Did you forget farm subsidies? Surprised you used agriculture as an example of competition when it’s so heavily subsidized.
The Obama overreach is new. We got high unemployment before Obama’s Coal and Carbon insanity. We know we have to change administrations, but that won’t fix the fundamental problems affecting our economy.
I don’t know the issues with regard to the Delta Smelt. Wikipedia says the job losses were closer to 5000 with most of the job losses coming from drought and not a change in pumping.
I’m sure you can find isolated instances, where wildlife protection acts have hurt jobs. But that’s a political choice. If we are going to choose to have a clear environment where wildlife is protected, then that’s just all the more reason to protect our market from countries that don’t have similar protections for their environment like China.
Big or 'lobby' agriculture qualify for all kinds of subsidies and exemptions. They even got laws written to mandate the use of Ethanol, the gasket-dissolving non-fuel.
But if you are small, unlobbied agriculture - on the other hand - you just get hosed. Unpasteurized dairy, any kind of subsistence farming, any small plantation of cash-crops such as pistachios - the Government are your worst nightmare.
There should be a dedicated thread on this, as Freepers have a lot of experience both 1st and 2nd hand of the financial repression that crushes small agriculture in the US.
Big Agriculture in the US rakes in the subsidies. They are protected from competition from Small Agriculture because they got to write the qualifying rules. In fact they compete by qualifying for the rules and subsidies, NOT on efficient food production.
And if small Agriculture is still competitive: hell, just discover the Delta Smelt. That way you get to stop small agriculture from irrigating its own land, bankrupt it and then buy its assets for cents on the dollar. Drought, hell. The water was right there, it just had a fish in it.
We can look forward to similar rent-seeking and corruption the moment the Government are asked to intervene in other domestic markets either by subsidy or by tariff. And we don't have to look far. For instance: there's Solyndra, and half a dozen other names from America's protected Green Energy 'industry'.
Hmm, you appear to believe that the EPA are just high-minded folks looking out for a clean environment. If you hold this view sincerely then please wake up.
This theory about the EPA amounts to culpable ignorance. I am debating if I should try to assist you by pinging you to the next EPA atrocity story: if I do then please don't be offended.
Tell you what: I’ll note them when they show up and list them out next time we have this discussion.
That seems like the best, least-intrusive way.