We didn't need any regulation or protections for the first 100 years.
“We didn’t need any regulation or protections for the first 100 years.”
Unfortunately, we do need some regulations. I’m sure even China and Mexico City have some. Prior to our cleaning up, we had REALLY dirty air in Los Angeles, and a river on fire in Ohio. I grew up near smoke stacks and still remember the air.
But we can roll them back to a very reasonable level. The first 90% of pollution is VERY easy to deal with, it’s the next 9%, and then then next 0.9% that gets extremely expensive. It only took 10 years, by 1980, to get 90% of the junk out of car exhausts (mainly by use of catalytic converters). It was a piece of cake. We need to take that 90% and live with it for a while.
So, for example, take the regulations that were in place, maybe in 1975 and just go forward with that (maybe tweak a bit if they were bad in some areas), but that’s it.
DEFINITELY eliminate all the updates to the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act, Affirmative Action (that, unfortunately, Bush signed into law). Get rid of the ADA, just trash it...it costs billions. Get rid of Air Bags (but do keep seat belts - they do get you 90% there). Lots more...but I can’t think of them now.