When the government takes money away from business owners, the economy suffers, and most of that money gets wasted by our bureaucratic government. Over-taxing our biggest industries is the reason that so many jobs have been sent over seas. That's the kind of place where local governments know that the way to help the economy is to let business flourish without having to worry about the EPA breathing down their neck.
How can technology make regulation less burdensome? The very technology we depend on in this country was developed by companies that were able to operate with a certain degree of freedom. This is a pie in the sky argument that just doesn't hold water.