4 ms·
We might have too much red tape right now, but to say that 19th century problems didn't create red tape is not quite correct. The Jungle was published in 1906,
by monknomo 10y ago
We might have too much red tape right now, but to say that 19th century problems didn't create red tape is not quite correct. The Jungle was published in 1906, and was about 19th century problems. It lead to red tape regarding food safety. Taft used the Sherman Act (red tape from 1890) to deal with competition problems.
With regard to railroads, there was no minimum wage to consider, no worker safety to consider, no environmental impact to consider and no zoning to consider. The only challenges were logistics, money and buying enough land in a straight line. Sure, there are costs to that approach, but the railroad builders don't have to bear them
- maxharris 10y agoIt is a mistake to neglect the influx of German philosophical ideas (Kant, Hegel, Marx) in the latter part of the 19th century. This led to a very sharp shift in views in all aspects of thought, including ethics and politics, and culminated in the Progressive movement. So this isn't nearly as simple as "people saw there were problems, and regulation was the natural development from there."
- monknomo 10y agoI'm not really familiar with the changing landscape of philosophy in the 19th century, or how that pertains to political development. I'm also not saying that regulations are a natural development. I am saying that regulations were the development from the problems. Perhaps in another country, or across the multiverse, there were different reactions. My point is that the 19th century was not a regulation free paradise and that regulations did not arise in a vacuum. There were substantial externalities associated with the 19th century regulatory environment. As for today, we can talk overreach and rent seeking and all the other problems with excessive regulations - those are big components of our modern woes.