Satellite Radio, Mortgage Bailout and Union Organizing
The Federal Communications Commission continues to stall the merger of XM and Sirius satellite radio companies amid antitrust concerns.
The New York Times reports that a bailout of government-backed mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could cost taxpayers more than $25 billion.
Unions lobby for an end to secret ballot elections in union organizing.
1. TECHNOLOGY
The Federal Communications Commission continues to stall the merger of XM and Sirius satellite radio companies amid antitrust concerns.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Vice President for Policy Wayne Crews on why antitrust law amounts to corporate welfare for competitors:
“Antitrust regulations did not work in the smokestack era, and they do not work now. Today, the temptation is great for competitors to go to Washington and cry foul instead of, well, competing. The media market is more competitive than ever. Not too long ago, broadcast radio was the only game in town. That has changed with the advent of satellite radio and the Internet. Old radio does not like this, but broadcasters can still buckle down and compete. What a shame that instead of bettering their product they try to kneecap their competitors.”
2. PRIVACY
The New York Times reports that a bailout of government-backed mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac could cost taxpayers more than $25 billion.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Center for Entrepreneurship Director John Berlau on what else is in the legislation:
“While pretty steep, $25 billion of our tax dollars isn’t the only thing many Americans could lose in the just-unveiled mortgage bailout bill likely being voted on later today in the House of Representatives. They could lose valuable liberties as well. Despite opposition from a bipartisan coalition including the American Civil Liberties Union and the American Conservative Union, the bill just now being e-mailed around House offices includes a mandatory fingerprint registry. Legions of ordinary Americans working in the banking, mortgage and real estate industries would have to send their fingerprints to the feds for continuous ‘tracking.’”
3. LABOR
Unions lobby for an end to secret ballot elections in union organizing.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Editorial Director Ivan Osorio on the threat to workers’ freedom:
“[Earlier this week], the Senate Republican Conference held a hearing on an ongoing attempt to undermine the secret ballot process in union organizing elections. Specifically at issue is the grossly misnamed Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA), which would allow unions to circumvent elections through a process known as ‘card check,’ whereby the union can organize a workplace by getting a majority of employees to sign union cards — in public, in front of union organizers, who give workers a high-pressure pitch.”