What are some samples of bad US government regulations and good ones?

Bad regulations:

Some of the OSHA stuff gets a little nutty. For example, apparently band-aids have an expiration date, if you have “expired” bandaids in your office’s first aid kit, you can face steep fines (there are dozens of examples of stuff like this). Material Safety Data Sheets are a royal pain. I’m all for having the proper safety equipment for employees, but having expired bandaids isn’t decreasing the safety of the employee should they need one.

Good regulations:
• Regulations that protects the commons from private interests that are externalizing their costs onto everyone.
• Regulations that encourage competition in the marketplace.
• Regulations that are designed to prevent insider trading and market manipulation.
• Regulations that are designed to ensure that financial institutions have sufficient liquidity if there were a major drop in the market.
• Regulations on importing foreign goods (in some instances) and on preventing the introduction of invasive species to our ecosystems.
• Regulations that protect/conserve wildlife.
• Regulations that limit the magnitude of firepower that any individual has access to.
• Regulations that manage airspace and waterways.
• Regulations that manage airwaves for the transmission of signals.

I second @gorillapaws. Bandaids have expiration dates?

^^I’m pretty sure they do. Twinkies on the other hand.

Also my emergency water expires after 5 years.

OSHA sometimes does go too far, but some safety regs are definitely appreciated. Ear protection for people who work in noisy conditions, decent chairs for people who sit all day, required scheduled breaks, I think the government had to step in on a lot of these things.

I’m betting bandaids can lose their adhesive quality over time. I’m sure I’ve used an expired bandaid in my day, but having an expiration date isn’t completely outrageous to me.

Regulations for cribs, playpens, and other items that babies and children are commonly left in alone. Also, baby toys.

Are overtime rules regulations? I think we should consider changing the OT law to 36 hours within the next 5 years depending on technology and unemployment rates.