The things we hate about government
Let’s say someone asked you to pick the top ten government rules and regulations that get under your skin as a small business owner?
That’s exactly what the U.S.
Small Business Administration did.
Last year, the agency solicited comments from the small business community on the rules that cost businesses big bucks, about $1.1 trillion, and last week the dreaded list was released to the press. Now, the hope is, government will get into gear and reform these rules.
Only thing is, the federal agency’s notable initiative may be too little too late.
Hello, did anybody tell these guys President Bush has less than a year left in office?
What happens now is the
Bush Cabinet will all get the list and they are all encouraged to act on what ever reform they can.
Thomas M. Sullivan, Chief Counsel for Advocacy for the SBA, says he’s going to release an update in six months outlining which Cabinet heads did what and then release another list six months later with yet another update on what the Secretaries did or didn’t do.
But if you do the math, those Secretaries will be out of their comfy government offices by then. So that means the next president’s appointees will have to pick up the ball.
That is, if they want to.
Who’s going to be breathing down their necks?
Not Sullivan. He’s expected to be out when the Bush administration comes to an end.
To Sullivan’s credit he says, we have to take a “pragmatic” approach to this type of reform. “In order to do this it will take a couple of years. This initiative can’t just be, ‘this is Tom Sullivan’s last fanfare’ because I leave when the president leaves.”
“These reforms,” he adds, “will be done by public servants who will not leave when the President leaves.”
But there is no government mandate that the new administration will have to make these particular reform changes. Not that they won’t.
I mean, it’s a good list, full of stuff that will make small business owners lives easier. But it probably would have had more teeth if Tom were able to stick around and make sure the changes happen.
Well, we can hope.
Here’s a run down of the top ten list. For details on each one
click here.
1. Update Air Monitoring Rules for Dry Cleaners to Reflect Current Technology
2. Flexibility for Community Drinking Water Systems
3. Simplify the Rules for Recycling Solid Waste
4. EPA Should Clearly Define “Oil” in its Oil Spill Rules
5. Update Flight Rules for the Washington, DC, Metropolitan Area
6. Eliminate Duplicative Financial Requirements for Architect-Engineering Services Firms in Government Contracting
7. Simplify the Home Office Business Deduction
8. Update MSHA Rules on the Use of Explosives in Mines to Reflect Modern Industry Standards
9. Update OSHA’s Medical / Laboratory Worker Rule
10. Update Reverse Auction Techniques for Online Procurement of Commercial Items
What would you have added?
