Reg Reform, Meh.

Eric Cantor has announced that regulatory reform of the Clean Air Act and labor laws will top the GOP agenda when Congress resumes its work. As far as these proposals go, baring the National Labor Relations Board from restricting where employers can locate (a key component of economic freedom), and delaying potentially burdensome Clean Air Act regulations (something the economy probably can’t afford right now) are worthy enough.

The problem is that, like much of what the Tea Party dominated House has done so far, this substitutes style and anger for real substance. The NLRB, although entirely wrong in trying to stop Boeing from relocating within the United States, is not the major reason that job growth is sluggish. Potential future Clean Air Act regulations, no matter how poorly designed aren’t killing jobs today.

In any case, I can’t really imagine that either has much chance of passing the Senate or being signed by the President.