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The 400 Percent Loan, the $36,000 Hotel Room, and the Unicorn

By John Berlau

Is a $16 surcharge on a $100 product unfair, unjust, and “predatory”? Hardly anyone flinches, for instance, at a $16 “resort fee” on a $100 hotel room. But when it comes to short-term loans offered by non-bank institutions, mostly payday loans, politicians call for banning the practice.
Letter to the Editor: McDonald's and Pepsi's Different Response to Pressure

By Fred L. Smith, Jr.

Rather than cave in to critics, McDonald's continues to satisfy consumers while just as importantly defending consumers' right to choose. As a result, it advances both its reputation in the consumer world and its legitimacy in the political world.
Who's the Bigger Regulator: Bush or Obama?

By Clyde Wayne Crews

President Obama’s claim that he’s less of a regulator than Bush is misleading, assuming the Federal Register online database is correct, particularly with respect to its alarming aggregation of economically significant rules.
The Report on Carcinogens

By Richard B. Belzer

There is nothing wrong in principle with publishing periodic reports identifying substances that pose carcinogenic risks to humans. But it would be a mistake to continue basing these reports on scientific knowledge and primitive technology dating from the 1960s.
Obama Channels Cheney

By Iain Murray, David Bier

When Vice President Dick Cheney held secret meetings for his energy task force in the early days of President George W. Bush's first term, he was excoriated by the left and even some on the right.

Daily Update

Vincent Vernuccio talks about the stealth unionization of home health care workers.

John Berlau releases a new OnPoint about payday loans.

Myron Ebell discusses the Sierra Club's attacks on the coal industry.

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