Postcards: Boats, Bridges, Bars... and the Week Ahead

Pete says it won't be "quick, easy, or cheap." Spoken like a true bureaucrat.

Dear Fellow Expat:

The Francis Scott Key Bridge won’t be “quick, easy, or cheap” to replace.

Those are Pete Buttigieg’s words.

To that… I say… “Of course not.”

Every politician in Maryland has their hand out right now.

China built a mega bridge in 43 hours with 8,000 workers.

And they did it for $1 billion.

We can’t do that.

You see, because of red tape, the U.S. government will likely have to commission a study on the bridge’s impact on diversity and equity.

Do you think I’m kidding?

I’m not.

The Obama administration amended Executive Order 12866 from the original version under the Clinton administration. If significant Federal action and funding is involved…

Executive Order 12866 requires federal agencies to review and assess the costs and benefits of significant regulatory actions to ensure that they are justified and harmonized with the principles outlined in the order.

A "significant regulatory action" is defined in the order as any regulatory action that is likely to result in a rule…