Happy Repeal Day, Australia!

Politicians are often judged by the new laws they create, banning this and regulating that. But laws get in the way; they stop people from doing things.

And since the destructive activities from which we need government to protect us are fairly few , often that means stopping , or interfering with, good , productive activities .

One of the best things politicians can do, then, is get rid of destructive laws and regulations. The Australian government’s Repeal Day is an effort not only to do that, but to call attention to it—to say that the repeal of bad laws is a political accomplishment worth celebrating, and to make it one by which Prime Minister Tony Abbott and his team will be judged.

When you take more than a passing glance, Repeal Day turns out to be less exciting than it sounds at first: some of the regulations targeted for repeal are especially stupid, and regulations embodying the same rights-restricting principles are being left in place. For example, the Australian government will stop requiring that the theatrical, 3D, and DVD versions of movies each be rated—but it won’t stop requiring that movies have government ratings , it’ll just let one rating cover all the different formats.

Nevertheless, the fact that a government is focusing on repealing laws and regulations—and celebrating that—is something to celebrate.

One peculiar thing, though: Apparently some Australians think the U.S. Congress has repeal days on a regular basis. So far as I can tell, it doesn’t. That’s a mistake on the part of some Australians—and a bigger mistake on the part of the U.S. Congress.

EXPLORE:

• William R Thomas, What Is the Objectivist View of Law and Government?
• Alexander R. Cohen, Business Rights Center blog posts on Taxation and Regulation

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