Policy

Six Technologies Kept Out of the U.S. by Federal Regulation

Stupid rules make us poorer and unhealthier

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As a child, I was always told by my parents that somewhere, somehow there were evil companies that were secretly suppressing technology that would make life better. Hidden in a vault in some corporate HQ were pieces of paper containing things like the cure to cancer, cars that ran on water and Little Debbies that instantly made people skinny with just a few bites.

As a much more cynical teenager, I decided that it would be impossible in a free society for companies, no matter how large, to suppress powerful technology – especially when you have many companies in the same field dealing with the same technology. Heck, millions of dollars were spent by companies to keep pizzas hot while they delivered them to you.

Then, as an adult, I discovered the real truth – there are plenty of amazing things that are out there that can't be brought to the market due to simple government over-regulation. Just like MTV killed rock 'n roll, federal regulations are doing a good job of killing ingenuity.

(H/T Warty)