Small Regulation

Many of my liberal friends love the notion of government regulation.  They seem to believe that the government always has our best interests at heart.  More and more laws and requirements will make us safer, healthier and happier.

But - are my friends correct?  Here's just one story out of many that seems to demonstrate:  perhaps not.

 

When longtime Chattanooga-area resident Christian “Thor” Thoreson and his partner Christina Holmes decided to launch Buzz Chattanooga Pedicabs in February 2011, the business seemed tailor-made for the downtown area.

Thoreson’s pedicabs, which are pedal-driven tricycles with a two-person passenger compartment attached behind the driver, fill an important need for downtown. By offering a
cheap and convenient way for people to get around between hotels, tourist attractions, bars and restaurants, Buzz Chattanooga is a boon for tourist and a convenient addition for locals.

The pedicabs prevent drunk driving, free up precious parking spaces and also cut down on auto emissions. The service is inexpensive — it costs passengers only the amount they
wish to tip their driver — and it provides well-paying jobs for Buzz Chattanooga drivers. Thoreson estimates his drivers make more than $20 an hour. Revenues from selling ads on the pedicab and a small cut of driver tips fund the business.

The pedicabs seem like a win for everyone. But apparently, city officials don’t see it that way.

After dealing with the frustrating regulations placed on his business, the unwillingness of city
leaders to allow him to serve customers on both sides of the river (pedicabs are banned from using the bridges that span the Tennessee River in downtown Chattanooga, including a pedestrian bridge) and difficulties in selling ads on the pedicabs, Thoreson decided yesterday to throw in the towel and close Buzz Chattanooga.

When asked what he’d tell another entrepreneur considering starting a business in Chattanooga, Thoreson replied, “Stay the hell away.”

Thoreson’s story is the hidden side of regulations that the city council and other bureaucrats rarely consider in their absurd exercises in trying to keep people safe and micromanage businesses. Too often, regulations stifle entrepreneurs’ ability to innovate, and prevent them from improving their businesses, serving more customers and, ultimately, making Chattanooga a better place.

And please note.  I am not an anarchist.  I believe that a nation of laws - and some regulation - are necessary.  We must, however, appreciate that restrictions must be small and sensible; not large and cumbersome.  The former does indeed protect us; the latter strangles us.

Comments

[J. Reed Anderson]

Liberals don't see "government" as composed of people: people they may know, be related to, like, loathe, or wish to marry. Liberals exchanged the concept of government for God.

[Peg]

J. Reed; it is indeed a religion for many.