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Regulation of the Day 143: Your Bedtime
In Japan, your bedtime is official government business.
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Friday Regulation Roundup
Arizona spends $1,250,000 to save 250 squirrels, plus more.
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Cell Phone Cancer Scare Refuses to Die
Some people are scared that cell phones cause brain tumors. There are enough of these bedwetters that San Francisco just passed a new law requiring…
Blog
Regulation of the Day 142: Ladies’ Night
Ladies’ night bar specials are illegal in Minnesota. They are unfair gender discrimination, according to the Minnesota Department of Human Rights.
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Regulation of the Day 141: Mandatory Fire Sprinklers
Politicians love it when housing prices go up. That's why Cumberland, Maryland is mulling requiring all new homes to install fire sprinkler systems. Cost: $3,000-$9,000…
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Regulation of the Day 140: Plastic
“Plastics are the future,” a pushy relative told a young Dustin Hoffman in The Graduate. Was he giving career advice -- or a warning?…
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Explaining Free Trade in Under Three Minutes
Watch Tom Palmer explain free trade in under three minutes.
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Friday Regulation Roundup
$300,000 of stimulus money to pay for floating toilets, plus more.
Blog
Regulation of the Day 139: Mailing Fake Grenades
In which a new regulation actually makes some sense.
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Regulation of the Day 138: Dwile Flonking
H.L. Mencken defined Puritanism as “The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.” He may as well have been talking about regulators.
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Will Durant on Human Achievement
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Federal Register hits 30,000 Pages
This year’s Federal Register is on pace for 73,459 pages. Like most of President Obama’s policies, this represents less than a one percent change from…
Blog
The Two Americas
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Get Spit On, Take Three Months Off
Last year, angry New Yorkers spit on bus drivers 51 times. The average driver took 64 days of paid leave to recover.
Opposing Views
The Two Americas: Tax Payer vs. Tax Eaters
Maybe there is something to John Edwards’ “Two Americas” conceit after all. Except the warring factions aren’t the haves and have-nots. They are what…
Opposing Views
NYC Bus Drivers Take 3 Paid Months Off After Passengers Spit on Them
New Yorkers have a reputation for being rude. But they are also a sensitive lot. Especially bus drivers. Last year, angry customers literally spit on…
Blog
A Telling Headline
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Happy 204th Birthday, John Stuart Mill
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Solving America’s Problems
Opposing Views
While America Crumbles, Congress Wastes Time on Beer & Golf
The days of trillion-dollar deficits, multiple land wars in Asia, and other catastrophes may soon be coming to an end. Congress continues to work long…
Blog
How Much Would a Congressional Pay Cut Save?
Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick is proposing a 5 percent pay cut for members of Congress. For every $816,502 the federal government spends, that would save one…
Opposing Views
Proposed Congressional Pay Cut — Like Spitting in the Ocean
Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick is proposing a 5 percent pay cut for members of Congress. “In the face of our ever-deepening federal debt, the federal…
Blog
The Myth of Bush the Deregulator
Contrary to popular belief, the Bush administration was the best friend regulators have had in a generation or more.
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Sometimes I Think They’re Just Messing with Us
Here's an excerpt from an early 1980s Office of Management and Budget report.
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Regulation of the Day 137: Brownie Recipes
The Pentagon's official brownie recipe is 26 pages long.
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Friday Regulation Roundup
In Yukon, Oklahoma, it is illegal for a patient to pull a dentist's tooth, plus more.
Blog
Let Your Voice Be Heard
Today's Daily Caller features an article of mine about CEI's entry in the EPA's YouTube video contest on regulations.
Daily Caller
Regulations, Regulations Everywhere
Federal regulations cover everything from the size of holes in Swiss cheese to the label text on over-the-counter flatulence medication. There are so many rules,…
Blog
Federal Register Hits 25,000 Pages
This morning, the 2010 Federal Register passed the 25,000 page mark.
Cafe Hayek
Some Immigration Links
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Regulation of the Day 136: Off the Record
If you work for the Department of Energy's Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, a regulation in 18 CFR 385.2201 requires you to keep records of off-the-record…
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Regulation of the Day 135: Mustache Nets
Just like church and state, hair and food are best kept separate. Which brings us to the latest fad in Brooklyn’s trendy Cobble Hill neighborhood:…
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Regulation of the Day 134: Not Voting
Despite its flaws, democracy has worked tolerably well in this country for a long time. Perhaps the best part of our particular democracy is that…
Blog
Fixing America’s Immigration Black Market
In today's American Spectator, Alex Nowrasteh and I make the case that lowering the cost of legal immigration through liberalization will reduce the amount of…
Reason
Legalize it (Immigration Edition)
American Spectator
Fixing America’s Immigration Black Market
From Arizona to the U.S. Senate, immigration is at the forefront of the national debate. Much of the concern revolves around this fact: There is…
Blog
Friday Regulation Roundup
Some of the stranger governmental goings-on I’ve dug up recently.
Cafe Hayek
Wayne Crews and Ryan Young explain that regulation is a costly tax
Cafe Hayek features Wayne Crews and Ryan Young's article on a costly hidden tax. In an industry dominated by government subsidies, here’s an…
Blog
Ideas for Regulatory Reform
Tax Freedom Day was April 9. But when you factor in the cost of regulation, it turns out we work nearly half the year just…
Blog
Ten Thousand Commandments
Federal regulations cost as much as the income tax plus another quarter-trillion -- $1.24 trillion in all. Read all about it in the freshly-released 2010…
AOL News
The Huge, Hidden Tax You Pay for Government
Taxpayers rushing to fill out and file their form 1040 today may think their obligation to the federal government is complete. But it's really just…
Fox News
The Hidden Tax That’s More Than $1 Trillion
Last year, Americans paid $989 billion in income taxes. Add to that sales taxes, property taxes, excise taxes, and other taxes, and the total tax…
Blog
What’s at Stake for Entrepreneurs?
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Value Added Tax? Bad Idea
Daily Caller
VAT Chance
After running up more than $3 trillion in debt in just two years, the federal government is looking for new ways to raise money. Promised…
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Friday Regulation Roundup
It is illegal in Kentucky for anyone under 18 to play pool without photo ID and written parental consent.
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Tax Freedom Day
Today, April 9, is Tax Freedom Day. According to the Tax Foundation, that's how long you have to work just to pay off your taxes.
Washington Times
Famishing Feds
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Regulation of the Day 133: Feeding Ducks
A new ordinance in San Luis Obispo, California makes it illegal to feed ducks.
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Regulation of the Day 132: Fire Sprinklers
Cries for tax simplification grow every year. How does Congress respond? By introducing legislation to "amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to classify automatic…
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How Wisely Is Stimulus Money Being Spent?
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Cesar Chavez Day – Interesting Timing
March 31 was Cesar Chavez Day. Cesar Chavez Day has been celebrated in California for some time. But this year, for the first time, it…
Blog
Friday Regulation Roundup
Some of the stranger governmental goings-on I dug up over the week.
Blog
Regulation of the Day 131: Airport Vendors
Laws are supposed to be made by legislative branch, not the executive. What we have here is one more case of regulation without representation, out…
Blog
Regulatory Problem, Regulatory Solution?
A dying patient in the UK's NHS made the news after nurses refused to bring him a glass of water, despite his repeated begging. Had…
Cato At Liberty
Ending the Black Market in Low-skilled Labor
Cafe Hayek
Immigration
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How to Fix Immigration’s Black Market
Alex Nowrasteh and I have a piece in today's Detroit News arguing that liberalization, not regulation, is the way to shrink immigration's massive black market.
Detroit News
Fix Immigration Rules to Crush Black Market
America has a huge immigration black market. Millions of undocumented workers enter and leave the United States every year, without any regard for the legal…
Blog
Regulation of the Day 130: Roommates
In New York City, it is illegal for four or more unrelated people to live together. At least 15,000 New York homes openly flout the…
Blog
Friday Regulation Roundup
Government does more wacky things than anyone could possibly write about in any detail. Listed here are just a few that I dug up over…
Blog
Four Ways to Spend Money on Health Care
Today's bill consists almost entirely of spending other peoples' money on other people. This is no way to keep costs under control.
Blog
Regulation of the Day 129: Droves of Animals on Streets
Washington, DC city law states that “No loose herd or flock shall be driven or conducted in the District, except with a permit issued by…
Blog
Regulation of the Day 128: Bounty Hunters
You need a license to be a bounty hunter in New Jersey.
Blog
Will the Jobs Bill Create Any Jobs?
Over at the American Spectator, I explain why it won't, but a deregulatory stimulus would.
Blog
Does March Madness Really Hurt the Economy?
American Spectator
Will the Jobs Bill Create Any Jobs?
On Wednesday, the Senate passed a $17.6 billion spending bill. It needs only President Obama's signature to become law. The hope is that the new…
Daily Caller
Does March Madness Really Hurt the Economy
Every March, millions of workers slack on the job to follow college basketball’s championship tournament. Challenger, Gray & Christmas CEO John Challenger’s famous annual survey…
Blog
Senate Passes $18,000,000,000 Spending Bill: Will it Create Jobs?
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The Wisdom of George Stigler
He was one of only a few sane souls who insisted that regulations be judged by their actual results, not their intended results.
Blog
Regulation of the Day 127: Landscaping
Angelina and Quan Ha, of Orange, CA, ditched their water-hungry grass lawn in 2008 to save money and water. The city promptly sued them.
Blog
Regulation of the Day 126: Cheese-Rolling Races
Cheese-rolling races have been held at Cooper’s Hill in Gloucester, UK since the 1800s. Until this year, that is. Health and safety regulators shut down…
Blog
How Do These People Avoid Cognitive Dissonance?
Supporters of the health care bill spend a lot of time attacking health insurance companies. The health care bill would legally require people to give…
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Mixed Message
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Regulation of the Day 125: Salt
Assemblyman Ortiz has introduced legislation that would “make it illegal for restaurants to use salt in the preparation of food. Period.” A $1,000 fine would…
Blog
The Hayekian Approach to Health Care
George Will has a good column today. President Obama plays the role of Woodrow Wilson. Very thought-provoking.
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Regulation of the Day 124: Kissing Your Girlfriend Good-Bye
How do we know the terrorists are winning? When a man kissing his girlfriend good-bye at Newark Liberty International Airport results in the evacuation of…
Blog
Regulation of the Day 123: Donating Blood
If you’re gay, you can’t donate blood. It’s illegal. Rather than screening donors for sexual preference, they should be screened for blood-borne diseases. Straight people…
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Federal Register Reaches 10,000 Pages
It only took 4 working days to top 1,000 pages. Now, after 42 working days, the grand total is 10,158. That’s an average of 242…
Blog
Regulation of the Day 122: Home-Schooling in Germany
It is illegal to home-school your children in Germany. One family faced "[F]ines eventually totaling over $11,000, threats that they would lose custody of their…
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Regulation of the Day 121: Cussing
It’s officially “Cuss Free Week” in California. Last Thursday, the state legislature passed a resolution to make the first week of March swearing-free.
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Regulation of the Day 120: Fish Tanks in Barbershops
In Tenneessee, it is illegal for barbershops to have fish tanks. That could change as soon as today, though.
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Voltaire on Government
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Regulation of the Day 119: Bake Sales
School bake sales are basically banned in New York City. Mayor Bloomberg and the city’s Department of Education worry that they contribute to child obesity.
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In-Flight Wi-Fi: Security Threat?
An article in this month's Infotech & Telecom News on a TSA proposal to ban in-flight wi-fi quotes me at length. Here's what I had…
Blog
Regulation of the Day 118: Unlicensed Dogs
In Los Angeles, it is illegal to own a dog without a license. Packs of wild, unlicensed dogs roam the streets at night. People are…
Heartland
TSA Rules Threaten In-Flight Technology Use
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Regulation of the Day 117: Hot Dogs
The AAP says hot dogs are a choking hazard for children. According to the data, Little Timmy is literally more likely to be struck by…
Opposing Views
Are Hot Dogs Really at “High Risk” of Killing Kids?
Hot dogs are delicious. Especially if you don’t think too hard about what they’re made of. Kids love them. So do adults. With baseball’s spring…
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Stimulus Spending Helps the Few, Hurts the Many
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Regulation of the Day 116: Doodling on Desks
Alexa Gonzalez, 12, was arrested and put in handcuffs for writing "I love my friends Abby and Faith. Lex was here 2/1/10 :)" on her…
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Basic Irony
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Regulation of the Day 115: Pancake Races
The secret to winning is to cross the finish line before your opponents do. That usually means running. The problem is that sometimes, running violates…
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Disappointing, but Not Surprising
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Politics 101: Machiavelli and Public Choice
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Regulation of the Day 114: Unlicensed Fruit Candy
Department of Health inspectors seized, slashed open and poured bleach over thousands of dollars of local peaches, pears, raspberry and plum purees owned by pastry…
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The Economics of Charging for Airline Amenities
As of May 1, American Airlines will charge $8 to customers who want to use a blanket and pillow. Why don't they just include the…
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Regulation of the Day 113: Throwing Snowballs
Two students at James Madison University in Virginia were charged with felonies for throwing snowballs at a snowplow and an unmarked police car.
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Sen. Shelby Lifts Holds
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Social Security, Health Care, and Partisan Hackery
Megan McArdle points out a delicious piece of partisan hackery. Go read her whole post. It's great.