by Richard Morrison
December 10, 2009
1. ENVIRONMENT
The Environmental Protection Agency finds that greenhouse
gases endanger human health and welfare.
CEI Expert Available
to Comment: Senior Fellows Marlo
Lewis and Iain Murray on
the consequences for
the U.S. economy:
“The finding paves the way for a
huge power grab by EPA bureaucrats -- indeed, more power than even they
think they can handle: The likely regulatory cascade will end up with the EPA
having complete control over the nation's energy supply and its use. Large
apartment buildings and hospitals would need EPA operating permits to continue
running their furnaces. Lawnmowers and aircraft alike would be regulated for
fuel economy like automobiles. And as the EPA orders a retooling or even
closure of the nation's power plants, electricity prices would skyrocket, and
blackouts would become common. If you wanted to design an anti-stimulus
package, you'd be hard-pressed to top this.”
2. HEALTH
The Senate may vote to repeal health insurance companies’
longstanding exemption
from antitrust laws.
CEI Expert Available
to Comment: Senior Fellow Gregory
Conko on why the repeal would hurt consumers
and small businesses:
“Federalizing
antitrust enforcement over the insurance industry would jeopardize
state-sanctioned practices that help small insurers compete. Ironically,
repealing the federal antitrust exemption could result in further consolidation
by jeopardizing programs that help level the playing field for the smallest
insurers.”
3. ECONOMY
Pat Buchanan calls for an immediate moratorium on
immigration as an economic
stimulus measure.
CEI Expert Available
to Comment: Policy Analyst Alex Nowrasteh on the economic benefits of immigration:
“As of
2008, one-third of all companies founded in Silicon Valley
had Indians or Chinese immigrants as co-founders. Overall, 52.4 percent of all
Silicon Valley firms started by 2005 had one or more immigrants as a key
founder, compared with a California
average of 38.8 percent. Mr. Buchanan does not employ economic reasoning or
facts to support his contention that limiting immigration will give Americans
jobs. Immigrants create businesses and products that employ many millions of
Americans.”
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