The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update

Issues in the News

1. TOBACCO

A federal judge finds cigarette companies at fault for deceptive marketing. 

CEI Expert Available to Comment: Policy Analyst Brooke Oberwetter on the absurdities of liberal reasoning about smoking. 

“Apparently, being a good American liberal requires sacrificing all of one’s personal wants after basic necessities are met… This is so absurd on its face that it flies past being comic and finds itself quickly in the land of sad. Let’s follow this thinking: “A good liberal would never consider X, because X is a clear instance of sacrificing the public good in favor of personal desires.”

2. INTERNET

An anticrime organization pressures Congress to enact legislation to fight “cyberbullying.”

CEI Expert Available to Comment: Technology Analyst Peter Suderman on how restrictions on social networking websites would weaken parental authority.

“The best age verification system is parental oversight, and parents should be wary of any rules that give the government more power over what their children can do.  Proponents of such restrictions would do best to refocus their energies on encouraging parents to watch over their children’s activities rather than trying to turn that authority over to the government.”

3. TECHNOLOGY

Microsoft is scheduled to release a software patch in response to hacker attacks on its Windows operating system.

CEI Expert Available to Comment: Director of Technology Studies Clyde Wayne Crews, Jr. and Policy Analyst Brooke Oberwetter on how cybersecurity concerns can best be solved with private solutions. 

Blog feature: For more news and analysis, updated throughout the day, visit CEI Open Market.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

To contact a CEI expert for comment or interviews, please call the CEI communications department at 202-331-2273 or email to [email protected].