Amen

In America Democrats pay lip service to the need to slim the rulebook

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Mr Obama’s regulations tsar is supposed to ensure that new rules are cost-effective. 

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But the administration has a bias towards overstating benefits and underestimating costs. 

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Republicans bluster that they will repeal Obama care and Dodd-Frank and abolish whole government agencies, but give only a sketchy idea of what should replace them.

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America needs a smarter approach to regulation.

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First, all important rules should be subjected to cost-benefit analysis by an independent watchdog. 

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The results should be made public before the rule is enacted. 

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All big regulations should also come with sunset clauses.

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So that they expire after, say, ten years unless Congress explicitly re-authorises them.

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More important, rules need to be much simpler. 

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When regulators try to write an all-purpose instruction manual, the truly important dos and don’ts are lost in an ocean of verbiage. 

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Far better to lay down broad goals and prescribe only what is strictly necessary to achieve them. 

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Legislators should pass simple rules, and leave regulators to enforce them.

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Would this hand too much power to unelected bureaucrats? 

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Not if they are made more accountable. 

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Unreasonable judgements should be subject to swift appeal. 

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Regulators who make bad decisions should be easily sackable. 

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None of this will resolve the inevitable difficulties of regulating a complex modern society.

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But it would mitigate a real danger

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That regulation may crush the life out of America’s economy.

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And why the Amen?

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Because everywhere the nonsense of regulations for everything are galloping out of control.
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Similar constraints are needed everywhere, not just in America.