Rockridge High School
Taylor Ridge, IL
Teacher: Mrs. Downey
Subject: Government As Regulator
Kristin Conner
Grade 12
Question 1 is answered in essay.
2. Give at least three examples of legitimate regulation and three examples of unnecessary regulation.
There are both necessary and unnecessary regulations. Some necessary ones include regulations protecting the environment such as the pesticide regulation, which restricts the sale and use of pesticides, the rules restricting wetlands development, and the regulations lowering the levels at which factories must report lead emissions. These are countered, however, by unnecessary regulations. These include the restrictions on activities such as skateboarding and rollerblading. Licensing regulations which are unfair and outdated are also unnecessary. Also, restrictions on the clothes that can be worn are unnecessary, as in the case of the boy who was ordered to remove his Marilyn Manson shirt by the police.
3. What costs are attached to government regulations other than dollars budgeted for administration and enforcement?
Other than the obvious costs of regulating, the cost of our freedom is clearly at stake. The more regulations are put out by lawmakers, the more they restrict our everyday lives and movements. There are other costs on top of that. Costs such as the unforeseen ones that result from having to meet those regulations come to mind. The more regulations are put into place, the less confidence consumers and voters have in lawmakers and the government in general because the regulations try to override the past regulations. Then there is the amount of time resulting from the regulations. More time is needed to fix items of concern to the regulations. For example, a building is designed that is later pointed out to go against certain regulations. Now the time has to be taken to redesign the building, which will also put any plans for construction behind schedule. Regulations cause much stress, as anyone in the above situation would become stressed over the amount of time they are now behind. Finally, regulations end in lawsuits. This is because people want to be compensated for the losses sustained by the lawsuits.
4. Who should decide what constitutes over-regulation? How should the decision be made?
A group of elected people should decide what constitutes over-regulation. Instead of being appointed, the people should vote these officers in place. To make such a decision they should weigh the benefits and the disadvantages. They should keep in mind the present situation and decide if the regulations are really worth the time and effort to change things and if they are really worth changing at all.
Welcome to the Free World
As an emerging nation in the times of the Revolution, our struggle, our fight was for freedom: freedom from the harsh regulations unfairly imposed upon the Americans by the British. These restrictions came in the form, among others, of a tea tax. These restrictions are what the pilgrims were trying to get away from. The times have changed, but some things, it seems, have not. As more and more regulations are pressed upon us now, the ultimate cost is our freedom.
It would be untrue to say that regulation and government are unnecessary. In fact, they are needed to keep society from disintegrating. Society needs rules and structure, which are what regulations provide. Regulations are needed to keep people from getting hurt. They are needed to keep the environment from being depleted. However, regulations have a tendency to get out of hand. It seems that regulations are no longer addressing serious issues and have begun to be aimed at restricting more and more petty and unimportant issues leaving what should really matter untouched. Some of the most harmful regulations are ones that attack our freedom of expression.
Case in point: some state legislatures have begun to draft a bill to rate concerts. This bill will allow states to restrict or even ban certain performances in state owned venues. It will allow communities to rate music concerts and restrict attendance to those deemed “harmful to minors.” Based on past performances and albums, communities would be able to decide whether to allow those under eighteen to be allowed in. This is a clear restriction of our right to expression, not only those of the fans but of the musicians as well. Who are the lawmakers to tell us what we can and cannot listen to? Who are they to decide our experiences?
Not only that, legislatures are trying to decide what we can listen to as well. Some state legislatures are trying to pass a bill making it illegal to sell anything with an “R” rating or a Parental Advisory Label to minors. It appears government is trying to take over the role of parent. Are they suggesting that parents are incapable of taking care of their own households?
Another example of uncalled for government regulation is in the case of a state representative working to pass a bill that prohibits the sale of exotic hair coloring kits to minors. The bill outlines fines for businesses not complying with the regulation. Now the government wants to tell us what we can look like as well as what we can hear.
Here is where government regulation turns on itself. In Canada a proposed bill called C-62 is being brought back to the attention of legislators. Also called the Regulatory Efficiency Act, it would potentially allow anyone wanting to get around a regulation to enter a special “compliance plan.” Basically, this means someone could cut a deal with the government to avoid a regulation already in effect. Doesn’t this just defeat the purpose of the regulation in the first place?
The price of government regulations comes in many forms: our freedom is one of them. However, regulations end up costing us stress and time. Trying to comply with the many regulations results in a large amount of lost time in a person’s schedule. This can also cause losses in money because being behind schedule may strain the budget. In addition, this also causes stress.
The purpose of some of these regulations, it seems, is to make us into a uniform society. By restricting what we hear, how we look, and what we do they are trying to protect us but end up hurting us instead. Government regulation has gone too far when our freedom of expression is restricted. Who is to say when enough is enough? We don’t need to restrict people’s every movement. Who knows, maybe someday I won’t even be allowed to say any of this.
The price for the government’s role in our everyday lives is our freedom. Little by little it is being restricted more and more. Yes, some regulation is need for order and structure, but when it gets out of hand, it is too much. It seems that yet again our struggle is for freedom. However, this time it is from our own lawmakers instead of another country. What we fought so hard to gain, it seems, is slowly slipping through our fingers. Welcome to the free world.
Bibliography
“Attacks on Music.” On-line. Internet. 12 Jan. 2002. www.massmic.com
What is the only way to prevent hijackers from gaining control of an airplane according to the unknown author?
There is only one specified way to prevent hijackers from taking control of an aircraft: harden the cockpit. Steps must be taken to insure that no one enters or exits the cockpit during a flight. This includes the crew. Of course, the airplanes will have to be redesigned to compensate fro this improved cockpit with more secure walls and doors, a slot to get food in and out, and a mini-lave for the crew. The only way to obtain passage into the cockpit would involve nothing short of explosives, which would surely be caught in the airport.
What are the arguments given by lobbyists for the Bells in favor of HR 1542 and arguments given by their opponents against this legislation?
HR 1542, or the Tauzin-Dingell Bill, seeks to deregulate the markets for “Broadband” Internet traffic. The bill’s supporters, who include the United States Telecom Association, claim it would help the start of the information technology sector and also would speed the deployment of broadband services. Their main argument is that the deregulation is needed for the competition between the Bells and cable television companies and other high-speed Internet providers. Opponents to the bill such as AT&T Corporation, competitive local exchange phone carriers, Internet service providers and consumer groups argue that the bill would turn away investments in the smaller companies who have been hurt by the struggling economy. They say the bill would give the Bells an unfair advantage on the high-speed Internet service and would slow the development of next-generation web technology.
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?
A new legislation with hopes to provide exemptions from the liability of cleaning up toxic waste sites has recently been proposed. This legislation, HR 1831, is in high regard among small businesses because the legislation will protect those that have not significantly harmed the environment from cases stemming from larger companies trying to recover some of the cleanup costs set by the government mandate. In my own opinion, I think this legislation is in good interests. Small business groups are not responsible for a great deal of harm done to the environment. The guidelines for those who are exempt are fair. If small businesses are not forced to pay for the cleanup of an insignificant amount of waste, they are more apt to stay afloat in the struggling economy.
Give an argument in favor of government regulating activities such as rollerblading and bungee-jumping.
Some local and state governments have begun to regulate rollerblading and bungee-jumping. Some have even gone so far as to ban hopscotch and games played on the street or alleys. Supporters say the government is right to regulate because it is protecting people from those who don’t take proper safety precautions.
Define a “burden hour.”
The “burden hour,” as unclear as it may be, is a measurement of the time taken to collect data and fill out federal forms, surveys, and reports. “Burden hours” have increased by nearly 180 million, due partly to the Internal Revenue Service and its changes in the forms 1040 and 1040A.
Why was Connecticut Senator, Joseph Lieberman, concerned enough to vote against the nomination of Professor John Graham as administrator of Information and Regulatory Affairs in the current Bush administration?
Three out of twelve members of the Governmental Affairs Committee voted to recommend Professor John Graham for confirmation. One of those three was Senator Joseph Lieberman who cited Graham’s criticisms from the past about clean-air and clean-water statues and the possibility of Graham weakening the federal health, environmental, and safety standards as reasons to why he voted against him.
Graham is a proponent of “risk analysis.” How is risk analysis defined?
Risk analysis is a tool used for setting budget and policy priorities. It uses systematic methods to determine if a perceived threat or hazard is a real one. Risk analysis calculates the likelihood of a hazard and compares it to the costs and benefits of preventing it.
Who was the first president to order federal agencies to weigh potential costs and benefits when writing a rule?
Federal agencies, when writing a rule, must weigh the potential costs and benefits beforehand. The agencies have been ordered to ever since Jimmy Carter first ordered them to.
How much would compliance with the 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?
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is hard at work developing regulations limiting injuries or disabilities from performing certain tasks. As a result from their regulations 1.6 million employers set up programs to limit the repetitive motion injuries suffered by 27 million workers. 300,000 businesses would have to take immediate action the first time a worker sustained a job-related repetitive stress disorder requiring treatment. All this, as estimated by business groups would cost anywhere from $14 billion to $80 billion a year. This, they claim, would wrongly cut into business productivity and profitability. Meanwhile, the OSHA and officials from the Labor Department contend that the rule, while not requiring most companies to act due to its flexibility, would cost $4.2 billion a year but save them an extra $9 billion from lost productivity.
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?
During Ronald Reagan’s administration, an alliance was formed between Democratic committee chairmen, agency officials, and interests groups. This bond, as it came to be referred as the “iron triangle,” was seemingly unbreakable as they worked together to achieve their common goals, leaving Republicans out of the picture. It seems some things never die. Now environmentalists and consumer activists claim there is a new formation of the “triangle.” This time it includes industry officials, the White House, and GOP committee chairmen.
Name 5 actions of the Bush administration that have drawn criticism from Environmentalists.
Before Clinton left office, he signed more than fifty new regulations that were reviewed by the Bush administration upon their arrival into the office. As Bush overturned many of these regulations, he received much heat from environmentalists who supported the Clinton rules. The first item that angered the environmentalists was when the Bush administration decided to increase air conditioner and heat pump efficiency by twenty percent and override the tough air conditioner energy-conservation standards pushed by the Clinton administration. Next, Bush declared his intention to reverse Clinton’s regulations to toughen cleanup standards for hard rock mining operations. Bush also rejected the Kyoto-Protocol on global warming and went against his campaign promise to regulate carbon dioxide. Next, the Bush defense did not put up a fight in court against a timber corporation who was fighting the Clinton regulation blocking road building in national forests. Perhaps what sparked the most controversy was the reversal of a Clinton rule to reduce levels of arsenic in drinking water.
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?
In 1981, Ronald Reagan issued an executive order requiring agencies to prove that a regulation’s benefits would outweigh its costs. He later banned agencies form issuing regulatory policies that were not approved by the OMB at the start of each year. The 1986 Democratic House challenged this by deleting funds for the OMB’s regulatory division.
On average, how long does it take to build an airport? A highway?
President Bush’s budget for the fiscal year of 2002 includes $35.3 billion fro highway improvements while the average time period for building a highway is twelve years. He also allotted $12.9 billion for airport improvements, while an airport takes, on average, 15 years to build.
Discuss the pros and cons of licensing requirements.
Licensing requirements have both advantages and disadvantages. Some of the advantages are that it makes sure that a person is qualified to give a service to customers. It is a way to protect the consumer. Also, licensing ensures that other businesses of the same kind aren’t at a disadvantage because they all have to meet the same requirements. However, licensing requirements have many disadvantages too. For one, they make it much more difficult for a person to start a new business. Another is that they more often hurt people than help them.
Discuss the pros and cons of master plans and planning departments.
Master plans and planning departments incite mixed emotions. On one hand, they seem to be a good idea, but on the other, they seem unnecessary. Their whole purpose is to look ahead and prevent possible damages. Communities have benefited from successful growth management (keep in mind the success depends on which agency is managing it.)
However, more often than not, these boards and commissions operate in an inconsistent manner. They tend to over regulate and end up in micromanagement.