CEI Today: Labor unions v Obama DOJ, debit card fees, Windsorgate news, and Germany legalizes Bitcoin

OBAMA DOJ vs LABOR UNIONS – MARC SCRIBNER

Openmarket.org: Labor Unions Blast Obama’s American Airlines-US Airways Merger Lawsuit

Last Tuesday, the Department of Justice and six state attorneys general filed suit to block the planned merger of American Airlines and US Airways. One of the more interesting aspects of this case is who is not supporting the Obama administration: organized labor.

 

DEBIT CARD PRICE CONTROLS – JOHN BERLAU

Openmarket.org: Price Controls Should be Looser and Eventually Repealed

The Federal Reserve is reportedly appealing Judge Leon’s ruling to make the Durbin Amendment debit card price controls from Dodd-Frank more draconian. CEI’s John Berlau explains why that’s a terrible move.

 

WINDSORGATE – CHRISTOPHER HORNER

Former EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson Has Hired a Lawyer ‘Because She Needs One’

Former EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson has hired an attorney to represent her in a congressional investigation into her use of private and secret email addresses to conduct agency business, according to media reports. Jackson resigned Dec. 27 after Christopher C. Horner, senior fellow at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, revealed she had used the name ‘Richard Windsor’ in email correspondence to avoid having her emails subject to Freedom of Information Act requests.

 

BITCOIN – IAIN MURRAY

Openmarket.org: Germany Legalizes Bitcoin: Competing Currencies Are Here!

While Thailand may have banned Bitcoin, the electronic currency — although some are not so sure — the economic powerhouse of Germany has just made it legal tender.

We are glad that Germany has decided to follow the advice of Hayek and Tamm. Given that so many Germans were reluctant to give up the Deutschmark in favor of the Euro, it will be interesting to see how many individuals and businesses start using it as their “unit of account.”