Obama Administration Crushing Economic Growth Wherever it Can

By Brad O'Leary

Big economic policy decisions like interest rate changes, bailouts, stimulus bills, and the like tend to grab all the headlines. However, the Obama administration's negative impact on the economy is much more expansive than the big ticket failures. Every federal regulatory agency under President Obama has a role to play in crushing the American dream, and the Environmental Protection Agency takes its part seriously.

On April 22, the EPA unleashed its latest regulatory rule to equal parts laughter and scorn. Titled "Lead: Renovation, Repair and Painting," the Washington Examiner reports: "The rule requires that any renovation to any building built before 1978 affecting six or more square feet of paint must be overseen by a government-certified renovator and conducted by a government certified renovation firm."

This sweeping rule would apply to anyone (general contractors, painters, electricians, plumbers, carpenters, or home owners) who "disturbs painting."

The absurdity doesn't stop there.

As the Examiner tells us, as of April 22, the date the rule went into effect, the EPA only had 204 certified lead paint trainers (experts, mind you, in the science of dipping a paintbrush or roller into a bucket) on its staff. That's 204 EPA instructors for the millions of workers who generate roughly 18 percent of our nation's annual gross domestic product.

One wonders if the EPA measures success by how many private sector jobs it eliminates…seriously.