It may be a campaign gimmick, and it may not be very practical, but Republican U.S. Sen. Sam Brownback has an interesting idea for curbing excessive government in his state of Kansas.
Sen. Brownback is seeking to become governor of Kansas. To show voters he is serious about reducing the size and scope of government, he has proposed creating an office whose job it would be to get rid of outrageous, excessive or redundant state regulations. It would be called the "State Office of the Repealer."
People "feel like they're getting their brains regulated out of them," he told The New York Times.
He's right, and we certainly sympathize with the desire to eliminate excessive government control - especially at the federal level.
Sadly, from a practical standpoint, an "Office of the Repealer" would be difficult to establish. However unwise lawmakers may be at times, they are elected to enact or repeal laws and regulations. It's an authority they cannot delegate to someone else.
Given the unfortunate staying power of bad laws - such as "Depression-era" farm subsidies that never went away - the best course is for lawmakers simply to avoid enacting obtrusive, unconstitutional laws in the first place.