Debate Analysis: Did Regulation Quadruple Under Obama? The Numbers Say Yes
- Post 18 October 2012
- By James Gattuso | The Foundry
Regulatory policy made a cameo appearance in last night’s presidential debate when Governor Mitt Romney took aim at the Obama Administration’s penchant for making rules.
“Regulations have quadrupled,” Romney said. “The rate of regulations quadrupled under this President.”
The assertion led to a mini-controversy this morning over the Obama regulatory record. Left-leaning blogger Andrew Sullivan, Salon.com, and the Huffington Post all jumped in to argue that there has been no such increase in regulation. Obama, in fact, has imposed fewer new regulations than did Bush, they claim.
But they are wrong, and Romney was right.
The number cited by Romney comes from Heritage’s most recent “Red Tape Rising” report, which compared the number and cost of major regulations during the first three years of President Obama’s Administration to the first three years under President George W. Bush. ... continues...
"Question all which is 'taught,' dig deeper, think clearly, respond profusely. Conformity is the antithesis of free thought and self-determination." -- Standard Pearls