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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.
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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…
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Regulation of the Day 128: Bounty Hunters
You need a license to be a bounty hunter in New Jersey.
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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…
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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.
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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.
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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.
Blog
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.
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Federal Government Shuts Down Due to Snow
There is great wisdom in Mark Twain’s famous adage: “No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while the congress is in session.”…
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Regulation of the Day 112: Importing Pork Rinds
The federal government is loosening its restrictions on importing pork rinds from Brazil.
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Regulation of the Day 111: Buying Wine in New York
It is illegal for grocery stores to sell wine in the state of New York. Only liquor stores are allowed to sell the stuff.
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Sen. Richard Shelby, Thief
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Regulation of the Day 110: Watching the Super Bowl
Hosting a Super Bowl party this Sunday? You might be interested to know that it is technically illegal to watch the Super Bowl on a…
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Regulation of the Day 109: Unplanned Castles
In 2002, Robert Fidler built his family a house that resembles a castle. It is his dream home. Authorities want to require him to demolish…
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Regulation of the Day 108: Murals in Front of Houses
A Los Angeles couple recently paid an artist to paint a mural on the wall in front of their house. The city is threatening the…
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This Is How Terrorists Win
Fear is a terrorist's only effective weapon. There are so few of them, and their attacks are so rare, that fear is all they have.
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School Choice: Mankind’s Doom
A new study opposes school choice on the grounds that it would contribute to global warming.
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Regulation of the Day 107: Blowing Your Nose While Driving
It's a good idea to be in control of your car when you're driving. This good idea is also law in most places. But sometimes…
Blog
State of the Union Live-Blog
Welcome to CEI's live-blog of the 2010 State of the Union address.
Blog
Regulation of the Day 106: Clotheslines
Some homeowners' associations ban clotheslines. For people who would like to use clotheslines and aren't allowed to, this presents a problem. Now regulators want to…
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Regulation of the Day 105: Not Driving Your Car
John Delacey of St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada, received a court summons for keeping a car in his driveway and not driving it.
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Regulation of the Day 104: Haggis
Haggis is the national dish of Scotland. It has also been banned in the United States since 1989. Fortunately, the ban may soon be reversed.
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Regulation of the Day 103: When Products Are on Sale
Two states have regulations for when stores can say their products are on sale.
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Grading Obama’s First Year
CEI released a comprehensive report card this week on the Obama administration's first year in office. My contribution is below; read the full report card…
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A Good Day for Freedom of Speech
Advocating speech restrictions is a fancy way of saying, "my arguments are too weak to withstand criticism." Get better arguments, then!…
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Regulation of the Day 102: The Size of Banks
The White House is expected to propose today a maximum allowable size for banks.
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Regulation of the Day 101: Brushing Teeth After Meals
[A]ny child who has a meal in day care or is in care for more than four hours will be required to brush their teeth,…
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Regulation of the Day 100: Posting YouTube Videos
The Italian government is considering making it illegal for its citizens to post videos on the Internet without a license.
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Health Insurance and Campaign Contributions
$40 million and change plus some antitrust troubles is a really small price to pay for a legal guarantee of vastly increased business, forever.
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Regulation of the Day 99: Salty New Yorkers
New York City is seeking to regulate how much salt is in peoples' food. Enforcement will prove difficult; most food that New Yorkers eat comes…
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This Guy Gets It
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Regulation of the Day 98: Gastrointestinal Drugs
Did you know that the federal government has a Gastrointestinal Drugs Advisory Committee?…
Washington Examiner
Happy New Year, Here’s 1,000 Pages of New Rules and Regulations!
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That Didn’t Take Long
Today is the fourth working day of the new year. The Federal Register has already exceeded 1,000 pages.
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Regulation of the Day 97: Full Body Scans and Child Protection Laws
Sometimes, when two regulations love each other much, they get together and have little baby regulations. This is happening right now in Britain.
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Regulation of the Day 96: Health Warnings on Cell Phones
These warning labels have nothing to do with letting people know that their phones can make them look like jackasses.
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Regulation of the Day 95: Buying Wine in Ohio
It is illegal to buy more than 288 bottles of wine per year in Ohio.
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Hayek on Freedom
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Regulation of the Day 94: Plastic Shopping Bags
Washington, DC’s city government is now requiring stores to charge customers five cents for each plastic bag they use at checkout. There were 84 unsolved…
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Regulation of the Day 93: Predatory Lending
The CCARD Act is, completely unintentionally, a wealth transfer from poor people to richer people. Congress is actively hurting the very people it intended to…
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Terrorism Is Rare
Each time you board a plane, your odds of being a victim of terrorism are about 1 in 10,408,947. Your odds of being struck by…
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Year-End Fun: Scroogenomics
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Regulation of the Day 92: Camping at the Beach
In Oregon, it is illegal to set up a tent at most beaches.
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For the Birds
An environmental group is suing to cancel an upcoming AC/DC concert in Austria because they think loud music poses a threat to birds.
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Regulation of the Day 91: Horse Floaters
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Regulation of the Day 90: The National Poultry Improvement Plan
Having solved all the nation’s other problems, the federal government has a National Poultry Improvement Plan.
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Regulation of the Day 89: Purple Dye
Modern innovations such as synthetic dyes, the Minnesota Vikings, and purple M&Ms have taken away purple’s exotic reputation. But no worry. Federal regulators are doing…
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Regulation of the Day 88: College Football’s Playoff System
On the other hand, legislators do less harm when they spend their time on college football rather than, say, health care.
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Regulation of the Day 87: The Volume of TV Commercials
The House passed the Commercial Loudness Act on Wednesday. If it becomes law, the FCC would control the volume level of television commercials.
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Regulation of the Day 86: Cockfighting Advertisements
If you’re thinking of sending out advertisements for a cockfight through the mail, you should be aware that a new regulation allows the postal service…
Blog
Regulation of the Day 85: Peddlers
It is illegal to be a peddler in Wisconsin without a license. One of the requirements is five years of residency in Wisconsin. Because clearly,…
Blog
Regulation of the Day 84: The Size of Holes in Swiss Cheese
Talk about attention to detail. The federal government regulates the size of hole in Swiss cheese.
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On the Nature of Change: Calm Down!
Most people are convinced that we shall die in either fire or ice. The proportion crying each variety of wolf varies according to the fashion…
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Regulation of the Day 83: Citations
The Code of Federal Regulations contains a regulation on how to cite the Code of Federal Regulations.
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Financial Fiasco
I recently finished reading Swedish economist Johan Norberg's book about the financial crisis, aptly titled Financial Fiasco. It's both short and informative. Six chapters and…
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Marcus Aurelius: Emperor, Philosopher, Economist
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Regulation of the Day 82: Veterinarians
Did you know that the federal government is in the veterinary accreditation business? It’s true.
Overlawyered
Brass banned in childrens’ toys
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Poll: Used Car Salesmen More Ethical than Congress
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Antitrust as Corporate Welfare for Aggrieved Competitors
Wayne Crews and I have an article in today's American Spectator about the antitrust crusade against Intel. An FTC picking winners and losers is not…
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Regulation of the Day 81: Porn
A proposed rule in California would reclassify adult film actors as being subject to certain employment regulations. The unintended consequences are potentially fatal.
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In-Flight Rent-Seeking
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Regulation of the Day 80: Falconry
The Code of Federal Regulations contains 12,834 words worth of rules concerning falconry, of all things.
Blog
Did Deregulation Cause the Great Recession?
Over at RealClearMarkets, I explain why the answer is a resounding no. Over 30,000 total new rules passed during the Bush years. Hardly any were…
Overlawyered
Did Deregulation Cause the Great Recession?
In a December 3 article in Politico ("J-O-Bs should come before GDP"), Rep. Phil Hare argues that "reckless deregulation" is one of the causes…
Public Radio
Did Deregulation Cause the Recession?
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Regulation of the Day 79: Auctioneers in Alabama
It is illegal to conduct an auction without a license in Alabama. Violators can be punished with fines of up to $500. Applicants must pay…
Overlawyered
FDA Raw Oyster Ban
Blog
Don’t Worry about Trade Deficits
I run an ongoing trade deficit with my local grocery store. I import food from them every week. They have never purchased a thing from…