REGULATIONS...ARE REPUBLICANS "FOR" OR "AGAINST"?

When I ran for CA State Senate as a Libertarian, I attended a convention where I watched them deeply involved in writing their platform—yelling, screaming, arguing and explaining. I was so impressed with how much effort went into the platform that I’ve always tried to check a party’s platform to see what they’re about (and as much as any candidate has their own ideas, I’m sure a Democrat would not be elected as a Republican candidate or vica versa).

I found “regulation” 47 times in the 2016 Republican Party Platform:

https://prod-cdn-static.gop.com/media/documents/DRAFT_12_FINAL[1]-ben_1468872234.pdf

The over-arching theme is they are for “prudent” regulations but not “punishing” regulations!!

Here are some highlights:

--We endorse prudent regulation of the banking system to ensure that FDIC-regulated banks are properly capitalized and taxpayers are protected against bailouts.

--In a free society, the primary role of government is to protect the God-given, inalienable rights of its citizens. These constitutional rights are not negotiable for any American. We affirm that all legislation, regulation, and official actions must conform to the Constitution’s original meaning as understood at the time the language was adopted.

--Article I of the Constitution directs that “All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States….” For more than a century, however, Congress has delegated increasing amounts of legislative authority to executive departments, agencies, and commissions, laying the foundation for today’s vast administrative state. Unelected bureaucrats in the executive branch now write countless rules with the force of law and arbitrarily punish individuals who disobey those rules. The Constitution makes clear that these powers were granted to Congress by the people and must therefore remain solely with the people’s elected representatives. We call on Congress to begin reclaiming its constitutional powers from the bureaucratic state by requiring that major new federal regulations be approved by Congress before they can take effect, such as through the Regulation Freedom Amendment. We further affirm that courts should interpret laws as written by Congress rather than allowing executive agencies to rewrite those laws to suit administration priorities.

--Sensible regulations can be compatible with a vibrant economy. They can prevent the strong from exploiting the weak. Right now, the regulators are exploiting everyone. We are determined to make regulations minimally intrusive, confined to their legal mandate, and respectful toward the creation of new and small businesses.

--Because regulations are just another tax on the consumers, Congress should consider a regulatory budget that would cap the costs federal agencies could impose on the economy in any given year.