by Richard Morrison
November 2, 2009
1. CONSUMER
California
regulators move to ban
plasma screen TVs.
CEI Expert Available
to Comment: Energy Policy Analyst William Yeatman on the
thinking behind
the ban:
“The commission's TV standards are part of California's 30-year war on energy
consumption, which has influenced the appliance, automobile and housing
markets, among others. To hear California
politicians tell it, the Golden
State's energy efficiency
policies have been an enormous success. As ‘proof,’ they often note that the
average Californian consumes 40 percent less electricity than the average
American. However, this is a misleading claim, because there are many factors
besides energy efficiency standards that have resulted in California's relatively low per capita
electricity consumption, including the state's mild climate, urbanization and
high household density.”
2. HEALTH
Media reports offer tips for avoiding
exposure to the H1N1 strain of influenza.
CEI Expert Available
to Comment: Adjunct Analyst Michael
Fumento on the latest
flu statistics:
“The Flu Count Website shows 1,200 U.S. deaths
since the early April outbreak according to media reports. Worldwide it shows
only 7,000. (Unfortunately, the site also says it provides official CDC
numbers, though I verified that it does not.) That’s about the number the CDC
estimates who die of seasonal flu every five days during season and worldwide
the number who die of seasonal flu every seven days. On campuses cases rose
last week by a third according to the American College Health Association, but
the number of cases per student isn’t dramatically higher than it was in the
second week of September.”
3. POLITICS
Pundits speculate on whether Tuesday’s off-year elections
will boost
the prospects of the Republican party.
CEI Expert Available
to Comment: President Fred
L. Smith, Jr. on what Republicans
should be focusing on going forward:
“Republicans must reject the ‘do something by expanding
government’ approach. Americans want solutions, not more bureaucracy. They have
always had doubts about ‘big’ institutions. Republicans should be critical of
subsidized Big Business. However, they should also realize that the biggest
institutions are not economic, but political. Republicans should make it clear
that ‘doing something’ about the problems we face often means government doing
less.”
Listen to LibertyWeek,
the CEI podcast, here.
Blog feature: For more news and analysis, updated throughout the day, visit CEIs blog, Open Market.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
To contact a CEI expert for comment or interviews, please call the CEI communications department at 202-331-2273 or email to pr@cei.org.
