Cybersecurity Turf War, Strongarm Union Tactics and a Beer Battle in Colorado
President Obama’s chief of cybersecurity quits, citing overbearing control by the Department of Defense’s National Security Agency.
Prominent Democrats come out against changes to union organizing rules that would eliminate secret ballot elections.
Colorado liquor stores team up with small brewers to limit beer sales at grocery stores.
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1. TECHNOLOGY
President Obama’s chief of cybersecurity quits, citing overbearing control by the Department of Defense’s National Security Agency.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Vice President for Policy Wayne Crews on why the government should make room for market solutions:
“We face unprecedented information security vulnerabilities in our hyper-networked, global economy. Leaving the path clear for private, technical, market, and contractual solutions, and avoiding governmental mandates that impede contractual liability and insurance markets, should take priority. Embracing legislation or mandates can mean locking in collective ‘solutions’ that may be hard to correct, undermining information security rather than enhancing it. Policymakers, along with the computing and infrastructure industries, should think carefully before implementing further federal regulation over risk allocation.”
2. LABOR
Prominent Democrats come out against changes to union organizing rules that would eliminate secret ballot elections.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Editorial Director Ivan Osorio on the fight over the mis-named Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA):
“EFCA would replace secret ballot union elections with a process known as card check, in which union organizers ask employees to sign union cards out in the open, exposing employees to the kind of high-pressure tactics secret ballots are designed to avoid. Public opposition began to turn against EFCA as this became known among the public. Now Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) says that Senate Democrats may not have the votes to break a Republican-led filibuster. And former Senator George McGovern has been joined by another prominent Democrat in his opposition to card check, Warren Buffett, who has President Obama’s ear.”
3. BUSINESS
Colorado liquor stores team up with small brewers to limit beer sales at grocery stores.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Policy Analyst Michelle Minton takes down the argument against allowing greater competition:
“The liquor store-craft brew argument is pure bunk. And it isn’t even a new argument. It’s the same old Wal-Mart myth repackaged in a beer cask. The oft heard claim is that a large store (like a Wal-Mart) moves into an area squeezing out smaller Mom-and-Pop competition. The truth is that any business moving into a new market will increase competition within the market. As in the case of Wal-Mart, if grocery stores enter the malt beverage market some independent stores probably will go out of business—but don’t blame the grocery stores. Blame the liquor stores for being uncompetitive; for not finding some way (ether product variety, more convenience hours or location, better advertising) meet the demands of consumers—they should go out of business if they can’t provide what consumers want. The question then is, will craft brewers go out of business as a result of all this change? The answer is the same for the liquor stores: not if they are good craft brewers.”
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