[AnthonyMouse]

> Snark aside, that doesn't dispute the thesis that regulations tend to favor incumbents.

Not only that, even auto safety regulations do favor incumbents. There were far more new independent car companies created before the 1970s when the safety regulations were passed, and they were often created by small groups of people rather than huge established companies.

It's possible that the safety improvement is worth that cost, but that doesn't mean the cost isn't still there.

When we start talking about other industries where the result isn't literally a matter of life and death, it becomes much more likely that the cost outweighs the benefit. You're essentially talking about destroying competition -- the same competition that keeps companies from doing things you don't like.

If you want to pass regulations that destroy competition, those regulations had better prevent companies from doing more evil on net than competitive pressure does. Which is a pretty high bar.