The American Spectator
Financial Experts: Dodd-Frank Exacerbates Instability
These were the standout insights from a panel discussion hosted by the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) on April 11. The gathering focused on the Financial…
News Release
CEI Unveils Original Cartoon Series: Unions vs. The Johnsons
Washington, D.C., May 3, 2013 – Organized labor exerts a pernicious influence on the economic lives of all Americans, even those who don’t belong to…
Online Media Daily
Watchdogs Ask Court to Reject ‘Sponsored Stories’ Settlement
Online Media Daily discusses the Center for Class Action Fairness' objection to the settlement deal in the Facebook privacy case. The law firm Center for…
Blog
CEI Podcast For May 2, 2013: Small Business Owners Sue Over IRS Obamacare Power Grab
Small business owners and individuals in six states, with help from CEI, are suing the IRS over what General Counsel Sam Kazman calls a flagrantly…
Legal Brief
CEI v. EPA Region 9 – May 2 Complaint
Full Document Available in PDF 1) This is an action under the Freedom of Information Act (“FOIA”), 5 U.S.C. § 552, to…
Blog
The Costs Of Union Shareholder Activism
Is shareholder activism a good or a bad thing? That depends on what any given resolution seeks to improve the company's performance, and thereby increase…
Legal Brief
PPACA Complaint
A group of small business owners (and individuals) in six states are suing the federal government over an IRS regulation imposed under the Affordable Care…
Online Media Daily
Obamacare Gets New Court Challenge
Opponents of the health-care overhaul have filed a new lawsuit Thursday against the federal government on behalf of four individuals and three employers in the…
Human Events
Business Owners Sue IRS Over Obamacare Mandate
“Agencies are bound by the laws enacted by Congress,” said Sam Kazman, general counsel of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI). “Obamacare is already an incredibly massive…
The Hill
Lawsuit claims IRS illegally implementing key part of ObamaCare
“ObamaCare is already an incredibly massive program. For the IRS to expand it even more, without congressional authorization and in a manner aimed at undercutting…
News Release
CEI Sues for EPA Official’s Private-Account Email
WASHINGTON, D.C., May 2, 2013 – Yet again, the Environmental Protection Agency has forced the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) to file suit over…
News Release
Small Business Owners Sue Over IRS Obamacare Power Grab
WASHINGTON, D.C., May 2, 2013 – A group of small business owners (and individuals) in six states today are suing the federal government over an…
Blog
Housing Nominee Watt Flunks Privacy And Transparency Tests
Two prerequisites for any nominee for government posts is dedication to transparency in government and a respect for the privacy of citizens. Before we get…
Blog
Hands Off! Protecting Paychecks From Union Bosses
Last year major labor law reform centered on Right to Work laws. Both Indiana and Michigan passed the commonsense reform that prohibits union security agreements,…
Newsletter
CEI Today: Obama recess appointments, cheese ban protests, and how unions harm workers
Blog
WPC Pro-Worker Legislation Update
In the month of April, three bills have been introduced in the 113th Congress that are now included in Workplacechoice.org Pro-Worker Legislation, which we then…
Blog
Transatlantic Speakers Express Strong Support Of U.S.-EU Trade Pact
A high-level panel of experts yesterday pointed out the mutual economic benefits of a broad transatlantic trade pact between the United States and the European…
Blog
Did Hensarling Force Obama’s Hand On “Recess” Appointments?
They called it a "stunt" early last week when House Financial Services Committee Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-Texas) refused to allow Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)…
Daily Caller
EPA chief used alias to email with environmentalists
“So, an email account created in the name of a fictitious employee was indeed affirmatively used to present that false identity,” Competitive Enterprise Institute senior…
Daily Caller
Jones aims to curb cyber-snooping
Under CISPA, private emails and a user’s Internet browser history could be sent to the federal government. Users would have no way of knowing whether…
Washington Post
Letter to the Editor: Getting the history of the Voting Rights Act right
Gary May’s diatribe against Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia displayed the historical ignorance he inveighed against [“Scalia vs. the Voting Rights Act,” Sunday Opinion,…
Forbes
The Sad Decline of the Word Capitalism
Not everyone is giving up. One example is Fred L. Smith, chairman and founder of the Competitive Enterprise Institute, who has launched the…
The American Lawyer
Conscientious Objector
The American Lawyer writes a profile on Center for Class Action Fairness' Ted Frank and his efforts to fight for settlements that benefit class members.
Blog
U.S. Government Bans French Cheese Based On Food Prejudices
The U.S. government is banning a standard, normal-smelling French cheese based on its own squeamishness. The cheese in question is Mimolette, a commonplace,…
Forbes
Gay Marriage, Polygamy, Bestiality, Abortion, Infanticide, Pot, Foie Gras, Plastic Bags, Big Gulps and Democracy
Consider the following list: 1) Marry someone of your same gender, 2) join a harem, 3) have sex with your donkey, 4) kill your baby the…
Blog
Jerry Brown’s Legacy Train Wreck
California Governor Jerry Brown, along with an entourage of high-profile business and financial leaders from the Golden State, recently traveled to China on a trade…
Blog
Supreme Arrogance: NLRB Challenges Court Ruling
Stop! In the name of the Constitution. On April 25 the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) petitioned the Supreme Court to review a previous ruling…
Forbes
Privatize almost everything
Finally, if you are having trouble with the quiz at the beginning, you might wish to go the websites of major free-market think tanks, such…
Overlawyered
NYT Breaks Open Pigford Case, Cont’d
Hans Bader wonders whether the Obama administration might have avoided going down the embarrassing settlement route had it taken more seriously the Supreme Court’s 2001…
News Release
Coley Jackson Joins CEI as Vice President of Development
Blog
Gang Of 8’s Euphemism For National ID System: “Identity Authentication Mechanism”
Our new euphemism for a national identification system is “identity authentication mechanism.” The Gang of 8, the leaders of which are proponents of biometric national…
Blog
CEI’s Battered Business Bureau: The Week In Regulation
66 new regulations, from the federal Processed Pear Committee to desert buckwheat.
Blog
Meet Julius: How Unions Hurt The Average Worker
Meet Julius. Julius is an African American man living in modern-day America. Julius is a fictitious character, but the problems he faces are real problems that real…
News Release
New Labor Policy Video: The Life of Julius
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 29, 2013 — The Competitive Enterprise Institute unveiled a new video today: “The Life of Julius: How Unions Hurt Workers.” The…
National Review
The Life of Julius
Remember the White House’s poster child for welfare dependency, Julia? Meet Julius. Julius is the star of a new original production from my team at the Competitive Enterprise Institute…
Blog
New York Times: Obama Administration Discrimination Settlement Was “Magnet For Fraud” That Enriched Trial Lawyers
A page 1 New York Times story today describes how the Obama administration, despite opposition from civil servants, radically expanded a legal settlement that…
Blog
Maryland Bill Will Force Teachers To Pay For The Privilege Of Going To Work
In a recent Baltimore Sun op-ed and WorkplaceChoice.org blog post, I argue against Maryland’s Orwellian-named Fair Share Act,…
Blog
Regulation Roundup
From adjustable headlights to going on strike over tight pants.
Blog
The Case of the Missing BLS Source
This week the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s Labor Policy team re-launched its flagship website, WorkplaceChoice.org, featuring the original video: “The Life of Julius: How Unions Hurt…
Blog
Welcome to the New Workplace Choice!
Step right up! Welcome, boys and girls of all ages, to the new and improved WorkPlaceChoice.org, your one-stop shop for all things labor. Included herein…
Blog
Margaret Thatcher Vs. Today’s GOP
The American Spectator
Republicans Dishonor Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher’s passing led many around the world to reflect on her legacy. In the United Kingdom, reactions ranged from fond remembrances by supporters to…
The American Spectator
Watchdog group seeks FOIA records on nonprofit EPA ‘bullied’ out of contract
ATI and another nonprofit, the Competitive Enterprise Institute, have also sued the EPA over alleged violation of open records acts, accusing the agency of protecting…
News Release
CEI Files FOIA for Gina McCarthy Text Messages
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 26, 2013 – Yesterday, CEI Senior Fellow Chris Horner filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the Environmental…
Blog
CEI Podcast For April 25, 2013: Regulations Are Less Than Transparent
Every year, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) releases a report on the costs and benefits of the previous year's new regulations. Wayne Crews…
Blog
The Maryland State Education Association’s Blatant Money Grab
As I recently explained in a column for the Baltimore Sun, the Maryland State Education Association (MSEA) is salivating at the chance to force all…
Blog
Will EU “Cultural Diversity” Exception Undermine U.S.-EU Trade Talks?
A possible bump in the road toward a U.S.-EU trade agreement emerged today as a parliamentary committee of the European Commission voted to begin…
Blog
Why BPA (And Other Chemicals) Don’t Belong On Proposition 65
If you want to have fun in California's Disneyland, avoid reading the warning signs saying that products used in the park may give you cancer…
Blog
Obama’s Controversial Nominee For Labor Secretary To Be Voted On
Cato Institute attorney Ilya Shapiro wrote Tuesday about “Thomas Perez, the assistant attorney general for civil rights who personifies . . . this…
Comment
CEI Comment Letter on Second Upton-Waxman White Paper
Full Document Available in PDF Dear Sirs, Again, thank you for organizing this important and timely review of the Renewable Fuel Standard…
Comment
Comment Letter on Upton-Waxman White Paper
Full Document Available in PDF Dear Sirs, Thank you for organizing this important and timely review of the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS).
The American Spectator
The Internet Sales Tax Reveals Its Foolish Head Yet Again
They’re at it again: On Monday, the U.S. Senate voted 74-20 to proceed with debate on the “Marketplace Fairness Act.” The act would permit states…
CBN
FAA Blames Flight Delays on Cuts, GOP Blames Politics
Bill Frezza, a policy analyst at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, said the delays represent a political calculation. "I don't think there's any doubt right now…
CBN
Pass CISPA. Don’t Pass a Big, Messy Copyright Bill
There’s still the matter of a new FCC chairman. It’s important that we get a humble FCC chairman, not a wild-eyed activist. A letter…
Blog
Iron Man vs. The Musicians Union
Iron Man has faced a variety of dastardly villains in his storied, five decade-long super hero career: Communists, terrorists, evil tycoons, rust. And most frightening…
Blog
Lawsuits Over “Customary International Law”: A Menace To Free Speech, Our Liberties, Our Companies, And Our Economy
Earlier, I wrote about how it was a good thing that the Supreme Court blocked foreigners from suing in the U.S. over…
Newsletter
CEI Today: New OMB report on regulations, Obama’s EPA nominee, and a court ruling on mining
Blog
The Other President Reagan
The actor-turned-president Ronald Reagan is remembered by some both for his on-screen presence and his impact on American politics. Too few, however, know of his…
Blog
Joy Division vs. The Lighting Union
In his new and riveting biography recounting the rise and fall of his legendary band, Joy Division bassist Peter Hook (Hooky, to friends and fans)…
CBN
Shielding EPA’s McCarthy from scrutiny is what’s ‘totally bogus’
“Totally bogus.” That’s how Joe Davis, environmental journalist and director of the Society of Environmental Journalists’ WatchDog Project, describes “the concerns over fake emails.” By…
CBN
The Circuit: MetroPCS shareholders approve T-Mobile deal
The letter, dated April 23, is signed by TechFreedom as well as Heritage Action, Americans for Tax Reform and the Competitive Enterprise Institute. “We urge…
Free Beacon
Overseeing Failure
The failure of Fisker is indicative of the government’s inability to prop up whole sectors of the economy, said William Yeatman, an energy policy expert…
Free Beacon
The spreading of ‘right to work’ … where will it show up next?
Matt Patterson, senior fellow for the Competitive Enterprise Institute, sees Pennsylvania as one possibility. “There has been some legislation introduced [there]. I mean, that would…
Free Beacon
U.S. Should Copy Estonia, Which Made Austerity Work
Another month of disappointing job numbers is a painful reminder that the U.S. economy is struggling after almost five years of fiscal and monetary stimulus.
Blog
Costs Rise In Obama’s New 2013 Draft Report To Congress On The Benefits And Costs Of Federal Regulations
Last year, the Obama Office of Management and Budget’s 2012 Draft Report to Congress on the Benefits and Costs of Federal…
Products
Fact Sheet on the Senate’s E-Verify Proposal
Full Document Available in PDF…
Blog
Another victory for CCAF: Pecover v. EA Sports triples class payouts
You will recall that we objected to a class action settlement over EA Sports’s Madden games: as in our successful Baby Products objection,…
Blog
CEI Study: Cost Of Keeping One Unauthorized Immigrant From Getting A Job — $13,000
If Americans truly want to ensure no unauthorized immigrants work in the United States, they better get ready to pay top dollar. E-Verify, the electronic…
News Release
CEI, Southeastern Legal Foundation, Lawmakers Seek Supreme Court Review of EPA “Endangerment” Regs
Washington, D.C., April 23, 2013 – In a lawsuit challenging over-reaching greenhouse gas regulations, the Competitive Enterprise Institute joined the Southeastern Legal Foundation,…
News Release
Today’s Court Ruling on West Virginia Mine Could Have Silver Lining
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 23, 2013 — William Yeatman, an energy policy analyst at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, sees a possible silver lining to…
Free Beacon
Boxer’s claims on behalf of EPA nominee don’t hold water
Barbara Boxer may not look much like a football player, but she has demonstrated the skill of an all-pro lineman when it comes to protecting…
Free Beacon
The curse of bipartisanship: Why the grand coalition’s return won’t save Italy
THE re-election of Giorgio Napolitano as President of the Italian Republic this weekend – supported by the centre-left, centre-right, and the centre – is as…
Blog
Why FAA’s Child Seat Campaign Is Deadly
Federal law allows airline passengers with children under the age of two to travel with their children on their laps. This option, which has existed…
Blog
Separate Security Cameras and State
In his column today, The Wall Street Journal‘s Gordon Crovitz notes the significant help that video footage played in helping police identify the Boston…
Blog
Earth Day: The Greener Side Of Growth
Over at Topix.com, my colleague Geoffrey McLatchey and I argue that the biggest factor for improving environmental quality is wealth creation.
Study
E-Verify Mandate Is Costly for Businesses and Workers
As Congress revisits immigration reform, one aspect deserves close attention: electronic employment verification. Both the White House’s leaked draft legislation and the Senate’s proposed bill…
Blog
VW on radar: UAW chief sets sights on Southern automakers
timesfreepress.com The UAW is coming! The UAW is coming! It’s not quite Paul Revere’s famous warning, but it’s true nonetheless. Yes, the United Auto…
Blog
EEOC: A Scofflaw That Poisons The Climate For Hiring
One way the current political climate discourages hiring is by turning problem employees into potential lawsuits for the employers who take the risk…
Blog
CEI’s Battered Business Bureau: The Week In Regulation
86 new regulations, from sorghum ethanol to training miners.
National Journal
Explaining Energy Gridlock
Why is there is no momentum in Congress for the “comprehensive energy and climate legislation” once proudly championed by the Obama administration and environmental activists?…
News Release
E-Verify Mandate Would Impose New Costs on American Businesses, Workers
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 22, 2013 – If the Senate’s comprehensive immigration reform proposal becomes law, one provision alone—that employers use E-Verify to confirm work eligibility—will…
Blog
No Job For You!
In the first State of the Union address of his second term, President Barack Obama called for a minimum wage increase, reigniting a debate about…
Blog
VW on radar: UAW chief sets sights on Southern automakers
The UAW is coming! The UAW is coming! It’s not quite Paul Revere’s famous warning, but it’s true nonetheless. Yes, the United Auto Workers union,…
Blog
More On Supreme Court Ruling Limiting International Lawsuits
Earlier, I wrote about the Supreme Court’s closing the door on lawsuits by foreigners alleging nebulous violations of “human rights” or international norms…
Blog
Amtrak And The Progressive Sleight Of Hand
Progressives have always assumed that if something is good, it must be provided through coercive force by a central government. This is illustrated in progressive…
Blog
Bill Would Prevent CDC’s Taxpayer-Funded Anti-Food Propaganda
Even in a divided Washington, everyone agrees on the importance of creating jobs in America. So why are some government agencies using taxpayer money to…
Newsletter
CEI Today: Cybersecurity, Gang of 8 immigration bill, and wind energy subsidies
Blog
CEI Podcast For April 18, 2013: CISPA Is The Wrong Approach To Cybersecurity
Today, the House passed the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2013 (CISPA). Associate Director of Technology Studies Ryan Radia opposes the bill.
Blog
The Train Wreck That Is Obamacare
At least one union that supported passage of Obamacare, is now calling for its repeal. As The Wall Street Journal notes, the United…
Blog
Four Of The Worst Arguments Against The Immigration Bill
Since the Gang of 8 released their proposal, the desperation from those who want to see this bill die — and any hope of…
Blog
Unions do their business on taxpayers’ dime
It's the old "fair share" argument, but this time it holds even less water than usual. The Maryland State Education Association, the union that bargains…
Study
Facts on the Marketplace Fairness Act (S. 743, formerly S. 336)
As the Marketplace Fairness Act winds its way through Congress, lawmakers should, at the very least, take into consideration concerns raised by opponents. That is…
Baltimore Sun
Unions do their business on taxpayers’ dime
It's the old "fair share" argument, but this time it holds even less water than usual. The Maryland State Education Association, the union that bargains…
Blog
Supreme Court Dismisses Alien Tort Lawsuit Over Nigerian Dispute
The Supreme Court today refused to allow Nigerians to sue Dutch and other corporations in U.S. court over alleged abuses in Nigeria that occurred…
Blog
Don’t Waste Billions Putting Gun-Wielding Guards In Our Schools
School violence has diminished in recent years, but in response to a few mass shootings, the National Rifle Association and the Obama…
Overlawyered
SCOTUS: U.S. Can’t Play Tortmaster-General to the World
Notably, all nine Justices sidestepped the issue that had caused extensive angst among many popular commentators, namely whether the statute could be applied to corporations…
News Release
CEI Immigration Analyst: Gang of 8 Proposal ‘A Good Starting Point’
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 17, 2013 – A bipartisan proposal to reform America’s immigration system provides “a good starting point” for discussion but could be improved…
News Release
CISPA Voids Private Contracts, Undermines Rule of Law
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 17, 2013 — The U.S. House of Representatives will soon vote on final passage of H.R. 624, the Cyber Intelligence Sharing…
Blog
Fred L. Smith, Jr., In This Month’s Cato Unbound
This month’s Cato Unbound series focuses on the constraints of money in politics, how businesses respond to opportunities for rent-seeking, and prospects for the…
Blog
Lessons On Regulatory Reform: The BRAC Acts
Overview of Regulatory Reform in the U.S. from The Base Realignment and Closure Act The Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Act of 1988 was created…