The federal register (sum of all US federal regulations) is orders of magnitudes larger than it was 40 years ago. I don't think a quantity argument is interest

The federal register (sum of all US federal regulations) is orders of magnitudes larger than it was 40 years ago. I don't think a quantity argument is interesting (there is definitely more regulations). Possibly there is a quality argument to made: Due to the regulator capture process (large corporations have seized control of the federal government), the effectiveness of regulations have decreased a lot while the volume has increased. This also serves as a barrier to entry for competition, while also profits for compliance.