the amount of mental gymnastics and extrapolating they go through to explain something backwards from the conclusion “regulation is universally bad” is astounding. i knew a guy who said that seatbelt regulations actively make cars less safe. when i asked him to explain, he said that it prevents car manufacturers from inventing new, potentially more effective safety mechanisms that might get in the way of seatbelts. when i asked him if he knew of any better alternatives to seatbelts that were being hindered by seatbelt regulations, he basically said “idk, but i have faith that the free market will come up with something.”