The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News
1. ENVIRONMENT
A new study suggests a connection between global warming and stronger hurricanes.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Senior Fellows Marlo Lewis and Iain Murray on Hurricane Katrina and current global warming science:
“A year on, global warming alarmists are still exploiting Hurricane Katrina and the intense hurricane season of 2005 for political purposes. Contrary to what they say, the science linking global warming with hurricanes remains a field of active inquiry and dispute. Moreover, diverting precious resources into policies designed to reduce global warming rather than strengthen our resiliency in the face of hurricanes actually harms people in hurricane-prone areas. Instead, government policies should concentrate on reducing perverse incentives that encourage development in hurricane-prone areas.”
2. INTERNET
Facebook upgrades user privacy controls in response to customer concerns.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Technology Analyst Peter Suderman on regulation of social networking websites:
“With the advent of social networking Web sites like MySpace, the Web is no longer just an extension of the office — it’s a vast virtual playground where individuals of all ages can meet up and chill out. But recent calls for the government to place restrictions and requirements on sites like MySpace would march out the government hall monitors, forcing MySpace to become TheirSpace.”
3. TRADE
Delegates to the World Trade Organization pledge to renew contentious negotiations over farm subsidies.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Adjunct Fellow Fran Smith on the outlook for a new trade agreement:
“Good news from Down-Under — Australia and the Cairns Group are taking the lead in trying to resuscitate the WTO’s collapsed Doha Round. It may seem strange that a country on the Pacific Ocean is attempting to bridge the transatlantic gap between the U.S. and the European Union on agricultural issues. But the Cairns Group of 18 agricultural exporting countries has a 20-year history of being a key player in pushing for agricultural reform.”
Blog feature: For more news and analysis, updated throughout the day, visit CEI Open Market.
Watch the latest video episode from the Bureaucrash Activist Network: Vodcrash #3.