Auto Bailout, Global Warming Controversy and Free Trade
Senators vote down a bailout proposal for U.S. auto companies.
Czech President Vaclav Klaus criticizes a new European agreement on global warming as “a silly luxury.”
Five former presidents of Spanish-speaking countries call on President-elect Obama to support free trade policies in Latin America.
More headlines: listen to the LibertyWeek podcast.
1. BUSINESS
Senators vote down a bailout proposal for U.S. auto companies.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Senior Fellow Iain Murray on how Congress can help the auto industry without spending any taxpayer money:
“There are hundreds of regulations that Congress and agencies have imposed on the auto industry, driving up their costs unnecessarily…These rules and all those from previous years need to be reanalyzed in the light of the industry’s troubles to see whether they should be repealed, suspended or weakened. In particular, attention should be paid to their aggregate effect on the industry. A deregulatory bailout would save the industry billions, and also save thousands of lives.”
2. ENVIRONMENT
Czech President Vaclav Klaus criticizes a new European agreement on global warming as “a silly luxury.”
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Energy Policy Analyst William Yeatman on the danger of giving the government ever more control over energy use:
“The socialization of the electricity sector would cost trillions in taxpayer money. Government would have to expropriate millions of hectares of land upon which to build enough solar panels, wind turbines, and transmission towers to get these new sources of power to the masses. If the alarmists get their way, developing countries, too, would be forced to adopt expensive energy policies. Economists predict an 80 percent increase in global energy demand by 2050 will cause global greenhouse gas emissions to grow by 70 percent. Almost all the increase in energy demand and emissions will come from developing countries, where a quarter of the global population currently lacks access to electricity.”
3. INTERNATIONAL
Five former presidents of Spanish-speaking countries call on President-elect Obama to support free trade policies in Latin America.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Adjunct Analyst Fran Smith on how they made their case:
“In their [recent] editorial in the Wall Street Journal, José Maria Aznar (Spain), Vicente Fox (Mexico), Andrés Pastrana (Colombia), Julio Maria Sanguinetti (Uruguay), and Franciso Flores (El Salvador) pointed out that ‘Free trade is one way to help prevent the resurgence of autocracy in the region.’ The former leaders called on President-elect Obama to support their efforts in realizing a common dream based on democratic values and principles. That plea is especially apt when these few Latin American countries are surrounded by or adjacent to leftist governments increasingly hostile to the U.S.”
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