Grover Beach streamlines development review process

You err greatly in your generalizations about the nature and motivations of business people. We are not all the same. We are also not all getting government aid — at least not any more than any private citizen. There are many MAJOR corporations that fit your description (although by no means all) but small businesses are also “private sector.” If you want to aid businesses that “provide some societal function” you might as well check out China for the ideological consequences of that line of thinking. Why not make a decision about what comprises a “societal function” on the basis of political alliance or bribery?. (We are headed in that direction already.)

Have you ever owned a “legitimate” business — i.e. one with all the applicable permits, licenses and registrations? From your comments, I doubt it — or you were lucky enough to have a business with minimal government oversight. I have a small, one-man service business which requires licensing by every local government in whose territory I operate, by the city in which my business is located (zoning, fire-inspection) by separate county and state agencies for different aspects of my business as well as tax agencies. I intentionally designed my business model to not sell material items to customers to spare myself the hassle of sales tax and, for now, I contract for any labor I need to avoid the numerous agencies, state and federal, which take an active role in regulating employers. It isn’t so much the cost (except Workman’s Comp.) but more the enormous amount of time required that discourages me. I must research the regulations, iron out conflicts (some really obscure and trivial), file numerous forms and reports, pay bills and keep up on all the changes that are made — often on an annual basis.

Then there is the lack of consistency in regulations, reporting formats and payment period schedules which add up to wasted time and accidental errors if my focus is diverted at the wrong time by something as unimportant as my customers’ needs.

I don’t have a problem with regulations that serve a non-trivial purpose and are designed with reasonable consideration for the time and expense of the regulated business owner. The problem is who decides what is “reasonable” or “non-trivial.” Too often it is some bureaucrat with a vested interest in maintaining and expanding his/her authority and position. (For some it might be subconscious but it still exists and the human mind is very good at rationalizing things that aid ego-based desires.)

I realize that making regulations too simple or enforcement too lax invites the unethical to work around them. But the other extreme discourages those of us who want to operate ethically from being in business at all. Maybe instead of relying on nit-picking rules and mindless, bureaucratic adherence too them, society would be better off with tougher penalties for those who intentionally violate the rules — tough enough to put them out of business and perhaps in jail. (I am fine with major reform of corporate governance regulations to increase legal responsibilities of execs and board members, but I doubt that it will occur given the degree of influence corporations have at all levels of government currently.)