Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me

Limited government folks have often touted sunset provisions as a tool for controlling the size of the state—Alan Greenspan comes to mind. But in Legal Affairs, Chris Mooney argues that they don't work. In fact, they may have the opposite of the intended effect: Sunset provisions can help to placate skeptics, enabling the passage of legislation that otherwise would stall. But once passed, it becomes far easier to quietly repeal the sunset than it might've been to pass a permanent bill in the first place.