We owe to Henry Hazlitt the insight that we do not see what wonders would be, if the government was less active. We see the bridge that the government builds with our tax money. But we do not see the refrigerators, televisions and vacations that the taxpayers would have had if they had not been taxed to build the bridge. The same insight applies to government regulation.
The CEO of Oura, an increasingly popular ring that collects health data, has penned a brief op-ed, telling us a couple of features that Oura would now have if they were regulated less:
With a reformed regulatory structure, Oura customers could already be benefiting from a range of advanced features, including screening for high blood pressure. Hypertension is one of the most significant risk factors for heart disease and stroke, while high blood pressure in pregnancy can signal pre-eclampsia, a complication that endangers mother and baby. Another primed capability, sleep-apnea detection, would give users an early-warning tool for a condition that often goes undiagnosed and can lead to serious complications.
The CEO of Oura’s op-ed is:
(Note: the online version of the op-ed has the date Dec. 19, 2025, and has the same title as the print version.)
Henry Hazlitt’s great little book, mentioned in my comments, is:
Hazlitt, Henry. Economics in One Lesson. Irvington-on-Hudson, NY: The Foundation for Economic Education, Inc., 1952.