Posted by
Comstock Lode on Monday, March 17, 2008 8:00:12 PM
With all the problems facing us right now -- financial meltdown preoccupied me today -- it's comforting to know that government keeps on doing what it does best: regulating everything.
Friday's list was instructive (I don't check these things out every day -- have to keep up the pretense of productivity). The FTC was out protecting the public frrom those rapacious funeral directors. Should they be allowed to charge a casket handling fee? And what about those deceptive discount funeral packages? We must prohibit them! This particular section of the FTC really sinks its teeth into the funeral industry. They have identified so many deceptive practices, it's hard to imagine that anyone dead gets buried.
The National Institute of Health has an even better idea, taking regulation to the next level: the Council of Councils. Its stated purpose: to allow the Subcommittees (who are they?) to conduct confidential, preliminary discussions leading to the presentation of advice andrecommendations to the overall Council.
I think the NIH may be on to something. At this point, we probably need an RRC -- a Regulatory Regulatory Commission. This agency will be charged with overseeing all other regulatory agencies in an attempt to reduce regulation. I've only begun to delve into this, but one thing is clear: We waste an incredible amount of money and energy regulating activities and behaviors that never required oversight in the first place.