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The 10 Worst Regulations of 2012
It seems that no aspect of American life can escape government regulation. In the past year, regulators drafted rules that addressed everything from caloric intake to dishwasher efficiency.
Most of these rules increase the cost of living, others hinder job creation, and many erode freedom. Not all regulations are unwarranted, of course, but increasingly, the rules imposed by the government have less to do with health and safety and more to do with whether government or individuals get to make basic pocketbook and lifestyle decisions that affect them. And it is not just the regulators who are to blame. Congress writes laws that give unelected bureaucrats the broad powers they wield.
Today we bring you 10 of the worst regulations from 2012:
1. HHSs Contraception Mandate
The Department of Health and Human Services on February 15 finalized its mandate that all health insurance plans include coverage for abortion-inducing drugs, sterilization procedures, and contraceptives. To date, 42 cases with more than 110 plaintiffs are challenging this restriction on religious liberty.
2. EPA Emissions Standards
The EPA in February finalized strict new emissions standards for coal- and oil-fired electric utilities. The benefits are highly questionable, with the vast majority being unrelated to the emissions targeted by the regulation. The costs, however, are certain: an estimated $9.6 billion annually.
3. Fuel Efficiency Standards
In August, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, in tandem with the Environmental Protection Agency, finalized fuel efficiency standards for cars and light trucks for model years 20172025. The rules require a whopping average fuel economy of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. Sticker prices will jump by hundreds of dollars.
4. New Yorks 16-Ounce Soda Limit
Not all regulations come from Washington. On September 13, at the behest of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, the New York City Board of Health banned the sale of soda and other sweetened drinks in containers larger than 16 ounces.
5. Dishwasher Efficiency Standards
Regulators admit that these Department of Energy rules will do little to improve the environment. Rather, proponents claim they will save consumers money. But they will also increase the price of dishwashers, and only about one in six consumers will keep his or her dishwasher long enough to recoup the cost.
6. School Lunch Standards
The U.S. Department of Agriculture in January published stringent nutrition standards for school lunch and breakfast programs. More than 98,000 elementary and secondary schools are affectedat a cost exceeding $3.4 billion over the next four years.
7. Quickie Union Election Rule
In April, the National Labor Relations Board issued new rules that shorten the time allowed for union-organizing elections to between 10 and 21 days. This leaves little time for employees to make a fully informed choice on unionizing, threatening to leave workers and management alike under unwanted union regimes.
8. Essential Benefits Rule
Under Obamacare, insurers in the individual and small group markets will be forced to cover services that the government deems to be essential. Published on November 26, the HHS list of very broad benefits has created enormous uncertainty about the extent of essential treatment.
9. Electronic Data Recorder Mandate
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on December 13 issued a notice of proposed rulemaking to mandate installation of electronic data recorders, popularly known as black boxes, in most light vehicles starting in 2014. The government mandate understandably spooks privacy advocates.
10. Simplified Mortgage Disclosure and Servicing Rules
In July, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released its proposal for a more consumer friendly mortgage process, with a stated goal of simplifying home loans. The rules run an astonishing 1,099 pages. Then, one month later, the bureau proposed more than 560 pages of rules for mortgage servicing.
Morning Bell: The 10 Worst Regulations of 2012
And the road to complete socialism continues through the micromanaging of our lives. Where are the so-called conservatives in government fighting back again Nanny government?
Notice the liberals are missing here....
And the road to complete socialism continues through the micromanaging of our lives. Where are the so-called conservatives in government fighting back again Nanny government?
This is the worst they could find? Nutrition standards for kids in schools, emissions and efficiency standards, and health insurance benefit protections?
This is the worst they could find? Nutrition standards for kids in schools, emissions and efficiency standards, and health insurance benefit protections?
Death by a thousand paper cuts. This country will implode from within because of too much of the above. Add in the monolithic regulations in the shape of 13k pages of Obamacare 2013.
This is the worst they could find? Nutrition standards for kids in schools, emissions and efficiency standards, and health insurance benefit protections?
This is the worst they could find? Nutrition standards for kids in schools, emissions and efficiency standards, and health insurance benefit protections?
This is the worst they could find? Nutrition standards for kids in schools, emissions and efficiency standards, and health insurance benefit protections?
Death by a thousand paper cuts. This country will implode from within because of too much of the above. Add in the monolithic regulations in the shape of 13k pages of Obamacare 2013.
The list included Obamacare, twice. And those two "worst" regulations from it are pretty benign.
This is the worst they could find? Nutrition standards for kids in schools, emissions and efficiency standards, and health insurance benefit protections?
Have you checked to see what those nutrition standards are?
The proposed rule sought to increase the availability of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free and low-fat fluid milk in the school menu; reduce the levels of sodium, saturated fat and trans fat in school meals; and meet the nutrition needs of school children within their calorie requirements. The intent of the proposed rule was to provide nutrient-dense meals (high in nutrients and low in calories) that better meet the dietary needs of school children and protect their health. The proposed changes, designed for meals offered to school children in grades Kindergarten (K) to 12, were largely based on the IOM recommendations set forth in the report School Meals: Building Blocks for Healthy Children (October 2009).
In summary, the January 2011 proposed rule sought to improve lunches and breakfasts by requiring schools to:
- Offer fruits and vegetables as two separate meal components;
- Offer fruit daily at breakfast and lunch;
- Offer vegetables daily at lunch, including specific vegetable subgroups weekly (dark green, orange, legumes, and other as defined in the 2005 Dietary Guidelines) and a limited quantity of starchy vegetables throughout the week;
- Offer whole grains: half of the grains would be whole grain-rich upon implementation of the rule and all grains would be whole-grain rich two years post implementation;
- Offer a daily meat/meat alternate at breakfast;
- Offer fluid milk that is fat-free (unflavored and flavored) and low-fat (unflavored only);
- Offer meals that meet specific calorie ranges for each age/grade group;
- Reduce the sodium content of meals gradually over a 10-year period through two intermediate sodium targets at two and four years post implementation;
- Prepare meals using food products or ingredients that contain zero grams of trans fat per serving;
- Require students to select a fruit or a vegetable as part of the reimbursable meal;
- Use a single food-based menu planning approach; and
- Use narrower age/grade groups for menu planning.
