A Second Stimulus, Federal Lands and Al Gore’s Failure

Obama’s transition team denies rumors of a political fight over a second federal stimulus plan.

Lawmakers prepare to vote on a bill to bring more undeveloped land under federal control.  

Al Gore admits that his global warming activism has “failed badly”.  

More headlines: listen to the LibertyWeek podcast.   

1. BUSINESS

Obama’s transition team denies rumors of a political fight over a second federal stimulus plan.

CEI Expert Available to Comment: President Fred L. Smith, Jr. and Center for Entrepreneurship Director John Berlau on how to deal with the threat of global recession:

“…now the bailouts are having their own perverse effects by giving what is seen as a government seal of approval to banks that receive the money and a black mark to those that don’t. The new fear is that depositors may make a rush to safety and pull out of banks not receiving the bailout dough. So the best concrete achievement coming out of [the White House economic summit] would be for governments to agree to a timetable to end the bailouts and denationalize their banks.”

 

2. CONGRESS

Lawmakers prepare to vote on a bill to bring more undeveloped land under federal control.  

CEI Expert Available to Comment: Director of Energy Policy Myron Ebelloppose the legislation: on why Senators should

“By restricting access to land for energy exploration, this legislation is limiting the potential of the economy and directly interfering with America’s entrepreneurial drive. Through the creation of unnecessary new ‘conservation’ programs, millions of additional acres of land will be managed by a vast government bureaucracy and its additional levels of ‘red tape.’ This bill would ultimately force the American taxpayer to fund the purchase of land that could have otherwise been utilized in the private sector.”

 

3. ENVIRONMENT

Al Gore admits that his global warming activism has “failed badly”.

CEI Expert Available to Comment: Senior Fellow Iain Murray on what we can expect from Gore in the future:

“It appears Mr. Gore will not be content until we are all, every last one us, as completely dedicated to global warming mitigation as he is. Yet how is he to instill his required sense of urgency without resorting to shriller and shriller alarmism? His acolytes will almost certainly take up senior positions within the new Administration, but the nation is still likely to balk at the price tag of his solutions.”

 

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