Why Corporate Outsourcing is Not a Crisis

American corporations that move production facilities outside of the <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" />United States have been taking heat from some politicians and commentators, but much of the criticism is unjustified. New jobs are constantly being created and eliminated by a number of causes, and trade restrictions that penalize companies from investing overseas would only wind up dragging down the economy as a whole – which really would be bad for job growth.

Experts: Fred L. Smith, Jr., President; Christopher C. Horner, Senior Fellow

Bio for Fred L. Smith, Jr. at http://www.cei.org/dyn/view_bio.cfm/32 [2]

Bio for Christopher C. Horner at http://www.cei.org/dyn/view_bio.cfm/148 [3]

Addicted to Tobacco Money

Officials are Trying to Change the Rules of their Game with Cigarette Makers

In the 1998 agreement that the nation’s largest tobacco companies signed with 46 states, they agreed to contribute hundreds of millions of dollars a year to anti-smoking efforts targeted at children.  The payments were only to be made, however, if the market share of the companies in question stayed above a certain level.  Their market share has dropped below the agreed-upon level, but state attorneys general are trying to force the companies to make the payments anyway. 

Expert: Sam Kazman, General Counsel

More information at http://www.cei.org/gencon/023,03909.cfm [4]

Is the FCC Poised for a Power Grab?

Troubling Changes Proposed to Broadcast Decency Standards

Consumers are facing the threat of greater regulation of television and radio broadcasting from Congress and the Federal Communications Commission over allegedly indecent content.  Many of the “solutions” to media indecency being proposed would violate the free expression guarantees of the First Amendment and make government—not consumers—the ultimate arbiter of programming content.

Expert: Braden Cox, Technology Counsel

More information at http://www.cei.org/gencon/003,03905.cfm [5]

The Story Behind Skyrocketing Gas Prices

Federal Regulations Add Their Share to Increasing Costs

With gasoline reaching over $2 a gallon in some cities across the country, many Americans are asking themselves what is responsible for the sharp rise in prices in recent weeks.  Unbeknownst to most Americans, the federal government’s web of rules regulating “boutique” gasoline blends has made it much more difficult to produce the affordable gas and diesel consumers have come to expect.  Special blends of “reformulated” gasoline, new low sulfur requirements, and many other regulations have made refining an increasingly expensive business, especially in the summer months when the rules are even tighter.

Expert: Ben Lieberman, Director of Air Quality Policy

More information at http://www.cei.org/gencon/003,03901.cfm [6]