Connecting the Dots

Jane Van Ryan
Posted June 11, 2009

One of the most difficult tasks in Washington is connecting the dots. What I mean is this: advocates who have staked out positions on various issues often focus on the minutiae of proposed legislation, fight to have certain language included in bills on political or ideological grounds, and neglect to consider how American consumers could be affected. Occasionally, this inability to step back and see the real-life consequences of legislation creates laws that make little sense and are costly to the taxpayers.

Fortunately for all of us, blogger and columnist James Shott has connected the dots on two proposed bills and has discovered that their impact on consumers could be severe while generating few, if any, benefits. A hat tip to my friend James for a particularly well-written and thoroughly researched post.