I take it back. The government does run a large bureaucracy and is constantly revising its processes and procedures. The government is particularly vulnerable to having to publish its policy and procedure changes because it's supposed to operate transparently. The real question is the extent to which these revisions impede business. I suspect it's minimal, although I can imagine that if one were concerned with having to keep up with them all, just that burden might be substantial. Are there good examples of rule changes that impose a major burden on the economy? I'd be interested in seeing them. The question then becomes whether the cost is worth the benefit. For each rule change one can certainly argue both sides.
In following Robert's pointer I picked one that looked interesting. It reads as follows. SUMMARY: The Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) is proposing changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) regulations pertaining to SNAP client benefit use, participation of retail food stores and wholesale food concerns in SNAP, and SNAP client participation in the Food Distribution Program on Indian Reservations (FDPIR). These changes to SNAP regulations address mandatory provisions of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (hereinafter referred to as ``the 2008 Farm Bill'') to allow for the disqualification of a SNAP client who purchases, with SNAP benefits, products that have container deposits for the purpose of subsequently discarding the product and returning the container(s) in exchange for cash refund of deposit(s) and/or resells or exchanges products purchased with SNAP benefits for purposes of obtaining cash or other non-eligible items. Apparently people were using their Food benefits to buy products that came in containers for which rebates were available when the container was returned. They then threw away the food and got cash back for the container. This rule change disqualifies people who do that from the Food benefit program. Should the Food and Nutrition Service have bothered to make this regulation? Is it worth the time of a government employee to do this? I don't know. It doesn't look like it puts roadblocks in the way of economic progress, though. These are the sorts of things one must live with whenever one has a bureaucracy. I'm constantly getting notices from credit card companies, banks, and insurance companies about how their terms of service are being changed. (Normally, they just send the new terms of service and don't highlight the changes. I think that's worse.) I can't say I spend much time reading them. As a trained academic, that's my take on the steam of rules. *-- Russ Abbott* *_____________________________________________* *** Professor, Computer Science* * California State University, Los Angeles* * Google voice: 747-*999-5105 * blog: *http://russabbott.blogspot.com/ vita: http://sites.google.com/site/russabbott/ *_____________________________________________* On Mon, Jun 20, 2011 at 3:17 PM, Roger Critchlow <r...@elf.org> wrote: > Looks like the listings under "newly posted regulations" include posted > comments on proposed regulations and posted announcements of applications > for permits under existing regulations. I've looked at 11 postings and there > wasn't a new regulation to be seen. > > -- rec -- > > On Mon, Jun 20, 2011 at 4:02 PM, Robert Holmes <rob...@holmesacosta.com>wrote: > >> If you go to regulations.gov and select "newly posted regulations", >> you'll see that there's been 24,476 of them in the last year. >> >> For me, that seems quite a lot. But I'm not a trained academic, so perhaps >> my reading speed is abnormally low. >> >> —R >> >> On Mon, Jun 20, 2011 at 3:06 PM, Russ Abbott <russ.abb...@gmail.com>wrote: >> >>> <snip> >>> With respect to uncertainty due to new regulations, I'll believe it when >>> you can show me all the new regulations that have been put in place in the >>> past 2 years. (Very few!) >>> >>> <snip> >>> >>> >>> *-- Russ Abbott* >>> *_____________________________________________* >>> *** Professor, Computer Science* >>> * California State University, Los Angeles* >>> >>> * Google voice: 747-*999-5105 >>> * blog: *http://russabbott.blogspot.com/ >>> vita: http://sites.google.com/site/russabbott/ >>> *_____________________________________________* >>> >>> >>> >>> On Mon, Jun 20, 2011 at 1:55 PM, Owen Densmore <o...@backspaces.net>wrote: >>> >>>> Great pointer to Clinton's points. >>>> >>>> In terms of uncertainty, I think there are two different kinds being >>>> discussed. >>>> - The republicans discuss certainty in regulations and new laws. >>>> - Tom discusses certainty of the job market and downturn direction. >>>> >>>> -- Owen >>>> >>>> >>>> On Mon, Jun 20, 2011 at 11:39 AM, Russ Abbott <russ.abb...@gmail.com> >>>> wrote: >>>> > I'm, pretty skeptical about the uncertainty argument. That seems to me >>>> to be >>>> > a Republican ploy to argue for lower taxes, which in their view is the >>>> > solution no matter what the problem is. For the most part companies >>>> aren't >>>> > hiring or adding new production capacity because there isn't the >>>> demand to >>>> > justify it. >>>> > >>>> > But there are some things that can be done. Here are some very ideas >>>> that >>>> > Bill Clinton is suggesting. We miss him as president. >>>> > >>>> > -- Russ Abbott >>>> > _____________________________________________ >>>> > Professor, Computer Science >>>> > California State University, Los Angeles >>>> > >>>> > Google voice: 747-999-5105 >>>> > blog: http://russabbott.blogspot.com/ >>>> > vita: http://sites.google.com/site/russabbott/ >>>> > _____________________________________________ >>>> > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> > On Mon, Jun 20, 2011 at 9:08 AM, Owen Densmore <o...@backspaces.net> >>>> wrote: >>>> >> >>>> >> Tom Friedman's Op Ed >>>> >> >>>> >> >>>> http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/12/opinion/12friedman.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss >>>> >> >>>> >> He starts with shocking mortgage statistics, but then discusses >>>> >> unemployment and its causes via this report: >>>> >> http://www.mckinsey.com/mgi/publications/us_jobs/index.asp >>>> >> >>>> >> Quote: McKinsey Global Institute released a long study of the >>>> >> structural issues ailing the U.S. job market, entitled: “An Economy >>>> >> That Works: Job Creation and America’s Future.” It begins: “Only in >>>> >> the most optimistic scenario will the United States return to full >>>> >> employment before 2020. Achieving this outcome will require sustained >>>> >> demand growth, rising U.S. competitiveness in the global economy and >>>> >> better matching of U.S. workers to jobs.” >>>> >> >>>> >> Interestingly enough, they still feel education is important but >>>> >> stress areas of current need. >>>> >> >>>> >> BTW: The tech bubble folks are afraid of is likely NOT to be one. >>>> Marc >>>> >> Andreessen (admittedly a techie) has compiled P/E ratios of the new >>>> >> tech market and shows them to be well under traditional values. >>>> They'd >>>> >> please any conservative investor. >>>> >> >>>> >> Tom is concerned about the Uncertainty Tax .. our loss of production >>>> >> due to fear of downturn unknowns, but ends: Any good news? Yes, U.S. >>>> >> corporations are getting so productive and sitting on so much cash, >>>> >> just a few big, smart, bipartisan decisions by Congress on taxes and >>>> >> spending (and mortgages) and I think this whole economy starts to >>>> >> improve again. Workers with skills will be the first to be hired. >>>> >> >>>> >> -- Owen >>>> >> >>>> >> ============================================================ >>>> >> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv >>>> >> Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College >>>> >> lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org >>>> > >>>> > >>>> > ============================================================ >>>> > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv >>>> > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College >>>> > lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org >>>> > >>>> >>> >>> >>> ============================================================ >>> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv >>> Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College >>> lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org >>> >> >> >> ============================================================ >> FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv >> Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College >> lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org >> > > > ============================================================ > FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv > Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College > lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org >
============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
