Drilling Permits, Pennsylvannia Liquor Regulations, and the Regulation of the Day

Drilling Permits

If the Obama Administration wanted to “create” jobs, it could restore the number of offshore drilling permits to what it was before the Gulf spill.

Research Associate Matthew Melchiorre explains.

“After failing to abate sky-high unemployment with the $823 billion Keynesian disaster (a.k.a. The Stimulus) and with two rounds of quantitative easing, the government has a chance to finally do something that will put Americans back to work and will contribute to sustainable growth. The Obama administration should set aside its unfounded fears of sudden disaster and take advantage of such an easy opportunity to do good.”

Pennsylvania Liquor Regulations

Last week, Republican State Senator Mike Turzai unveiled legislation that would privatize the ownership and management of the state’s liquor stores.

Policy Analyst Michelle Minton explains what the legislation would do.

“The proposal would privatize wholesale operations and sell off all of the state-owned and -operated liquor stores. It would also eliminate the 18 percent Johnstown Flood tax, the ridiculously outdated mandate I wrote about earlier. It would also end the state’s 30 percent mark-up on products and institute a per-gallon excise tax between $8.25 and $12 a gallon, depending on product type. That’s quite a bit lower than the current $55 per-gallon tax the state currently draws from liquor.”

Regulation of the Day

Fellow in Regulatory Studies Ryan Young presents the latest Regulation of the Day—an Illinois regulation regarding the waistband height of pants.

Read here.