Regs: Sometimes There Really is a Slippery Slope

Mandating carbon monoxide detectors may not mean tyranny, but its important to remember that regulations aren't always about the public interest.

FrumForum's Noah Kristula-Green raises an eyebrow at conservatives or libertarians who oppose mandatory carbon-monoxide detectors. Fine. Carbon-monoxides detectors are $30 devices that can save lives. Few will seriously question the value of the detectors.

But skeptics of safety regulation have a better argument to offer than the "slippery slope" toward loss of liberty - and that is the risk of corruption. In France, the parliament just passed a bill requiring carbon monoxide detectors. During the process, representatives of the firemen’s union tried to push an amendment that also made it mandatory for the landlord to pay for a security inspection by a qualified person, such as a retired fireman.

The amendment was beaten back, but it's a reminder that regulation always serves interests, and the interests are not always public interests.

Tweet