Regulation and the Status Quo

It's down to me, yes it is
The way she does just what she's told
Down to me, the change has come
She's under my thumb
--The Rolling Stones

Nice point made by Jeffrey Tucker. He observes that government-imposed regulations "freeze the status quo in place and make it permanent."

Not sure I would go quite that far. Innovations can still happen in regulated environments, as Tucker's own incandescent light bulb example demonstrates. Whether due to man's innate desire to improve, or merely to satisfy demand in black markets erected by regulation, progress is still likely to occur over time.

But regulation in all of its forms certainly slows it down. Regulation is harmful. It hurts people and can cost lives directly or via opportunity costs.

Ironically, people who champion regulation are often self-identify as 'progressives.' In reality the regulatory actions of these people restrain progress and preserve the status quo.