It's not the amount of regulation that matters, it's the intent. Is it written to benefit a greater good, or written to benefit a political party's benefactor? The same applies to removing regulations. Where did the intent lie? New regulation and repeal are most often shades of grey --bad mixed with good in terms of overall consequences, disproportionately helping a few at some expense to the many. That's what happens when minority interests with a lot of money are overrepresented in government, lobbyists write bills, etc.