By Margaret Smith on May 23, 2011

We have so many Federal regulations affecting businesses that small and large companies had to create positions just to deal with the “shackles of government”; now that is job creation!

Consider how the US EPA started, officially it is stated as December 1970, yet was truly revolutionized in 1962. This time frame is when Rachel Carson wrote “Silent Spring” in serial form in the New Yorker. The article was about pesticides and its effect on the bird population. Because of its popularity from readers the book was published and started a grass roots movement of environmentalist. Today, because of his books influence we have, ” 14,000 scientists, lawyers, managers, and other employees across the country to fight the good fight for “environmental protection.” Many of us probably would not be so concerned about the USEPA if it was only fighting pesticide companies.

In the past 41 years this government-taxpayer funded- organization has placed “chains” of regulation on every business that has an employee. The following is a list of business sectors for which the USEPA has a hand in, note this is a partial list; Agriculture, Auto, Construction, Chemicals, Dry Cleaning, Healthcare, Mining, Petroleum Pharmaceuticals, Textiles, Wood andPaper. A sector is defined by the USEPA as having “ Similar operations, processes or practices, environmental problems and impacts, compliance issues and either distributes goods or performs services.” Now this organization is so powerful it can actually close a business or eradicate a way of life. Take the plight of the Klamath Basin family farmers. The USEPA decided to shut off irrigation to the family farms. “In irrigation season of 2001, over 170,000 acres of fertile land cultivated by Klamath Basin family farmers did not receive water. This disastrous action by federal bureaucrats meant more than the ruin of the 2001 growing season.

For many farming families the shut off spelled the permanent end to their way of life. Maybe decades ago I would have been shocked to read this article, but today with so much of our Federal Government treading more and more on our Liberties I am not surprised.

Some of us probably remember when we could go to an auto dealership and seek a car which best fit our needs and did not have to mortgage our arm or leg to purchase. Today we still have the choice to buy the car that best fits our needs. But, with the choices being decided by the “shackles of government regulation”, the price of the vehicle has led many to need a loan just to purchase the vehicle. This is the result of the CAA Clean Air Act of 1970. According to the history biography at the USEPA site, this legislation “took dead aim” at the Auto industry; ” The law set statutory deadlines for reducing automobile emission levels: 90 percent reductions in hydrocarbon and carbon monoxide levels by 1975 and a 90 percent reduction in nitrogen oxides by1976.” What they did not count on was the loss of jobs within the Auto Industry due to this regulation. Michigan was the state hit the hardest, with a loss of 100,000 jobs since 1970. According to CRS, Congressional Research Service report sent to Congress. ” However, CAFE standards have affected the ownership of U.S. manufacturing plants, if not the total level of employment.” How many times do the businesses have to be closed down, or suffer losses before our Federal Government unlocks the “shackles” of regulation?

What are our elected officials doing to stop the overreaching of the USEPA? Consider this quote from an article by Bob Gibbs R-Oh,”First and foremost, I am concerned about the proliferation of so-called ‘guidance’ coming out of EPA in an attempt to short-circuit the process…” How often will we need to protest, write, call and email our elected officials with the message, ‘cut the shackles of Government on businesses” before someone with the political courage will put the bolt cutter to the USEPA.
Time and time again I have ascertained from reading numerous articles, the EPA does not care about the human cost of their regulations. Nor do they seem to care about the dollars lost from businesses in local communities due to their regulations. Also the business that must use profit money to comply with regulations put forth from EPA, is money which could have been used for creation of more jobs, or increase in profit shares, or maybe, just maybe expanding to other states. I am convinced that it is time to break the shackles of Federal Government regulation and bring back prosperity to many great cities, towns, farms and businesses. Americans have liberties being taken away so slowly they do not seem to be aware. I am encourage by the newly surge of concerned citizens taking an active role in their local and federal elections; this participation is needed in order to “secure the blessings of Freedom and Liberties”.

1 http://www.epa.gov/history/topics/epa/15c.htm
2 http://www.epa.gov/lawsregs/
3 http://www.epa.gov/lawsregs/sectors/index.html
4 http://www.klamathbasincrisis.org/tribes/tribesharperletr102403.htm

5 http://www.epa.gov/history/topics/epa/15c.htm
6 http://www.ncseonline.org/NLE/CRSreports/05apr/RL32883.pdf
7 http://republicans.transportation.house.gov/News/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=1146