The overriding theme of the 2010 elections was “where are the jobs.” American businesses are under assault on the regulatory front – creating tremendous uncertainty that has led to a stagnant economy. Some of the obvious problems – like health care reform and the EPA’s greenhouse gas rules – are already on Congress’ radar for reform. But there’s a lot more that can be done to liberate the economy. Therefore, today’s recommendation is:


Suggestion #4: Expand the “YouCut” program to a “YouReg” program


Create a “YouReg” program along the lines of the GOP’s “YouCut” program – so average citizens and small business owners can suggest and vote on regulations they’d like to see addressed.


Obviously, the more time and money people spend on paperwork and compliance costs to deal with an increasingly complex federal code (the Federal Register is now 80,700 pages, in case you were wondering) – the less time and money they have to spend on growing their businesses and getting the economy back on track. As James Surowecki’s 2004 book The Wisdom of Crowds points out, the aggregation of information often results in better decisions than any one person would be able to reach otherwise. Washington politicians might think they know everything… but just in case they don’t, let’s open the recommendation process to the public!