Government Knows Best – Federal Agencies Plow Ahead Without Public Input

It is critically important that the government listen to the people who will be affected by regulations. If offering health insurance becomes too much of a burden on employers, they will consider dropping coverage. The more complicated it becomes to hire and retain workers, the more hesitant businesses will be to expand and create jobs. The tougher it is to obtain capital, the fewer opportunities there will be for entrepreneurs and small businesses to start or expand their operations. Regulations need to work for employers so that they can stay focused on their primary business, rather than be mired in complicated and unworkable government rules.

Thomas Jefferson wrote in the Declaration of Independence that “Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” As we watched the Senate jam through a massive health care bill on Christmas Eve against the will of a majority of Americans, we had to wonder whether Congress cared about the consent of the governed. Now it is time to ask if the administration cares, and if they do, why are they not interested in listening to the concerns of those who will be governed by regulations before they develop them?

Randel K. Johnson is the Senior Vice President of Labor, Immigration, and Employee Benefits at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and James P. Gelfand is the Director of Health Policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.