In 1965, flying Los Angeles to San Francisco cost $11.43. Boston to Washington, D.C. — same distance — cost $24.65. The only difference was a state line.
From 1938, the Civil Aeronautics Board decided who could fly where and what they could charge. Between 1950 and 1974, 79 companies applied to start an airline. The Board approved zero.
By 1978 inflation was near 9% and oil prices had nearly quadrupled. Jimmy Carter went on television and said competition was the most powerful weapon against inflation. That day he signed the law phasing out the Board. Within six years average airfares fell — while inflation kept rising everywhere else.
Banking, trucking, and railroads were deregulated in 1980. Reagan continued the work. Then the pile of rules started growing again.
The Jones Act still forces goods between U.S. ports onto American-built ships. Thirty-five states require government permission just to open a hospital. New home regulation adds $132,000 to the price. One in five American workers needs a government license to do their job.
America got rich on competition. It has spent forty years legislating it away. Every time government steps in to make something cheaper, it usually gets more expensive.
Waiting on politicians to use the pen is not a plan. Build a Plan B — a way to live, work, invest, and bank beyond any single government’s bad decisions.
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#Deregulation #Competition #Inflation #PlanB #Carter #Shorts
