The Thursday wrap

The Competitive Enterprise Institute calculates that the cost of U.S. federal regulations now is larger than the economies of all but nine countries in the world. The free market think tank says the annual $15,000 cost for households to comply with those regulations likely is one of their highest single household expenses. Stated another way, as did Investor's Business Daily, U.S. regulatory costs are the world's No. 10 economy. The most effective use of capital this is not.