by Christine Hall
September 5, 2007

Issues in the News

1.  HEALTH AND SAFETY

A recent study suggests that additional increases in cigarette taxes won’t cut smoking by poor people; it will just leave them poorer as a result of the added financial burden. CEI Expert Available to Comment: Legal Counsel Hans Bader on a solution that might actually work:

“ ...  replace existing cigarette taxes with a new one designed to discourage cigarette consumption by young people rather than further burden the poor.” 

2. ENVIRONMENT

Environmental groups this week launched a new lawsuit against energy firms to force changes in the energy industry.  CEI Expert Available to Comment: Director of Risk and Environmental Policy Angela Logomasini on the staggering successes of the environmental movement in getting new laws and regulations enacted:

“Over the years, the environmental lobby has advanced a considerable number of laws—leading to the passage of hundreds of environmental statutes. But the legacy does not end there; a great many of these laws require federal agencies to issue regulations on an ongoing basis.”

3.  REGULATION

As Congress is on the verge of reworking the $85-billion student loan program run by the federal government, Sen. Ted Kennedy released a report this week criticizing the integrity of the program.  CEI Expert Available to Comment:  Center for Entrepreneurship Director John Berlau on how Kennedy's plan for pushing the private sector out is a plan for disaster:

“To Kennedy, who is once again chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions, or HELP committee, the problem isn’t the fact of government interference or subsidies, but the fact that private banks are still involved at all.”

Blog feature: For more news and analysis, updated throughout the day, visit CEI’s blog, Open Market.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

To contact a CEI expert for comment or interviews, please call the CEI communications department at 202-331-2258  or email to chall@cei.org.

Blog feature: For more news and analysis, updated throughout the day, visit CEI�s 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.