I spent 25 years of my life learning how to make everything I did conform to the rules and regulations of not one but several government agencies. I was darn good at doing it, too. Now one of the things that most people do not realize is that these Rules and Regulations have the force of law. That’s right. You can get into some very serious hurt by breaking or trying to go around these words in black and white on some Federal or State paper. Usually, it is something like the withdrawal of funding or the paying back of funding you have already received.
Example: if you run afoul of the HHS, they will go back and find out when was the last time that you were in compliance with their rule that you messed up on. Then they will calculate how many Medicare patients you have seen since then. Then they will fine you per patient per day until all the money you got during that time is paid back PLUS 3x the amount in damages. As you can imagine, NOBODY wants to pay that kind of money because it is often in the MILLIONS of dollars.
These departments have considerable clout. They know it and you know it. You work your ever-loving rear end off to make certain that you stay on their good side. I never had a problem. My bosses loved that about me. Being able to read the law and put it into practice is a gift.
HOWEVER, it is costly. I will not lie to you. My skill and expertise do not come without a price and putting what is necessary into place is also not cheap. That is why many business owners HATE Rules and Regulations. They feel-I think erroneously-that these laws are meant mostly to hinder them from making profits and to stifle capitalism. Nothing could be further from the truth.
The intent of Rules and Regulations is to enforce the laws passed by Congress and signed by the President. Those are necessarily somewhat vague. The various Cabinet Departments then take those laws and “promulgate” (which means clarify and determine) exactly how those laws might be put into practice in real life. It takes time and there is a process in which the proposed rules and regulations are put into something called the Federal Register for public comments. This might happen several times as they are rewritten. (I have put in my two cents on a few things in the past. The system does work.)
After that is finished, the Rules and Regulations come out in finished form. The public comment period is over. The only thing left is the moaning and groaning as the changes go into effect.
Now-how did we get the Health and Safety laws? Ever hear of something called OSHA? That’s the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and it used to have a lot more power at the federal level than it does now, sorry to say. When it was first created, it was going to help PREVENT climate change, clean up hazardous waste sites, make factories safe to work in, warehouses places where people didn’t fall out with heat exhaustion, and just a whole bunch more. It was marvelous. The Democrats, the unions, and the environmentalists were ecstatic. Then the Republicans came back into the majority and started weakening it.
First thing they did was to pull its teeth by giving most of its enforcement power to the states. Then they began work on the ‘unnecessary’ regulations on the various industries such as tight emissions controls on vehicles and gasoline standards. It’s gone on like that ever since.
The truth is-rules and regulations are formulated to PROTECT THE CONSUMER FROM THE BIG BUNESS MOGULS. If you look at them that way, they make perfect sense. The number thing the Big Business folks want is–PROFITS. What do Rules and Regulations do? Spend money that they see could be going into their bottom lines.
But if you are a consumer? What do Rules and Regulations do? They ensure that the products that you buy are safe, the quality remains high, that conditions inside the plants are safe for the workers, and the environment in which you live remains healthy and unpolluted.
It’s a matter of priorities. I prefer the last one and I hope you do, too. That’s why I’m asking you to vote for me. I want to help make and renew laws that protect you and your family. Vote Blue in 2022.
Wright4Georgia 