Quote of the day...

Quote of the day...  From Conor Friedersdorf, writing at The Atlantic:

The power to require permits is the power to prevent something from ever existing.

That short, simple sentence beautifully sums up the prosperity-sapping friction of one kind of government regulation: building permits.  Once the form is defined, one can easily coin the equivalent for any regulatory process.  For instance, my take on professional licensing:

The power to require professional licenses is the power to prevent someone from ever pursuing their chosen career.

Do go read Mr. Friedersdorf's entire piece – it's a peach...