Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin has launched a ludicrous anti-regulations effort called "Victims of Government". The first video in the series is below, with many more promised.

A summary of the case doesn't appear to be online from a balanced perspective, but you can wade through an affidavit at [1]. Or, you can just listen to Ron Johnson narrate the video over a piano track more appropriate for a tearjerker on the Lifetime channel. Or, you can see his press release at [2].

Whatever the merits of the first case:

1. If you think regulations are bad, try living without them or with the minimal regulations that Johnson and his backers would prefer. There are over 1000 Superfund sites throughout the U.S., and many of those are due to lower regulations in past years. What's the cost of that, both monetarily and in lives? That doesn't mean that some regulations aren't misguided or need refinement, just that Johnson is only looking at one side of the ledger and that his proposed fix would have a far greater cost for far longer.

2. Johnson's plea for lowered regulations isn't conservative, and it isn't libertarian either. Johnson wants to help big business "privatize the profits and socialize the costs". He would make it easier for big business to pollute, and pollution has a cost. Yet, Johnson wants that cost to be borne by everyone else, not the companies profiting from it.

3. Despite it not being conservative, it's hyped by HotAir [3]. However, this time the person doing the hyping is Allahpundit and not the usual suspect, Erika Johnsen.

4. In either 2012 or from 2007 to 2012 (it's not clear), Johnson's top benefactor was Koch Industries (an energy company); see Koch family for more. Other donors with a financial stake in lowered regulations include: Wausau Homes, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, American Bankers Assn, Oshkosh Corp, and Honeywell International [4]. Opposing Big Government and regulations would help the Koch bottom line. The Kochs responded; early in 2012 their Americans for Prosperity gave Johnson a perfect score [5].

5. Johnson says:

"The root cause of our economic and fiscal problems is the size, the scope, and the cost of government - all the rules, all the regulations, and all the government intrusion into our lives. The Victims of Government series is designed to demonstrate that - in a very personal and powerful way. Over-regulation consumes massive amounts of the people’s money, too often lacks common sense, has no heart, costs jobs and economic growth."

And here you thought the root cause of many of our problems are the same people Johnson is trying to help with this video. By that I don't mean the Steven Lathrops of this world, but the top elites who want to "privatize the profits and socialize the costs" whether it's with pollution, lowered regulations, outsourcing, mass immigration, or all the rest.

-------------------
[1] granitejustice.com/AFFIDAVIT-SandyShaw.pdf
[2] wispolitics.com/index.iml?Article=293072
[3] hotair . com/archives/2013/03/26/video-victims-of-government-steves-story
[4] opensecrets.org/politicians/contrib.php?cycle=2012&type=C&cid=N00032546&newMem=N&recs=20
[5] wisconsingazette.com/breaking-news/
ron-johnson-one-of-five-senators-to-get-a-perfect-score-from-koch-brothers.html