Blog
Dodd-Frank’s Democratic Dissenters — From Brian Schweitzer To Debbie Wasserman Schultz
"For some reason, some Republicans in Congress are still waging an all-out battle to delay, defund and dismantle these commonsense new rules." That was, in…
Comment
Comment Letter in Support of Renewable Fuel Standard Waiver Petitions
Full Document Available in PDF On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI), a non-profit public policy group specializing in regulatory issues,…
Newsletter
CEI Today: Auto bailout myths, coal-fired power plants, and the $1.8 tril regulatory burden
Blog
Today’s Links: October 16, 2012
Blog
Canadian Government Official Calls Anti-Abortion Speech Illegal “Bullying”
Bullying has been defined by opportunistic politicians to include a broad range of speech, including core political speech. The latest example is anti-abortion advocacy:…
Human Events
Great Recession? More Like Great Heist of Taxpayers
Human Events
Google Antitrust Case Could Come From FTC by End of 2012: Report
From Todd R. Weiss’ article in eWeek: The settlement was criticized by the Competitive Enterprise Institute, an industry group, as “a dangerously overbroad…
The New American
Ethanol Mandates Plague Developing Countries With Rising Food Prices
From Brian Koenig's article in The New American: At the very least, critics note, the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), which mandates a percentage…
CNET
Verizon Draws Fire for Monitoring App Usage, Browsing Habits
From Declan McCullagh's article in CNet: Ryan Radia, associate director of technology studies at the Competitive Enterprise Institute think tank, agrees with the…
CNET
Greece’s grim future portends Western decline
In 490 B.C., the brand-new democracy at Athens faced its first existential challenge: a vast Persian army intent on crushing the Greek city-state for supporting…
Red State
In panel discussion on Ledbetter, liberals ignore shortchanging amongst Democrats
Red State
A New Space Pioneer
This is the first operational private space flight,” Rand Simberg said; the adjunct scholar at the Competitive Enterprise Institute is an expert on space technology…
Red State
On Tap Today
The Communications & Liberty Innovation Project and Competitive Enterprise Institute host a panel on Internet transformation, with an introduction by FCC Commissioner Ajit Pai.
Red State
Is U.S. Economic Growth Over?
[E]stimates of how economically burdensome the regulatory state is range from the Obama administration lowball estimate of a mere $67 billion [PDF] annually to the…
Blog
Mother Nature And Good Luck, Not Big Government, Saved General Motors… For Now
There are lots of claims that the federal government saved the American auto industry by bailing it out. (Never mind that Ford didn't get…
Blog
The CDC Thinks You Drink Too Much
If you’ve had twelve alcoholic drinks in the past year, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) considers you a “regular drinker.” That’s right: twelve…
Newsletter
CEI Today: The EU’s Nobel Peace Prize, solar panel and biofuel snafus, and California’s scheme for GE food labeling
Blog
Today’s Links: October 15, 2012
Blog
CEI’s Battered Business Bureau: The Week In Regulation
38 new regulations, from amateur rocket operations to the definition of “night.”…
National Review
Nobel Peace Prize Goes to Destabilizing Force
On October 12, it was announced that the European Union had won the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize. The announcement was greeted with warmth in Brussels…
Reason
Let Individuals Take Responsibility for Their Own Food Choices
From Baylen Linnekin's article in Reason: “Consumer groups play an essential role in a free market by [helping] individuals to make informed choices,”…
Blog
Obama Administration Imposes Racial Quotas On School Discipline In Oakland
Under pressure from the Education Department, which investigated it over "racial disparities" and "disparate impact," the Oakland, California, school system has agreed…
Blog
Today’s Links: October 12, 2012
Blog
The Missing Transparency: Where’s The Unified Agenda?
When it comes to government transparency, it is essential to throw at least some sunlight on the problem. Over at the Daily Caller, Wayne Crews…
Blog
Jobless Youth: Southern Europe’s Ticking Time Bomb
Forget austerity and bailouts. Southern Europe has an even bigger problem: a glut of unemployed young people. If this trend continues, workforces will regress in…
Blog
CEI Podcast For October 11, 2012: More Americans
Policy Analyst David Bier thinks the world could use more Americans. And an easy way make happen is through increasing legal immigration. America's superior economic…
Blog
Printing Money Is Not A Main Street Policy
Blog
Today’s Links: October 11, 2012
Blog
At Brookings, Susan Crawford Fostering Internet Competition
Yesterday, the Brookings Institute held a panel that purported to discuss “Fostering Internet Competition”. But who is to do the fostering? Federal regulators, of course.
Orange County Register
A Losing Proposition on Food Labeling
California's initiative process – which allows "propositions" to be placed on the ballot quite easily – can lead to laws that are muddled, intentionally misleading…
National Review
Hans Bader on Fisher
From George Leef's post on National Review Online: Competitive Enterprise Institute lawyer Hans Bader writes here about the precedents involved in Fisher v.
Daily Caller
Missing: Regulatory transparency
Every spring and fall, as certain as the turning of the seasons, the General Services Administration’s Regulatory Information Service Center (RISC) issues a new edition…
News Release
Matthew Melchiorre Is CEI’s New Warren Brookes Journalism Fellow
Forbes
Hey Romney, Here’s A Comeback To Obama’s $5 Trillion Tax Cut Canard
Framing a debate is half of winning it—especially when neither facts nor reason are on your side. The Obama campaign’s repeated claims that, if elected…
Blog
FCC Broadband Test May Enable Warrantless Snooping, Coalition Warns
Consumers who test their broadband connections on a government website may be turning over information that could allow law enforcement agencies to review their Internet activity…
Letters
Coalition Letter to FCC on Broadband Tests
Full Document Available in PDF We, the undersigned public interest organizations, write to express our strong concerns regarding the consumer privacy risks…
Blog
New York Times And The Price Of Hypocrisy
Prompted by the Newspaper Guild, New York Times union employees carried out a brief walkout on Tuesday. At 3:35 pm, as many as 400 employees…
Blog
Liberal Lawmakers To Rethink California “Green Chemistry”
California's Green Chemistry regulations have proven so unruly even the state's liberal lawmakers have begun to question the cost. The state legislature passed the…
Blog
University Of Texas Violates Court Decisions On Use Of Race In Admissions
When journalists and commentators discuss the Fisher v. University of Texas case, they seem to grapple only with whether the University of Texas's race-conscious admissions…
Blog
RIP Prince Roy of Sealand, Seasteading Pioneer
For as long as there have been states, there have been people seeking to escape state authority. Throughout most of history, such escape has meant…
Blog
Where Is Obama’s Unified Agenda Of Federal Regulations?
Two primary federal documents by which we judge the regulatory record of the administration are missing in action this year. We at least can say,…
Blog
Today’s Links: October 10, 2012
News Release
FCC Broadband Test May Enable Warrantless Snooping, Coalition Warns
WASHINGTON, D.C., Oct. 10, 2012 – Consumers who test their broadband connections on a government website may be turning over information that could allow…
Newsletter
CEI Weekly: The Liberal War on Transparency
Blog
CEI’s Battered Business Bureau: The Week In Regulation
88 new regulations, from background checks for volunteers to silky sharks .
Newsletter
CEI Today: Jobs report analysis, Europe’s youth unemployment, and medical junk science
Blog
Today’s Links: October 9, 2012
Forbes
“Genetically Engineered” In California: A Food Label We Don’t Need
From “food miles” to farmers’ markets, it seems that consumers have never been more interested in the ways their food is grown. That’s one motivation…
Blog
Deficit Exceeds $1 Trillion For Fourth Straight Year
National Review
State Attorney General Races to Watch
From Carrie Severino's column in National Review : McGraw has been attorney general of West Virginia since 1992, and his willingness to engage…
Blog
Today’s Links: October 5, 2012
Blog
Unemployment Falls As Part-Time Work Expands
Unemployment fell from 8.1% to 7.8%, aided by an increase in part-time employment: "Some 582,000 Americans took part-time positions because of slack business conditions…
News Release
Jobs Report Doesn’t Tell Full Story
WASHINGTON, D.C., October 5, 2012 – Unemployment fell below 8 percent for the first time in four years last month, according to the September…
National Review
Letter to the Editor: The Fed Helps Wall Street at the Expense of Main Street
Mr. Bernanke’s description of QE3 as a “‘Main Street’ policy” is incorrect. The Fed distributes its newly created money by…
Blog
Regulations For Thee, But Not For Me
To liberals, regulations are great -- until they ensnare a liberal politician. Then, suddenly there needs to be an exception to the regulation. An example of…
Blog
CEI Podcast For October 4, 2012: What’s Old Is New Again
Blog
New Chicago School Teacher Contract Nothing To Celebrate
Although Chicago public school teachers returned to their classrooms on Sept. 19, the Chicago Teachers Union (CTU) today officially ratified the contract to…
Newsletter
CEI Today: Debate topics – regulation, green energy, Dodd Frank, Obamacare, taxes & spending
Blog
Suffocating Athena: Public Sector Unions Kill Greek Salvation — Again
On October 1, the Greek government unveiled an austerity package that aims to reduce public spending by $15 billion (11.5 billion euros) for 2013-2014,…
Blog
Today’s Links: October 4, 2012
The American Spectator
Did Magna Carta Die in Vain?
It's rare that an interview by David Letterman gives you deep insight into a troubling problem, but his interview with British Prime Minister David Cameron…
The American Spectator
Jobless youth – southern Europe’s ticking time bomb
BRUSSELS – As Europe hangs on every public statement about the possibility of more bailouts from the European Central Bank or German Chancellor Angela Merkel,…
Forbes
Atlas Shrugged Part II: Ideas That Tower Above Any Movie
Newsletter
CEI Today: Suing the EPA, fighting the wind tax credit, and good men versus the presidency
Blog
Obama Administration Shirks Legal Obligation To Protect Military Voters
“Military absentee ballot requests” are “down 92% in key battleground state Virginia,” notes Cornell Law Professor William Jacobson. “The government has become quite efficient…
Blog
Medical Junk Science: Canned Veggies May Make Kids Fat
Can feeding your child canned soup and vegetables make her fat? According to study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA),…
Blog
Alcohol Regulation Roundup: Columbus Day Edition
Alcohol has a long and complex history in the USA. In fact, it’s probable that the Scandinavian Vikings that tried to conquer North America…
Blog
Obama Administration Promotes Dependence On Welfare And Food Stamps: A Bigger Priority Than Public Safety?
While the Obama administration left the Mexican government completely in the dark about Operation Fast and Furious (which sent guns to Mexican drug cartels), …
Blog
Today’s Links: October 3, 2012
Blog
Celebrate National Cybersecurity Month!
The summer may be over, but don’t put the barbecue away yet -- the president just declared this October “National Cybersecurity Month.” It’s the…
Blog
Obama Imposes Billions In Costs On Taxpayers In Order To Prevent Legally Required Disclosures
Yesterday, ABC News reported that "Defense contractor Lockheed Martin heeded a request from the White House . . . one with political overtones – and announced…
Blog
Good Men Don’t Become President
Forbes
With the Economy Sputtering, Obama Must Allow High-Skilled Immigrants
In the heated immigration debate, a bright spot has emerged—the bipartisan consensus that high-skilled immigrants benefit the economy. Yet even as Congressional Democrats and Republicans…
Fox Business
Winning the Presidential Debate with Regulation
Presidential debates are where the candidates try to show the average likely voter they know what he or she wants better than the other guy.
Fox Business
Southern Californians looking for answers during first presidential debate
From an editorial that also appeared in The Pasadena Star-News and The Whittier Daily News: David Bier, a policy analyst with the libertarian Competitive…
Legal Newsline
AGs of S.C., Okla. and Mich. Join Challenge of Dodd-Frank
From John O'Brien's article on LegalNewsline: The suit challenges the constitutionality of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which was created by the law…
Blog
Regulating Outside The Rules
The federal regulatory process is a complicated thing. As with any complex body of law, there are loopholes that agencies can exploit.
Blog
Lose The Helmet Already
So now we’re down to safe v. healthy. The “safe” approach to riding a bike is to wear a helmet, according to the Nanny Statists…
Newsletter
CEI Today: Durbin bank fees, Spain’s bank bailout, and a Liberal War on Transparency
Blog
Undergraduates: Enter The Douglas B. Rogers Memorial Essay Contest
Blog
Today’s Links: October 2, 2012
Blog
Japan’s War On Copyright Infringment
Japan is one-upping the U.S. when it comes to draconian copyright enforcement. The BBC reports that an amendment to Japan’s copyright law approved…
Blog
Obama Administration Sent Guns To Drug Cartels
The Obama administration's botched Operation Fast and Furious, which provided weapons used in hundreds of crimes and killing sprees in Mexico, was broader than…
Blog
Teachers Union Fights School Choice With Discredited Study In Washington State
Right now, Washington is one of nine states that does not allow charter schools to compete with the public school system. That could change this…
Blog
September doings
Groupon settlement rejected on cy pres grounds last week after our objection. The attorneys would have received $2.125 million, the class maybe a twentieth of that.
Washington Times
Regulations and Rules Equal Broken Government
When President Obama and Mitt Romney are jousting about taxes during their Wednesday night debate, one or both candidates might correctly point out that the…
Washington Examiner
EPA refuses to talk about think tank suit demanding ‘secret’ emails
From Mark Tapscott's article in The Washington Examiner: Environmental Protection Agency officials are keeping mum today about a potential landmine of a lawsuit…
Washington Times
Regulations and rules equal broken government
From Wayne Crews and Ryan Young's op-ed in The Washington Times: The first is “sue and settle.” Agencies like the EPA work closely…
News Release
Durbin Bank Fees: An Unhappy One-Year Anniversary
Washington, D.C., October 2, 2012 – One year ago this month, the Durbin Amendment debit card price controls from the Dodd-Frank financial “reform” law went…
Newsletter
CEI Today: Durbin price controls, Silent Spring, and the Liberal War on Transparency
Blog
LOST Washing Up To Our Shores Once Again
The United National Convention of the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) celebrated its 30th anniversary this year. Simultaneously, there has been a push for…
Blog
Today’s Links: October 1, 2012
Study
The Liberal War on Transparency: Confessions of a Freedom of Information “Criminal”
Now that transparency threatens liberals’ use of government, it is a problem to rein in; we’ve started asking questions and obtaining embarrassing answers, meaning—to them—the…
Blog
Omens Of Another Recession? Durable Goods Orders Drop Sharply
In a bad omen for the economy, "durable-goods orders" sank "13.2% in August," far more than economists "had expected." “Bookings also fell for machinery,…
Blog
The Real Spanish Bank Bailout Cost: 113 Billion Euro
Don’t be fooled by the optimism overflowing from the stress test of Spain’s banking system released on Friday. American Consultancy Oliver Wyman, which performed the…
Legal Brief
CEI v. EPA – Complaint Re: Secret Accounts
Full Document in Available in PDF Plaintiff COMPETITIVE ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE (“CEI”) for its complaint against Defendant UNITED STATES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (“EPA”or…
Blog
CEI’s Battered Business Bureau: The Week In Regulation
71 new regulations, from prune insurance to Colombian tariffs.
News Release
CEI Sues for EPA Administrator’s Secret Email Account, Related Records
The Competitive Enterprise Institute sued the Environmental Protection Agency, challenging its refusal to disclose information discussing the creation and use of “secondary” email accounts created…
News Release
Report on Spanish Banks Underestimates Cost of Potential Bailout
WASHINGTON, D.C., October 1, 2012 — A report last week said Spain’s banks could require as much as 53.74 billion euro in bailout funds,…
Washington Times
No Real Differences Between Presidential Candidates on Immigration
“On Immigration, Obama and Romney Agree on Virtually Nothing,” declares a recent ABC News headline. The story strings together quotes from President Obama and Republican…