tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post5162371667730768007..comments2024-03-19T07:48:54.021-06:00Comments on Gus Van Horn: Bush Fuels ObamaGus Van Hornhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05126749051688217781noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-12488540267786525612012-09-14T03:58:39.076-06:002012-09-14T03:58:39.076-06:00I'm missing a joke here or a serious point of ...I'm missing a joke here or a serious point of some kind, probably because I recall your many past comments attributing much more power to attorneys than they actually have over our political process.<br /><br />If the electorate had the same kind of suspicion of entrusting great power to the government as our forefathers had, we would not have the vast regulatory state we have today. Gus Van Hornhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05126749051688217781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-50060009995199039902012-09-13T20:02:35.234-06:002012-09-13T20:02:35.234-06:00Seriously, Gus, you want to be on record with an u...Seriously, Gus, you want to be on record with an unthoughtful question like that? <br /><br />Try substituting used car dealer, insurance salesman or barber for lawyer in the question:<br /><br />"On average, how many pages of federal regulations (or revisions to existing regs) is required to add another lawyer to the federal payroll?" The answer will be close to naught. For lawyers, however, the answer is otherwise. <br /><br />From my readings patronage is not a virtue of Objectivism. <br /><br />Vigilishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05051789616490005367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-78637078256276010332012-09-12T17:11:17.727-06:002012-09-12T17:11:17.727-06:00"On average, how many pages of federal regula..."<i>On average, how many pages of federal regulations (or revisions to existing regs) is required to add another lawyer to the federal payroll?</i>"<br /><br />What difference does that make?Gus Van Hornhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05126749051688217781noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8839412.post-90481305608027045992012-09-12T10:10:26.079-06:002012-09-12T10:10:26.079-06:00"In fact, Bush talked deregulation but vastly..."In fact, Bush talked deregulation but vastly increased the regulatory state. He hired an astounding 90,000 new regulators. Under Democrats and Republicans, regulation grows." - John Stossel<br /><br />Stossel's statistic is likely a convenient factoid (a case of apples and oranges), Gus, but it still raises begs a curiously missing statistic:<br /><br />Lawyers currently head every significant federal regulatory unit (bureaucracy), and hire scores of lawyer underlings to perform the day-to-day regulatory enforcement efforts (low-level field agents, and office staff, of course are GS-types). <br /><br />It should be apparent to almost everyone why this gem of a statistic is not available:<br /><br />On average, how many pages of federal regulations (or revisions to existing regs) is required to add another lawyer to the federal payroll? <br /><br />The answer I received (from a lawyer) was because I was the only one interested. If the public had such information, however, wider interest would be inevitable.<br /><br />Shame on Stossel for being satisfied with a convenient and no doubt planted statistic. Vigilishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05051789616490005367noreply@blogger.com