Here’s what Barack Obama’s administration is really good at: Making it sound like he is all for something, but not actually doing anything about it.  Government regulations is a case-in-point … yesterday his administration announced plans to streamline hundreds of hideous government regulations.  This “review” is said to “likely” save $10 billion over five years.  That’s great.  I truly hope that Obama is serious about this and it is carried out in full.  But why should I believe him?

What happened to the executive order Obama issued earlier this year?  Oh you don’t remember that, do you?  At the beginning of the year, Obama issued an executive order stating that all rules “must promote predictability and reduce uncertainty” and “must identify and use the best, most innovative, and least burdensome tools for achieving regulatory ends.”  

Since issuing that executive order, the administration has repealed a whopping one rule.  You may remember that asinine rule .. it was the rule where a spilled milk emergency was treated the same, under the eyes of government, as an oil spill and dairy farmers were required to have emergency plans in case of a spill.  

Seriously!  

So Obama issues this executive order, and the administration repeals one stinking rule.  In the meantime, since the beginning of this year, the administration has proposed 340 new regulations that are estimated to cost us $65 billion .. and this is the just the cost they could estimate based on the rules that actually underwent an economic analysis.  That figure is definitely higher.  So let’s get this straight .. Obama’s new plan is said to save $10 billion over the next five years, so $2 billion a year.  Meanwhile, in this year alone he has proposed $65 billion in new rules.  And we are supposed to be hailing this as a great victory?  I’m not surprised though.  This is the same administration that has increase spending by 25% and then claims that we can’t afford spending cuts.

If Obama was seriously about stimulating our economy, he would do something drastic about government regulations.  Repealing ObamaCare would be a wonderful start.  Imagine if Americans suddenly had $2.8 trillion more money in their pockets to spend and invest .. imagine what that could do for our economy!  Why $2.8 trillion?  That is the amount of money that government regulations are projected to cost U.S. taxpayers each year.  That is money spent complying with government rules and regulations.  This means that the average worker worked 77 days this year just to pay the price of complying with government regulations.  

By the way .. who manages to weasel themselves out from under the thumb of government regulations?  Union bosses.  Seriously!  Just take a look at how the Obama administration wants to increase regulations, but not on unions.