Big Screen Ban, U.S. Chamber Politics and Silencing Science
California poised to ban the sale of big-screen televisions.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce launches a new initiative to defend free enterprise and create jobs.
British journalist Simon Singh is sued for libel for critiquing the health claims of chiropractors.
Listen to LibertyWeek, the CEI podcast, here.
1. ENVIRONMENT
California poised to ban the sale of big-screen televisions.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Journalism Fellow Ryan Young on fuzzy thinking behind the ban:
“Commissioner Julia Levin claims the ban ‘will actually save consumers money and help the California economy grow and create new clean, sustainable jobs.’ It is easy to imagine the ban costing TV manufacturing jobs; less so the jobs that would take their place. Fortunately, the ban isn’t terribly enforceable. Consumers can just drive to Arizona, Nevada, or Oregon to get the kind of TV they want. A final point on semantics: what does ‘sustainable’ even mean, anyway? It is a meaningless buzz term, right up there with ‘synergy’ and ‘paradigm.’ This decade’s equivalent of ‘social justice.’”
2. BUSINESS
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce launches a new initiative to defend free enterprise and create jobs.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Adjunct Fellow Fran Smith on the challenges the Chamber has been facing on climate policy:
“The Chamber has been under a lot of pressure recently to cave in to the rent-seekers on global warming policy. Some members of the Climate Action Partnership seeking to profit from cap-and-trade legislation – the utilities Pacific Gas & Electric, PNM Resources and Exelon – bowed out of their Chamber membership. Then, Nike and Apple sanctimoniously dropped their membership. But as the Wall Street Journal noted today, both of those companies would escape onerous energy taxes from global warming legislation because most of their manufacturing is done in countries that don’t yet suppress energy use.”
3. HEALTH
British journalist Simon Singh is sued for libel for critiquing the health claims of chiropractors.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Senior Fellow Gregory Conko on the merits of the case:
“The British Chiropractic Association was none too happy about these criticisms of themselves and their craft. But, instead of accepting the Guardian’s offer to publish a 500-word response and a note in the ‘corrections’ section of the newspaper, the British Chiropractic Association took advantage of Britain’s insane libel laws and sued Singh. Singh, who of course has copious amounts of published scientific research to back up his claims, decided to fight the suit in court. But, due to Britain’s libel laws, he lost. Reasons include the fact that, in the UK, any person or organization with almost any amount of national reputation may bring a libel action for even the slightest deprecation without having to show any actual damages.”
Listen to LibertyWeek, the CEI podcast, here.
