by Richard Morrison
November 6, 2009
1. ENVIRONMENT
Senate Democrats win committee approval of a “cap-and-trade”
bill to reduce U.S.
greenhouse gases over the objection of Republicans.
CEI Expert Available
to Comment: Director
of Energy and Global Warming Policy Myron
Ebell on the politics of the
vote:
“We
congratulate Chairman Boxer and the committee’s Democrats for their
methods. They have so poisoned the atmosphere in the Senate that the
terrible Kerry-Boxer bill is now dead. We also congratulate Senator James
Inhofe (R-OK) and the committee’s other Republicans for their steadfast
opposition. They have made clear that the Democrats cannot move this
catastrophic bill without violating the Senate’s rules.”
2. BUSINESS
The House Financial Services Committee voted to exempt
small public companies from onerous auditing requirements.
CEI Expert Available
to Comment: Director of Center for Investors and Entrepreneurs John Berlau on the bipartisan
move:
“A day after the wrap-up of some
hard-fought elections, the Obama administration and 37 Republicans and Democrats
on the House Financial Service Committee should be praised for coming together
and passing what can be called a true bipartisan stimulus. The committee passed
an amendment to the Investor Protection Act to permanently exempt smaller
public companies from the burdensome and counterproductive mandates of
Sarbanes-Oxley’s broadly defined ‘internal controls.’”
3. LEGAL
A Massachusetts
town makes it illegal to own
more than three cats without a license.
CEI Expert Available
to Comment: Journalism Fellow Ryan Young on an alternate solution to
pet-related disputes:
“Having solved all of the
community’s other problems, regulators now have the time to turn their
attention to what is apparently a spat between neighbors. One resident is upset
that the 15 cats owned by a neighboring woman have been sullying his yard. A
fiat decision in favor of one party will leave at least one disputant
dissatisfied. In this case, the cat lady is looking to move to a different
town. Why not treat both parties as equals with rights to need to be respected?
That approach is far more likely to generate an outcome everyone is happy
with.”
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