CEI Daily Update
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Friday, January 25, 2008
Issues in the News
1. SCIENCE
A new study finds that warmer oceans could lead to fewer hurricanes striking the United States in the future.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Senior Fellow Marlo Lewis on claims that global warming has created more destructive hurricanes:
“Roger Pielke, Jr. of the University of Colorado finds that once hurricane damage is normalized for changes in population, wealth, and the consumer price index, there is no long-term change in hurricane damage—evidence against the hypothesis that hurricanes are becoming more destructive.”
2. LABOR
Allegations of voter intimidation by union officials surface in Nevada.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Editorial Director Ivan Osorio on why the allegations come as no surprise:
“So union bosses try to bully their members into backing their preferred candidates — no surprise there; that’s how they often wield political clout. What’s surprising is hearing Democratic politicians who have long enjoyed union support talking about it so openly. Such shenanigans aren’t new, and will likely occur again during the general election, so I’m grateful for Bill Clinton’s admission, since it exposes the mendacity of liberal Democrats’ support of the mandatory card-check bill perversely known as the ‘Employee Free Choice Act.’”
3. TECHNOLOGY
FCC Commissioner Michael Copps sends mixed messages on whether wireless carriers should be required to maintain “open” networks.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Technology Policy Analyst Cord Blomquist on why we need to privatize broadcast spectrum:
“Regardless of the subtleties of commissioner speak, however, open access rules are just another short term solution to a long term problem. Open access, net neutrality, and other proposals ignore the real problem with the wireless communications market in America – there isn’t one. Sure, we have a market for broadcast towers, radio receivers, satellite radio, RC cars, and a host of other devices, but the spectrum that those devices used are controlled by the Federal Communications Commission, the commissars of broadcast technology.”
Blog feature: For more news and analysis, updated throughout the day, visit CEI’s blog, Open Market.
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