Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day for April 5, 2018

Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day

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By Scott Rasmussen

The Number of the Day columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.

April 5, 2018: The Mercatus Center recently released five steps it believes would lead to better decision-making at regulatory agencies:

“

Avoid “ready-fire-aim” rulemaking, in which decisions are made first, and then economists are expected to produce a benefit-cost analysis that supports those decisions. Ensure the independence of economists (and other analysts) and give them incentives to conduct objective analysis. For example, have economists work in a separate office or bureau, and make sure they are not supervised by the policy staff who write the regulations that the economists will evaluate. Establish agency-wide standards for regulatory impact analysis that outline the topics that the analysis must cover and establish expectations for quality. Explain how the economic analysis affected decisions about the regulation. Invite the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs to review the regulations and the accompanying analysis, just as it does for executive branch regulations.

”

This comes at a time when 60% of Americans believe that “unelected or appointed government officials have too much influence in determining federal policy.” Just 26% believe the balance between elected and unelected officials is about right.

Additionally, 47% definitely believe there is a “group of unelected government and military officials who secretly manipulate or direct national policy." Another 27% believe such a secret group probably exists.

Ballotpedia's Administrative State Project provides information about the administrative and regulatory activities of the United States government. It also covers concepts, laws, court cases, executive orders, scholarly work, and other material related to the administrative state. Click here to learn more about this project.

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Each weekday, Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day explores interesting and newsworthy topics at the intersection of culture, politics, and technology.

• April 4, 2018 – 50 years ago today, Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated
• April 3, 2018 – 8 Democratic Senate seats at risk in midterm elections
• April 2, 2018 – 25 constitutional amendments may be proposed to Florida voters
• March 30, 2018 – 71% of Americans identify as Christians
• March 29, 2018 – 12 Republican governorships at risk in midterm elections
• To see other recent numbers, check out the archive.

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Scott Rasmussen’s Number of the Day is published by Ballotpedia weekdays at 8:00 a.m. Eastern. Click here to check out the latest update.

The Number of the Day is broadcast on local stations across the country. An archive of these broadcasts can be found here.

Columns published on Ballotpedia reflect the views of the author.

Ballotpedia is the nonprofit, nonpartisan Encyclopedia of American Politics.

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See also

• Scott Rasmussen's Number of the Day
• Ballotpedia's administrative state coverage