The Regulatory State May Have Met Its Match in Idaho

The Wall Street Journal highlights Wayne Crews's annual report on the size and cost of federal regulations. 

The problem in Washington, D.C., is similar. Under the Congressional Review Act of 1996, Congress can pass a resolution to block the implementation of a particular set of regulations. But the resolution requires the president’s signature—which is unlikely, since his agencies came up with the rules in the first place.

Idaho’s solution is one that other states and the federal government should consider as the regulatory tangle Americans must fight through grows by the day. Last year the Federal Register, which publishes agency rules, proposals and notices, exceeded 80,260 pages—the third-highest in its history, according to a report from the Competitive Enterprise Institute.

Even something as simple as a scoop of your favorite ice cream is regulated by the federal government—from the moment the milk comes out of the cow to the way it appears in your bowl. If that seems like an exaggeration, examine the rules on “physical requirements for ice cream,” which specify: “The flavor of the finished ice cream shall be pleasing and desirable, and characteristic of the fresh milk and cream and the particular flavoring used . . . The body shall be firm, have substance and readily melt to a creamy consistency when exposed to room temperatures.”

Read the full article at The Wall Street Journal.