drive. The police also protect our security. They help enforce our laws because if there were not any laws to enforce, then people would do whatever they wanted. People need boundaries to stop a world of chaos before it begins. The speed limit, another helpful law created by the government, is just one of the many areas that police enforce.
While everything above shows examples of how the government keeps us safe, there are also many unnecessary laws made by them that do not keep us out of harm’s way. For instance, in Arizona, it is a state law that when being attacked by a burglar, people may only protect themselves with the same weapon as the attacker. That law will not help anyone. Before attacking the burglar, a person would have to go in search of a weapon to use that would not break the law. Now, that is just not going to work. Have people ever heard of a little thing called self-defense? In Moline, Illinois, it is prohibited to ice skate at Riverside Pond during the months of June through August. Illinois has four seasons, so common sense would tell anyone that this law is not even necessary because it is summer during these months. San Diego, California, has a law that says a person will be fined $250 if they are caught with their Christmas lights up as of February 2nd. Why should this matter if someone has their Christmas lights up past February 2nd because they are not hurting anyone? It shouldn’t matter. Finally, it is a state law in Texas that it is illegal to drive without windshield wipers even though a person is not required to drive with a windshield. That does not make any sense at all. What kind of people do we have running our government?
Whether the things I have talked about that are enforced by the government are good or bad, they cost more than just dollars budgeted for administration and enforcement. All of the people behind these jobs such as, lawyers, police officers, and judges, lose privileges and opportunities that we would never consider. First of all, these officials are human and have problems just like the rest of us. A lot of their freedom is taken away due to being on call at odd hours during the day and night. Secondly, losing freedom would also involve the loss of their valuable time with friends and family, so their families would suffer as well. Furthermore, safety for themselves and their families, because of their job duties, becomes a major concern. For example, people who enforce the law at all levels are bound to upset some of those people who have broken the law. For some of those offenders, revenge is foremost on their mind. This inevitably creates stress, worrying about who is out to get you. All of these problems are so realistic, but the solution to them is simple: less government regulation. The fewer laws there are to enforce, the fewer problems they would cause for police officers, lawyers, judges, and others in community service. As you can see, the over regulation not only causes problems for citizens, but for those who enforce them as well.
People who make the laws like congressman, senators, or even governors, must worry about their popularity among the voters. The citizens of the U.S. should decide what constitutes over regulation. Voting is the only way to decide this. They must make laws to help and protect as many people as possible knowing that many will “slip through the cracks.” Because of this, some constituents will benefit from these laws while others will miss out on their opportunity for assistance and still others will take gross advantage of these laws. So, think about this. How much value do you place on your freedom? Is it really freedom if you are constantly paranoid that you are going to break the law? The more laws the government creates, the more opportunities there are to break them. People cannot be changed by giving them more rules and regulations. Change has to come from within. No matter how many policies are generated, people will always look for ways to shatter them. There will always be those who think the rules do not apply to them. Good luck to the government trying to limit the public’s every move.
Government as Regulator Questions
Q1. What is the only way to prevent highjackers from gaining control of an airplane according to the unknown author?
A. The unknown author says that the only way to prevent highjackers from gaining control of an airplane is to harden the cockpit. The author says he/she looks forward to the day that when a cockpit door opens, it will be looked at as odd or unheard of.
Q2. What are the arguments given by some lobbyists for the Bells in favor of HR 1542 (Tauzin-Dingell Bill) and arguments given by their opponents against this legislation?
A. Some arguments given by lobbyists in favor of the bill say that it will speed deployment of broadband services and help launch the information technology sector. They also say that its members need regulatory relief to compete with cable television companies and other high-speed Internet providers.
Opponents of the bill’s passing include large companies like AT&T, competitive local exchange phone carriers, and Internet service providers and consumer groups. They say that the Bells would have an iron grip on Internet service and delay the development of new Web technology for a new generation.
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? The bill fines businesses that fail to discard less than 110 gallons of liquid waste or less than 200 pounds of solid, non-hazardous waste. Small businesses like HR 1831 because they are less likely to exceed the amount of waste that has been set by government guidelines.
A. I definitely think that HR 1831 is a good idea because it would stop large businesses from polluting too much. It may not stop the over pollution entirely if a business is willing to pay a government fine for its waste. One thing I do know is that many businesses are hungry for money, and they don’t want to lose any kind of profit because they polluted the environment too much.
Q4. Give an argument in favor of government regulating activities such as rollerblading and bungee jumping.
A. The government is trying to eliminate public nuisances, and it is protecting them from hurting themselves by not taking appropriate safety precautions.
Q5. Define a “burden hour.”
A. The definition of a burden hour is that it is a term that is supposed to measure the time it takes to collect data and fill out federal forms, surveys and reports.
Q6. Why was Connecticut Senator, Joseph Lieberman, concerned enough to vote against the nomination of Professor John Graham as administrator of the office of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the current Bush administration?
Lieberman had a good reason not to vote for Graham as administrator of the office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. Graham has criticized past clean-air and clean-water statutes. The administration tore apart some environmental and labor regulations that Clinton issued towards the end of his term as President. They would have cracked down on drinking standards for arsenic in drinking water, the cleanup of hard rock mining operations, and they would have closed off 58.5 million acres for developing natural forests. Graham was obviously behind the closings of these issues and ideas of Clinton. Why would Lieberman or the American public want an administrator who would harm the health of many people?
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?
A. Risk analysis is defined as a tool researchers use to evaluate the relative harm that can come from various threats to human health and the environment.
Q6b. Who was the first president to order federal agencies to weigh potential costs and benefits when writing a rule?
A. Jimmy Carter was the first president to order federal agencies to weigh potential costs and benefits when writing a rule.
6. 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?
A. Regulations to limit injuries or disabilities from performing repetitive tasks were estimated to cost anywhere from $14 billion to $80 billion a year.
OSHA and Labor Department officials say that the rule is intended to be flexible and would not require most companies to act at all. They also say that the rule would cost employers $4.2 billion a year, but it will 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?
A. The makeup of the “iron triangle” was an unbreakable alliance among Democratic committee chairmen, agency officials and interest groups that worked in concert to achieve common goals.
Environmentalists and consumer activists say they foresee and fear the formation of a new triad that is composed of industry officials, the White House, and GOP committee chairmen. This triad does not include these fearful groups in the picture.
Q8. Name 5 actions of the Bush administration that have drawn criticism from Environmentalists.
A. In Bush’s term, he has already signed legislation to kill a Clinton ergonomics rule. Some argued that it would cost too much to implement. He has also reversed and revised Clinton’s regulations which includes one to toughen cleanup standards of hard rock mining operations. Bush has also attracted criticism by promising to regulate carbon dioxide and by rejecting the Kyoto Protocol on global warning. One of Bush’s biggest moves that has been condemned was his decision to reverse the 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, require agencies to prove before new regulations were enacted? How did the Democratic House counter in 1986?
A. The executive order issued by Ronald Reagan in 1981 required agencies to prove that a regulation’s benefits would “outweigh” its costs.
In 1986, the Democratic house countered by forcing 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?
A. On the average it takes 12 years to build a highway and 15 years to build an airport.
Q11. Discuss the pros and cons of licensing requirements.
A. A pro of licensing requirements is that it insures to the customer that the person he/she is trusting to get services from is practicing a profession legally. A con of this is that the person may be trained properly but may not be licensed. This could prevent a perfectly trained person from earning a living.
Q12. Discuss the pros and cons of master plans and planning departments.
A. A pro of master plans and planning departments is that planning is a good organizational tool. Without organization the world would be chaotic and nothing would be mapped out. A con is that sometimes there can be too much planning. The government can have too much control over situations to the point where every decision made by an organization has to be waited upon by the government.