Last night, while watching the local CBS evening news, I was shocked to see a story about Manhattan residents complaining about the recent wave of construction in the city.

Most people are not aware of this, but the real estate business is literally keeping the US economy from sinking. Yes, construction sights can be a little noisy and dirty, but wait until the shiny new building opens for business. Plus, think of how many steelworkers, etc. have honest work in the meantime.

What really got to me, though, was that one NYC Councilwoman suggested that the real issue was planning. She is upset that so many projects are going on simultaneously.

So are we to create a new local or federal bureaucracy dedicated to keeping an eye on construction sites and making sure that only a certain number are open at any given time?

Balderdash. Waves of construction happen for a reason: there is a demand for new real estate. Staggering permits would only slow down economic progress, which the US and NY especially need nowadays.

I hate stupidity combined with a proclivity to support more regulation (or do I repeat myself?). This is exactly like horse buggy owners asking the government to intervene because too many jobs were being lost to those new fangled autos (I doubt this actually happened, though given today's political climate it certainly would).