Show Regulation An Are Ideal Gone Astray A myth has developed around the country that the American business community is automatically opposed to any form of government regula regula- tion It American business recognizes recognizes recognizes that some forms of government government gov gov- regulation of business practices are desirable But government regulations have lately multiplied to the point that they have become counter counter- productive A mind-boggling mind maze of regulations and an unwieldy regulatory structure threatens 1 1 By V E E. E Douglas Kenna to drive many companies out of business and their out of jobs regulation Over is making making mak mak- ing goods and services more expensive It is tying up money and time for no appreciable returns except anxiety and con con- fusion It is cutting into capital formation which business needs to create millions of jobs and keep the recovery moving forward It is in fact insidiously insidiously undermining the competitive competitive com com- enterprise system it is supposed to be regulating Sen Charles Percy of Illinois Illi 1111 nois says Over the years government regulation has by small degrees run amuck There are now no fewer than 82 regulatory agencies in Washington with a total staff of and a 1976 1916 budget of 29 billion Americans thus pay twice for excessive regulation regu lation once lation-once once in higher taxes and then Ihen in higher prices Rep Elliott Levitas D D.- D. Ga a close clow observer of the regulatory scene aune points out that in 1974 some 67 federal agencies departments and bureaus adopted new and amended regulations During the same period of time he states Con Congress r ss enacted public laws laws laws-a a ratio of more than 18 to 11 II Those regulations incidentally incidental ly Iy took no less than 38 volumes vol umes to fill Estimates of the annual cost of government regulation range from 60 billion to bil bile lion President Ford has estimated the cost at 2000 per family per year He has called for a year four-year program under which every sector of the American economy would be examined and federal regulation over over- hauled The President has stated A necessary condition t tto to a healthy economy is freedom freedom free free- dom from the petty tyranny of massive government regula regula- tion The President noted that governments government's insatiable appetite for paper and red tape lape is choking the life lire out of free enterprise and individual initiative in America Sen Edward Kennedy D D. D.- Mass recently noted There is widespread disillusionment among our people about the quality and sometimes even about the sanity of their gov The task lask for all of us in in business as well as politics poli poll tics tics tics-is js to start making sense out of ot the maze of federal regulation Senator Kennedy is joined by many legislators on Capitol Hill lull in urging regulatory re reo re form Sen Edmund D D. Me recently noted We have health programs income security and social service servo ice programs 83 housing programs programs pro pro- grams et cetera et cetera we reap a bumper crop of public disenchantment with government so u unresponsive responsive that it cannot even perform the simple to day-to-day tasks that need to be done Representative Levitas has summed up the effect government gov gov- government regulation is having on peoples people's lives The public has become extremely cynical about all government They identify government with the bureaucrat who is making life miserable for them the elderly woman who cannot get getan getan getan an answer on the phone about why her Social Security check hasn't arrived or the businessman business man who is having trouble with an Environmental Protection Agency official They have been frustrated by the insensitivity and unresponsiveness of government gov government bureaucrats And people peo peo- people pIe in every part of the country are looking for Congress to regain regain re reo re- re gain control contra The costs of government regulation to American business busi ness ness directly directly borne by the American consumer consumer are are horrendous hor hor- General Motors corporation corporation cor estimates that government govern ment regulation costs the com com- company and the of its pany and pany buyers products 13 products 13 billion in 1974 a figure it expects to equal or exceed this year GM estimates that the equivalent of of its worked full full- time lime in 1974 1914 on government regulatory matters Armco Steel says it must obtain obtain ob ob- tain tamn licenses and permits from fromal at al least different agencies federal state and local It must submit reports to 1245 agencies and it regularly corresponds cor corresponds responds with 1026 agencies American merican agriculture is be be- ing affected equally In a recent speech Agriculture Secretary Earl Butz warned that the farmers farmers farmer's farmers farmer's farm farm- ers er's ability to produce increasing increasing ing food supplies will be disastrously disastrously disastrously dis dis- dis- dis crippled if current trends toward government regulation regulation reg reg- reg of farm chemicals drugs environmental controls and safety devices continue Fortunately for all regulatory regulatory regulatory regula regula- tory reform is in the air As one observer put it recently Congress has been neglectful in its oversight of regulatory agencies Two or three years ago there weren't many hearings hear ings dealing with government regulation Business was screaming about it but not the guy on on the street Now Congress Congress Con Con- gress is paying attention The Ford Administration in its outline for regulatory re reform reform reo re- form has introduced legislation legislation legisla tion to deregulate partially the trucking airline and banking industries Senator has introduced intro a bill under which al almost almost al al- most all federal programs would have to be every four years or else ry I Another Senate bill would set up a mandatory schedule for reform of 34 federal fed fed- eral oral regulatory agencies Bills introduced in both houses would allow Congress to review review re reo re- re view and veto all agency rules I and regulations past and fu ture lure The National Association of Manufacturers strongly favors oj discipline in government regulation regu lation We recognize however j that real reform will take place only when Congress feels the v public itself is getting tired of paying the bill bill and and demands z J action Mr Kenna It II president of o th othe the National Association of o Manu fw u 1 i 4 |