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tled “Over Ruled: The Human Toll of Too Much Law.”

Gorsuch estimates that since 1970, the number of federal crimes on the books has doubled. Per the book, U.S. statutory law runs to 60,000 pages, with another 188,000 pages of regulations, imposing on the American people 9.8 billion man-hours of paperwork annually.

The Supreme Court agreed to hear a challenge by two fishing companies to a rule issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service. The court upheld the challenge, thus overturning the Chevron precedent.

Justice John Roberts in his decision noted that the Chevron precedent is inconsistent with the Administrative Procedure Act, which directs that it is the responsibility of the court, not the federal agency, to decide if the agency is interpreting a statute correctly.

Justice Clarence Thomas weighed in, noting that the Chevron doctrine is an affront to the constitutional division of authority among the three branches of government, giving authority to the executive branch “to exercise powers not given to it.”

It is vital not to forget that the vision of the nation’s founders was a free country. But no matter how brilliantly a constitution is written and designed to limit government, ultimately it is human beings that pass, implement and interpret law.

The outcomes depend on the individuals who do all this.

After Congress passed “Obamacare” in 2010, with no Republican votes, the new law then went to the Department of Health and Human Services for implementation. The provision requiring that providers include preventative care in their plans necessitated a definition of “preventive care.” HHS included in the definition birth control, contraception and sterilization.

In 2015, the court ruled in Obergefell v. Hodges to redefine marriage to include individuals of the same sex. How can we possibly leave it to judges to define what is marriage?

The preamble to the Constitution notes its purpose is to “secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.” But with the decline of faith, government has become the new religion. When citizens want government to run their life, the Constitution will get interpreted to accommodate this.

In 1965, 70% said reli gion is “very important” in their life, and in that year, government consumed 15.9% of GDP.

In 2023, 45% said reli gion is “very important” in their life, and government consumed 22.4% of GDP.

We might say the cost of big government is the price we pay for a heathen society.

Star Parker is president of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education and host of the weekly television show “Cure America with Star Parker.” Her recent book, “What Is the CURE for America?” is available now. To find out more about Star Parker and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.