OK boys and girls: What is macaroni?

I'm SO glad you asked.

'Macaroni products are the class of food each of which is prepared by drying formed units of dough made from semolina, durum flour, farina, flour, or any combination of two or more of these, with water and with or without one or more of the optional ingredients specified in paragraphs (a) (1) to (6), inclusive, of this section.' 

At first I laughed.  But a bad case of seriousness set as it dawned on me this is not a joke.

It's actually part of the United States Code of Federal Regulations (21 CFR 139.110 - Macaroni Products).  This means federal regulators actually drafted, debated, and finalized this Reg; it means there is some federal law, somewhere, that the regulators cite as the "authority" to issue this regulation in the first place; and of course it means that the time required for the bureaucracy to perfect this regulatory gem was paid for with our taxes.

OK, admiral, but why is this relevant here?

Only to suggest that we will experience the same kind of mind-boggling and intrusive minutiae when the federales have written the regs under the Affordable Care Act.  

But the PPACA regs will have a truly serious impact on us all.  They will define the conditions under which we as citizens will be permitted to seek medical care, and will direct our physicians in the types of medical care we will be permitted to actually, you know, receive.   Until the end of time.

I can barely contain my enthusiasm.