As the Democrat presidential candidates run on a platform of essentially banning capitalism and replacing it with massive government-run welfare programs, one factor often overlooked is the hidden regulatory cost on the public at large, beyond government spending. Just how much savings has Trump’s deregulation crusade brought, and what would be the impact if those savings were reversed?

Cornerstone Macro’s Andy Laperriere notes, “The cost of new regulations is down more than 80% since Trump took office, which amounts to close to $100 billion less — each year — in the cost to the private sector of new government rules.” He adds, “The number of economically significant rules, those estimated to impose $100 million or more in costs to the private sector, are down about 75% under Trump. The number of pages in the Federal Register, another measure of the burden of complying with new government rules, has seen the biggest two-year decline since records have been kept.”

Laperriere then observes that Democrat plans such as the Green New Deal would create a regulatory nightmare for all Americans. As a result, the cost of doing business in America would increase exponentially. So, beyond an increase in taxes to pay for all the “free stuff” Democrats promise, and beyond reversing all of the savings Trump’s deregulation has brought, the price of doing business would also increase due to a wave of new regulations. It’s not a pretty picture.