Donald Trump likes to brag about cutting regulations, because regulations are supposed to be a terrible, terrible thing. Here’s what that looks like in real life:
Giants in telecommunications, like Verizon and AT&T, will not have to take “reasonable measures” to ensure that their customers’ Social Security numbers, web browsing history and other personal information are not stolen or accidentally released.
Wall Street banks like Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan Chase will not be punished, at least for now, for not collecting extra money from customers to cover potential losses from certain kinds of high-risk trades that helped unleash the 2008 financial crisis.
And Social Security Administration data will no longer be used to try to block individuals with disabling mental health issues from buying handguns, nor will hunters be banned from using lead-based bullets, which can accidentally poison wildlife, on 150 million acres of federal lands.
Read it and weep—or fast-forward past weeping and go straight to vomiting. Hey, Trump voters, did you think you were voting for your Social Security number to be stolen or accidentally released?
There are lawsuits seeking to block the rollback of some of the protections Trump is slashing, but even if some of those succeed, he is still going to be able to use deregulation to line the pockets of big corporations and hurt consumers, workers, and people who like to breathe clean air and drink clean water and not get shot.