The U.S. passed the Family and Medical Leave Act in 1993, mandating up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave for those who had been at a company for a year that has over 50 employees.

FORBES: The U.S. Gets Left Behind When It Comes to Working Women

So the U.S. government decided to force the issue by mandating ethanol usage in the Energy Policy Act of 2005.

FORBES: Washington's Foolish Fuel Policy

With the REAL ID Act of 2005, they instituted a de facto national identity system by mandating that records be centralized and state-issued IDs be brought up to a common standard.

FORBES: We Don't Need a National ID Card