I was once testifying before the Oregon House Ways and Means committee about increasing the budget for the Wage and Hour division of the Bureau of Labor. This was during one of the cyclical budget squeezes and I was told it was a tough sell.

(I started out by saying "Hell hath no fury like a vested interest masquerading as a moral imperative. I have a vested interest here which I'll present as a moral imperative." The entire committee roared.)

Anyway, I asked for money for another enforcement officer. I said it's not to punish the employers who do not follow the standards. Another enforcement officer is needed to allow those employers who do live up to the laws you pass to compete fairly against those who don't.

That was the only budget increase for the Bureau of Labor they approved that year.

A "free market" needs a level playing field. And there will always be people who chisel. That means some regulation.

Would have worked even 200 years ago, not now I'm afraid. Great idea whose time has passed.