Blog
Afternoon Links: February 17, 2011
Blog
CEI Podcast for February 17, 2011: Let the Best Bulb Win
Brian McGraw, a Policy Analyst for CEI's Center for Energy & Environment, talks about the coming incandescent light bulb ban, who it benefits (bulb manufacturers),…
Blog
U.S. Continues to Ignore Staunch Trade Partner and Ally Colombia — And Possible Consequences
As the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement languishes, the U.S. stands to lose some of its influence with that staunch and critical ally in South America.
Blog
More Corporate Welfare on the Way?
Politico headline from today: "Qualcomm exec calls for small-business research funding." Alternative headline: "Businessman asks government to give money to businesses."…
Comment
CEI Submits Comments on Commercial Motor Vehicle Operator Hours of Service
Full Document Available in PDF On behalf of the Competitive Enterprise Institute…
Newsletter
TSA Unionization, Ethanol, and Mubarek’s exit
Blog
Florida Governor Rick Scott Wisely Rejects High-Speed Rail
Yesterday, Florida’s newly elected governor, Rick Scott, announced he was rejecting the $2.4 billion he had received from the federal government to subsidize the…
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Morning Media Summary
Tech: ‘Watson’ the computer creams human ‘Jeopardy!’ champs: “An IBM computer creamed two human champions on the television game show “Jeopardy!” today in…
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Public Workers in Wisconsin Rally to “Kill the Bill”
Schools were closed today in Madison, Wisconsin, because many teachers were planning to call in sick so they could protest at the state…
Op-Eds
Cyber Insecurity: Flip That Internet “Kill Switch” Plan
Unless there’s a major critical infrastructure failure, cybersecurity’s never going to be a pop culture concern like Cee-Lo Green or Christina at the Super Bowl.
Citation
‘Time to Rethink’ Education Funding
One News Now
TX property owners unprotected
Daily Caller
Green Investment Bank Should Make Taxpayers See Red
The White House and congressional Democrats are talking up a “green investment bank.” The House did the right thing by striking the notion from the continuing resolution.
Daily Caller
Dick Durbin Is Stealing Your Free Checking!
In the battle against Obamacare, the first chinks in the law’s armor were resolutions against the law by state legislatures. These resolutions led to court…
Post - Gazette
Alcohol industry balks at counting calories
News Release
Dodd-Frank Debit Price Controls Condemned by Michigan Legislature, Coalition Letter
Washington, D.C., February 17, 2011 – Today, the House Financial Services Committee is holding a hearing on Dodd-Frank’s Durbin Amendment, which puts below-cost price…
Blog
Defending the Incandescent Light Bulb
Jim DiPeso, writing at The Daily Green, does not care much for Freedom Action’s campaign to overturn the impending ban on…
Blog
Foreign Automakers Beware! Sincerely, UAW Boss Bob King
Another day and the same story, UAW boss Bob King is threatening foreign automakers with unionization. Bob King, again, is going back on his 11…
Blog
SEIU Campaigns Against Public Perception
Over the weekend, the SEIU was hard at work preparing for an all-out assault on employers everywhere. The SEIU is preparing for an organizing and…
Newsletter
Supreme Court, State Resolutions, and Obscure Laws
Blog
Morning Media Summary
Tech: Computer crushes the competition on ‘Jeopardy!’: “The computer outsmarted its human competition in Game 1 of the Man vs. Machine competition on…
News Release
House Hearing on FCC’s Net Neutrality Proposal Should Investigate “Agency Neutrality”
Washington, D.C., February 16, 2011—The following is a statement from CEI’s Director of Technology Studies, Wayne Crews: All five Federal Communications Commission (FCC) commissioners…
Post - Gazette
Obama budget: Life is short, eat dessert first
Post - Gazette
Keeping Out Foreign Workers Is Crushing America’s Growth
It’s only February, but the U.S. government has already shut the door on applications for H-1B work visas for 2011. On Jan. 27, U.S.
Washington Examiner
Sen. Toomey Demands Spending Reform Instead of Debt Ceiling Hike
At Heritage, Sen. Pat Toomey, R-Pa., promises not to consider raising the debt ceiling until Congress reforms America’s “unsustainable” spending habits. Toomey’s slim…
Washington Examiner
Regulatory reform an issue of accountability
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Taxpayers Absorb Berkshire’s Dumped Bank of America Shares
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Afternoon Links: February 15, 2011
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Anti-Ethanol Legislation Begins Popping Up
Two bills have recently been introduced that intend to block efforts made to increase U.S. consumption of ethanol. The first, from Rep. John Sullivan…
Blog
Mubarak’s Exit Lifts U.S. Stocks
As Egypt settles into a cautious detente, stock markets around the world recover from their Jan 25 dip. As Mubarak ceded the presidency Friday,…
Blog
Morning Media Summary
Tech: Google Launches Site-Blocking Extension Against Content Farms: “Aimed at stripping search results of pages from “low-quality” sites, a new Google Chrome extension…
Blog
Foreign Automakers Beware! Sincerely, UAW Boss Bob King
Another day and the same story, UAW boss Bob King is threatening foreign automakers with unionization. Bob King, again, is going back on his 11…
Washington Examiner
Beware of Glass-Steagall
When freshman congressman and former lieutenant colonel Allen West was chosen to give the coveted keynote speech to close the Conservative Political Action Conference,…
One News Now
Funding high-speed rail projects ‘a shameful act’
One News Now
Obama budget: Life is short, eat dessert first
Comment
Chris Horner’s Testimony to Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on “Trade and Green Jobs”
The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee today is considering the idea of becoming a world leading exporter of politically selected technologies and blazing this…
Newsletter
Mubarek, Life-Cycle Budgeting, and the CEI Podcast
Letters
Coalition for Competitive Insurance Rates coalition letter on Obama’s FY 2012 Budget
Full Document Available in PDF We are writing to express our concern about a proposal within…
Blog
CEI monitoring labor regulations
One News Now A non-profit public policy organization that works to promote freedom and fairness by making good policy good politics has launched a new…
Blog
Regulation of the Day 165: Singing in Public
It is against the law to sing in public in Anderson, South Carolina. But the ban could be lifted as soon as today.
Blog
Afternoon Links: February 14, 2011
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SEIU Campaigns Against Public Perception
Over the weekend, the SEIU was hard at work preparing for an all-out assault on employers everywhere. The SEIU is preparing for an organizing and…
Blog
New York Times Repeatedly Makes False Claims About Supreme Court and Court Rulings
In The Atlantic, former ACLU board member Wendy Kaminer discusses the New York Times’ refusal to correct repeated falsehoods in its editorials about the…
Blog
Michigan May Fire Salvo Against Regressive Debit Card Price Controls
In the battle against Obamacare, the shots heard ’round the world were resolutions against the law by state legislatures. These resolutions led to court cases that…
Blog
Hold the Sizzle: Chipotle, Immigrant Employees Get ICE’d
Chipotle boasts that it offers “food with integrity,” but the popular restaurant chain may want to consider an addendum in light of its recent actions:…
Blog
Education Cuts Needed; Massive Spending Fuels Waste, Deficits
Education expert Neal McCluskey earlier lamented the failure of House Republicans to propose meaningful cuts in education spending, “despite the fact that the ivory…
Blog
Will the players union sink the NFL?
The Examiner “American Ills Not Caused by Unions,” screamed a recent headline in the Detroit News. Really? OK, forget about the union-strong-armed public-sector salaries and…
Blog
Morning Media Summary
Tech: FTC Warns About Public Wi-Fi Hotspot Dangers: “The OnGuardOnline.gov website, operated by the Federal Trade Commission, Justice Department, Homeland Security, Commerce Department…
One News Now
TSA Union Power Grab
It’s been a bad couple of weeks for taxpayers and airport travelers – but a good one for government employee unions. As if the…
One News Now
Obama, Climate Crank
Politico’s “Morning Energy” update includes the following: TAKING IT TO THE STREETS –– The Nation is calling on the Climate Hawk-crowd to “name and shame” climate skeptics (which…
One News Now
Let There Be Light
One News Now
Gingrich’s Energy Policies Rile Conservative Critics
Quality Health
Today’s Cancer Trends
News Release
Obama Budget Fails On Regulatory Reform
Washington, D.C., February 14, 2011 — President Barack Obama has submitted a $3.73 trillion spending budget blueprint for fiscal 2012, blowing well past President George…
Orange County Register
Deceptive Obama Budget Still Bloated
The Orange Country Register discusses President Obama's deceptive budget with Iain Murray. "The president is pulling a fast one on the public when he…
Orange County Register
CalTech Energy Researchers In Limbo As Congress Threatens To Chop Spending
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The Pitfalls of Unionizing the TSA
Robert Verbruggen wrote recently about the downside of unionizing the TSA in the National Review, taking issue with the Obama Administration’s decision to allow the…
Blog
What’s In Store for Egypt After Mubarak’s Departure?
Recently, Egypt’s pro-American dictator, Hosni Mubarak, was forced to resign after 30 years in power, and forced to give way to a military-controlled government. Victor…
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Merger lawsuits
I’m quoted in a Reuters story about merger lawsuits and their quick settlements: Settlements often come fast, and plaintiffs’ lawyers share in the spoils…
Orange County Register
CEI Monitoring Labor Regulations
Blog
Lowest Corn Reserves in 15 Years — Food Prices to Rise
The New York Times noted in an article yesterday that food prices are expected to rise this year as a result of significantly lower…
Newsletter
Natural Gas Vehicles, Nutrition Labels, and Roadside Panhandling
Blog
CEI Weekly: CEI Participates in CPAC 2011
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Biofuels and Rising Food Prices
The ethanol industry is, again, being hammered by the media. This time its The Washington Post, publishing an op-ed by Tim Searchinger, a professor at…
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Politics is a Country Club: Mubarak/Clinton Edition
Hillary Clinton, March 10, 2009: “I really consider [Egyptian] President and Mrs. Mubarak to be friends of my family. So I…
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CPAC 2011 Day Two
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PolitiFact: Obama Made False Claims About Health Care, Taxes, and Court Rulings
PolitiFact, which earlier took Obama’s side about whether Obamacare is a government takeover of health care, now is criticizing President Obama for making…
Orange County Register
Obama Administration Covers Up Political Correctness That Led to Massacre
American City and County
PPPs are good for transportation infrastructure, bad for real estate
NCPA
Regulation without Representation
One News Now
Unions advised to heed ObamaCare
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CEI Podcast for February 10, 2011: How Not to Stop Eminent Domain Abuse
Land Use and Transportation Policy Analyst Marc Scribner takes a close look at an eminent domain reform bill just passed by the Texas State Senate.
Blog
Obama Administration Hid Role of Politically-Correct Discrimination in Spawning Fort Hood Massacre
Discrimination and politically-correct blinders can be deadly. It was obvious in the aftermath of the Fort Hood shootings that the killer was inspired by Islamic…
Blog
Put Regulations on a Life-Cycle Budget
Reading through the headlines, the top economic stories are about scrutiny of regulation and spending proposals regarding the federal budget. But the similarities and differences…
Blog
CPAC 2011
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Alcohol Regulation Roundup: February 10, 2011
Massachusetts: State Representative Alice Peisch filed legislation this week (HD 2759), which would amend the state’s outdated laws from the 1970s that make it…
Creators
A Killer Agency
Creators
Obama’s Nanny-State Control of Business Will Crimp Growth
At 11:30 on Monday, in a much-anticipated speech at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, President Obama used analogies from the Super Bowl to urge American…
Electric Light & Power
Lawmaker Wants To Cut Agency
Electric Light & Power
Petition: Save the bulb
Blog
Texas Senate Passes Bogus Eminent Domain Reform Bill
Here’s some more bad news for those of us seeking real eminent domain reform, rather than style-over-substance feel-good legislation. Here’s the Dallas Morning News…
Blog
Blogger Kareem Amer Missing in Egypt
Kareem Amer, noted Egyptian blogger and democratic activist has not been heard from since 11 PM on February 6th.
Blog
Oral argument in the Bluetooth case
The audio file of Monday’s oral argument in the Ninth Circuit in the Bluetooth case is now on line. The panel consisted of…
Blog
Alcohol Regulation Roundup: February 9, 2011
Connecticut: Two days after Super Bowl Sunday, Connecticut lawmakers held a hearing on one of the most contentious issues this session:…
Blog
Transparency Bill Proposed Solution to Public Employee Pension Problems
At a House subcommittee meeting discussing one proposed solution for public employee pensions, a transparency bill designed to trace federal and state funds set aside…
Blog
World Food Prices at an All-Time High Because of Subsidies
World food prices are at an all-time high, announced the FAO this week. Many experts are jumping to conclusions that this indicates a global…
Blog
Regulation without Representation
Congress never actually votes on most regulations. As Wayne Crews and I explain in today's Investor's Business Daily, this is regulation without representation.
Newsletter
The FDIC, Government Payroll, and TSA Searches
Blog
Morning Media Summary
Tech: 1Gbps Wi-Fi Soon Coming To a Billion Devices: “Not only is 1Gbps heading for your Wi-Fi network by next year, it will…
Electric Light & Power
Will Congress Stop EPA’s End-Run around Democracy?
Cap-and-tax may be dead in Congress but the Kyoto agenda of stealth energy taxes marches on at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Although the Clean…
Electric Light & Power
Freddie, Fannie May Be Finished, But What Comes Next?
News Release
House Considers Bill To Stop EPA Power Grab
Washington, D.C. February 9, 2011 – A House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee today will hold a hearing on critical legislation – the Energy Tax Prevention…
News Release
How Many Congressmen Does It Take to Screw the Light Bulb?
Washington, D.C., February 9, 2011—The federal government’s push to increase fuel efficiency is ruining the appliances we depend on. That’s the conclusion of “Energy…
Blog
iPhone 4 is All About Verizon, Not Apple
Design loyalists know it all begins and ends with Apple, the little tech company whose mission statement is “to change the world.” When it comes…
Blog
Natural Gas Vehicles and the EPA
Much has been written in the media lately about EPA regulations that intend to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Might the EPA start by considering something…
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Common Sense: Making Union Officials Help Union Members
Recently, there have been numerous protests about Republican legislation that it is supposedly anti-union and limiting the rights of workers. I don’t buy it. Let…
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Regulation of the Day 164: Panhandling
If Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett gets his way, panhandlers will need a government permit to ask people for money if they’re near a road.
Blog
Morning Media Summary
Tech: China building a city for cloud computing: “China is building a city-sized cloud computing and office complex that will include a mega…
News Release
REINS Act, Regulatory Reform Will Foster Deep-Rooted Economic Recovery
Washington, D.C., February 8, 2011 – This week is good news for those who have advocated regulatory reform as a means of boosting the economy.
News Release
Free Market Think Tank Urges House to Reject Patriot Act Extension
Washington, D.C., February 8, 2011 – Today, the House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on an extension of three provisions of the Patriot…