Does Regulation Destroy Innovation Or Save It?

With election day fast approaching, entrepreneurs will soon have a chance to cast a vote for president that in some way expresses how they feel about the government’s role in fostering innovation.

The question—should government devote resources to developing innovative products or should it let the private sector control the landscape—was brought into focus this week through a pair of news events: a speech by the chief technology officer of the United States and a story about government being used to stifle one of the country's most innovative companies.

On Tuesday, Todd Park, the government's second-ever CTO—a position created by President Obama—who also holds the unofficial title of tech entrepreneur in residence for the United States Government, spoke at the monthly gathering of the New York Tech Meetup...