Hacker News Reader

> Regulation routinely reduces cost.

This is just plain wrong. Outside of monopolies (very few cases) regulations increase cost.

Now, there are things more important than cost but that is a different argument

There are so many cases in which a regulated market shows lower costs, that not seeing it is just not wanting to see because it touches your core belief system instead of using reasoning. Regulation is needed to ensure property rights, contracts law, ward of monopolies, ward of externalisation of costs by companies unto the general population or the environment, to stop lies from being told as much as possible, to destroy rent-seeking behaviors. These are all legitimate reasons for government regulations and make the market better. There is of course a time and place for regulations. There IS such a thing as too much regulations.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com