Regulatory Budgets and Jobs Explode Under Obama

Townhall.com ^ | August 20, 2011 | Bob Beauprez

[Kaslin]

One of Barack Obama's job creation programs appears to be working – the number of federal government regulators along with their budgets has exploded since 2008.

Total employment at the conglomeration of federal agencies responsible for enforcing compliance with the myriad of laws now exceeds 281,000 people.  That's an increase of 13 percent during a time when 27 million Americans find themselves unemployed, under-employed, or have completely given up even trying to find work.  The budgets at these same agencies have increased 16 percent during the same period to over $54 billion.

With the expanded staffs, the agencies have ramped up new regulations at a frightening pace, too.  The Federal Register, already about 80,000 pages, where all the regulation is posted increased 18 percent in 2010 alone, and 4,200 new rules or revisions are in the pipeline.  According to the IBD published report, that doesn't count impending clean air rules from the EPA, new derivative rules, the FCC's net neutrality rules, or the recently announced CAFE fuel mandates, or the eventual plethora new regulation mandated by ObamaCare and the Dodd-Frank legislation. 

Obama's regulatory czar, Cass Sunstein, however is in denial.  He recently said, "There has been no increase in rule making in this administration," and pointed out that Obama had ordered the agencies to look for needless red tape.  That apparently is yet another instance where what the Administration does and what it says are very different things.

Equally bizarre, the Administration apparently thinks the explosion of government spending and new regulation is an "economic stimulus" of its own kind.  The EPA, where many of these new rules are coming from, actually wrote in February that "in periods of high unemployment, an increase in labor demand due to regulation may have a stimulative effect that results in a net increase in overall employment."    That's Keynesian economics gone totally mad. 

According to the Heritage Foundation the Obama Administration imposed 75 major new rules in just the first 26 months that will cost the private sector an additional $40 billion.   

Before this onslaught of new regulation, a study by the Small Business Administration found that by 2008 federal regulation already cost American business $1.75 trillion per year, with a very disproportionate share of that cost falling on small business. 

If you think it might be counter-productive to increase regulation while the economy is in trouble, your right.  And, if you find it a little hypocritical for the President that has directed this regulatory explosion to be on a bus tour suggesting now he has a plan to create jobs, you are also right.  Tell Barack Obama.  

[bobk333]

The EPA, where many of these new rules are coming from, actually wrote in February that "in periods of high unemployment, an increase in labor demand due to regulation may have a stimulative effect that results in a net increase in overall employment."

Wow.

They think that placing burdens on businesses so that those businesses are forced to hire more people to deal with the additional burdens is stimulative.

Unbelievable.

This quote should be publicized all over, spread to all corners of the country.

Every American should understand clearly the motives and thinking of The Left. The Left does not understand business, they refuse to see the benefits of free markets and entrepreneurship.

The stats on the number of extra unionized federal employees hired by the Obama administration to impose these burdens on American businesses should be a talking point for all fiscal conservatives from the right and middle, especially those running for office.

Thanks for the article!

.

[CharlyFord]

We need to combine this concept with: Obama: The Affirmative Action President.

Not only is Obama expanding government control over our lives, the expanded controls are being run by Holder's People.

[The Antiyuppie]

It isn’t to early to start thinking about what the next president could do first to undo the damage of the previous four (and more) years as quickly and effectively as possible.

I would think a great “debate” question would be “what would you do in the first 100 days to get the country moving forward again?”.

[CharlyFord]

This is one of many way the regulations are hurting industry and our lives: Exxon fighting regulatory “pirates” in Gulf of Mexico

[Jacquerie]

“He has erected a Multitude of new Offices, and sent hither Swarms of Officers to harass our People, and eat out their Substance.”

We didn't accept this when we were ruled under a Monarchy, why should we under a supposed republic?

[Iron Munro]