Newsletter
Global Warming Research, Financial Regulation and Transportation Projects
Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is investigating the state-funded global warming research of a former University of Virginia professor to see if he defrauded taxpayers;…
Blog
Stimulus Package Increases Trade Deficit: Replaces U.S. Jobs with Foreign “Green Jobs”
The $800 billion stimulus package is shipping American jobs overseas. More than 79 percent of “green jobs” funding under the stimulus package went to…
News Release
CEI Seeks Climategate- and FOIA-Related Documents from University of Virginia
Washington, D.C., May 24, 2010—On Friday the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a Washington, DC free-market think tank, filed a Request seeking records from the University of…
Op-Eds
Overturning EPA’s Endangerment Finding Is a Constitutional Imperative
This week, the U.S. Senate is expected to vote on a “resolution of disapproval,” sponsored by Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, to stop…
Citation
Vitter Amendment
Washington Times
Pests Over People?
Just because coal is an inanimate object doesn't mean President Obama's war on coal avoids human casualties. I witnessed the collateral damage to coal-dependent…
Washington Times
Cuccinelli Is Following the Law; Mann Up, UVa
The University of Virginia indicates it will challenge Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli’s request for records produced, using taxpayer resources, by former Assistant Professor of…
Blog
CEI Statement on Senate Passage of Restoring American Financial Stability Act
The “Restoring American Financial Stability Act,” that passed Congress last night with 39 senators voting “nay,” will hurt Main Street investors and entrepreneurs, and worsen…
Blog
CEI Weekly: CEI Blasts Unconstitutional EPA Power Grab
CEI weekly is a compilation of articles and blogs from CEI's staff. This week features CEI's efforts to fight the EPA's recent power grab to…
Blog
“No More Crying ’Spanish Flu’,” my article in Forbes
What’s that? Your throat feels sore? You’re sniffling and sneezing? Bit achy? IT’S THE RETURN OF THE SPANISH FLU! Okay, that’s satire–but not by much.
Blog
The Increasing Role of Road Concessions
Increasing private sector involvement in transportation should be seen as a positive development. However, there are right ways to involve private firms, and…
Blog
Senate Passes Financial “Reform” Bill, 59-39; Will Wipe Out Jobs and Increase Credit Card Costs
The Senate has just passed a 1,500 page financial “reform” bill that deliberately leaves unreformed the corrupt mortgage giants that spawned the financial crisis–while…
Newsletter
Campaign Finance, Politics at the Justice Department and John Stuart Mill
Democrats push campaign finance reform legislation. A Justice Department lawyer resigns in response to increased politicization of the department. Today is John Stuart Mill’s birthday.
Legal Brief
University of Virginia Freedom of Information Act Request
Blog
A Telling Headline
Washington Times
Liberate to stimulate – Live in the UK!
When the financial crisis hit, across the world there were two main reactions. First, regulate industry more “to prevent this sort of thing happening…
Washington Times
Dodd Bank Bill: Brown Folds but Vitter’s Not-Everything’s-a-Bank Amendment Passes
Yesterday, Scott Brown caved, and the Senate passed its “financial reform.” That story is at the top of every news web site.
Washington Times
The Other Blumenthal Scandal
Blog
Happy 204th Birthday, John Stuart Mill
Blog
Weak Trade Efforts During World Trade Week
President Obama recently declared this week “World Trade Week.” His announcement was yet another hollow attempt to appear favorable towards free trade. Unfortunately,…
Blog
Justice Department Lawyer Resigns Due to Politicization of Justice Department; Obama Administration Defies Civil Rights Commission
A career Justice Department lawyer has resigned after the Obama administration defied a subpoena from the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. The Commission is…
Newsletter
Financial Regulation, a Pay Cut for Congress and Kagan Missing in Action
The Senate rejects a move to cut off debate and further amendment on the financial regulation bill sponsored by Chris Dodd…
Blog
Solving America’s Problems
Washington Times
Mexican Hypocrisy? U.S. Neighbor Has Its Own Tough Take on Immigration
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
Kagan Shirked Duty to Defend Federal Laws Protecting Crime Victims
Federal law authorizes life sentences without parole for particularly heinous violent crimes committed by 16 and 17-year olds. But Solicitor General Elena Kagan was…
Blog
Dodd bill’s unintended consequences for Main Street
Letters
Murkowski Resolution Coalition Letter
Full Document Available in PDF To Members of the United States Senate: We urge you to support S. J. Res. 26,…
Study
Overturning EPA’s Endangerment Finding Is a Constitutional Imperative
By Marlo Lewis and Former Gov. George Allen…
Blog
Legal Elites Chip Away at Protections Against Violent Crime
On Monday, the Supreme Court, citing “international opinion,” outlawed life imprisonment without parole for juveniles who commit rape, torture, and other non-homicide crimes. Earlier,…
Newsletter
EPA’s Carbon Regulations, Internet Gambling and Reviving Rail
The Senate prepares to vote on Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s resolution to restrict the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating carbon emissions. The House’s Ways and Means…
Make Poker Legal
Congress May Roll Dice and Legalize Internet Gambling
NH Insider
Congress May Roll Dice and Legalize Internet Gambling
NH Insider
Dodd’s Bank Bill: New Nationalization Powers for Fed, FDIC, and Treasury Secretary
There are many bad things contained in Chris Dodd’s "Restoring American Financial Stability Act," the financial regulatory "reform" bill that after filibustering for…
NH Insider
Dodd’s Bank Bill: New Nationalization Powers for Fed, FDIC, and Treasury Secretary
There are many bad things contained in Chris Dodd’s “Restoring American Financial Stability Act,” the financial regulatory “reform” bill…
News Release
Failed Bank Bill Filled with Unintended Consequences for Main Street
Washington, D.C., May 19, 2010 – After the Senate today defeated a major banking regulation bill, CEI issued the following statement by John Berlau,…
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…
Newsletter
Immigration Reform, SCOTUS and “Market Fundamentalism”
The New York Times reports that younger people are more likely to favor liberalized immigration policy than the baby boomer generation. The Supreme Court’s decision…
Blog
Triumph of Pigou
News Release
House Eyes Internet Gambling Reform
As the House Ways and Means Committee prepares for a hearing Wednesday on potential revenue from regulated Internet gambling, analysts at the Competitive Enterprise Institute…
NH Insider
The EPA’s Shocking Power Grab
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is carrying out one of the biggest power grabs in American history. The agency has positioned itself to regulate…
CNET
Congress May Roll Dice and Legalize Internet Gambling
CNET
Monday’s SCOTUS Decision Sickening
The Supreme Court has just held that violent juveniles cannot be given a life sentence without the opportunity for parole, unless they succeed in…
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
Supreme Court Overturns Life Sentences Without Parole for Violent Juveniles, Citing “International Opinion”
The Supreme Court has just held that violent juveniles cannot be given a life sentence without the opportunity for parole, unless they succeed in killing…
Blog
LibertyWeek 93: Tea Party Euro Trip
Blog
Preempting State Pension Bailouts
Congress has long used its control of the federal government’s purse strings as a club with which to force states to change laws that fall…
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.
Opposing Views
Immigration Reform Should Focus on Security
The recent arrest of Faisal Shahzad, the Times Square bombing suspect, has reopened the debate on immigration and national security. Shahzad is an immigrant…
Blog
Sometimes I Think They’re Just Messing with Us
Here's an excerpt from an early 1980s Office of Management and Budget report.
Orange County Register
Short-Circuiting the Internet
Blog
Radical Law Professor Goodwin Liu Approved as High-Ranking Judge by Senate Judiciary Committee, on Party-Line Vote
Radical law professor Goodwin Liu was approved to sit on the federal appeals court for the Ninth Circuit in a party-line, 12-to-7…
Newsletter
Drug Ads, Debit Card Fees and Labor Finances
The Food and Drug Administration moves to crack down on the advertising of prescription medicines for “off-label” uses. Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) pushes for limits…
Orange County Register
In Liu of Qualifications?
Blog
You do not have a right to not be offended.
Blog
CEI Weekly: CEI Defends Internet Freedom
CEI weekly is a compilation of articles and blogs from CEI's staff. This week features CEI's defense of the internet against new FCC regulations by…
Blog
Bailout Supporters Lose Elections in Germany and Utah; Obama Administration Presses Ahead With More Bailouts
Senator Robert Bennett lost reelection in Utah’s Republican primary amidst anger over his vote for the $700 billion bank bailout known as TARP.
Blog
Growing Battle on Anti-Consumer Wine Reguations
Today, the New York Post ran my article on regulations against wine sales in grocery stores. Unfortunately, New York’s silly regulations are just…
Newsletter
Energy Legislation, Facebook Privacy and Wine Regulations
Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) unveil their long-delayed energy bill. Executives at Facebook hold a high-level meeting to…
Blog
Durbin’s Walgreens Corporate Welfare Amendment
Give Dick Durbin some credit for his chutzpah. It’s not every lawmaker who, in proposing an amendment to a financial reform bill ostensibly aimed at…
Orange County Register
New York Needs to Relax on Wine
New York liquor retailers oppose Gov. Pater son’s proposal to let supermarkets sell wine — but it would be a clear winner for everyone…
Orange County Register
Dems Block Reform of Corrupt Mortgage Giants
In a party-line, 56-to-43 vote Tuesday, Senate Democrats blocked any reform of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the corrupt, government-backed mortgage giants…
Orange County Register
Durbin’s Walgreens Amendment Shifts Costs to Consumers
Give Dick Durbin some credit for his chutzpah. It’s not every lawmaker who, in proposing an amendment to a financial reform bill ostensibly aimed…
Blog
CEI’s FTC Complaint Against GM: A Response to Walter Olson
Over at Cato@Liberty, Walter Olson criticizes CEI’s filing of an FTC complaint against General Motors regarding a recent television advertisement by the…
Blog
Regulation of the Day 137: Brownie Recipes
The Pentagon's official brownie recipe is 26 pages long.
Blog
Democrats Block Reform of Corrupt Mortgage Giants; Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Will Receive Billions More in Bailouts for Government-Sponsored Enterprises
In a party-line, 56-to-43 vote yesterday, Senate Democrats blocked any reform of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the corrupt, government-backed mortgage giants that…
Blog
ObamaCare Deeply Unpopular: Democratic Congressman Who Voted for Health Care Bill Loses Primary Election
ObamaCare is so unpopular in West Virginia that veteran Democratic Congressman Alan Mollohan lost reelection in yesterday’s Democratic primary to a state senator who…
Newsletter
Free Trade, Chemical Safety and Internet Gambling
A bipartisan letter urges President Obama to pass our stalled free trade agreement with South Korea. Fenton Communications is warning consumers to stay away from…
Blog
CEI in the News for May 11, 2010
Blog
Kellogg’s Flaky Reasoning (the foundation)
Townhall
Schumer’s Hypocritical Assault on Facebook
Hypocrisy in politics is nothing new. But Senator Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) set a new standard for it last week when he and three of his…
Townhall
Off Target On Off-Label Drugs
Americans are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with their government, according to opinion polls released in April by the Pew Research Center. The center’s president, Andrew…
Blog
Risky alternatives for online gamblers post-UIGEA
On June 1st, it seems inevitable that banks will have to be in compliance with the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act (UIGEA); the vague and…
Blog
Bipartisan letter urges action on Korea FTA
On May 10, 2010, two high-ranking senators, a Democrat and a Republican, sent a joint letter to President Obama asking him to take action…
Newsletter
Energy Taxes, the Kagan Nomination and Toyota’s Safety Record
Sens. John Kerry and Joseph Lieberman prepare to introduce their much-anticipated energy bill on Wednesday. Obama nominates Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. Toyota posts…
Blog
The Enviro-Left Machine in Action
Fenton Communications has a long history of work within the left-wing advocacy apparatus. I’m delighted to see a great addition to the blogosphere, the…
Townhall
Dodd’s Bank Bill: Worse Than ObamaCare. It’s the Nationalization, Stupid!
There are many bad things contained in Chris Dodd’s Restoring American Financial Stability Act,” the financial regulatory “reform” bill that after filibustering for three…
News Release
Kerry-(Graham)-Lieberman Bill a Huge Payoff to Big Business
Washington, D.C., May 11, 2010—As Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) prepare to introduce their long-delayed energy-rationing legislation, the Competitive Enterprise Institute calls…
Blog
The Toyota Hobgoblin, my piece in today’s Philly Inquirer
‘The whole aim of practical politics,” wrote H.L. Mencken, “is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing…
Blog
Obama Nominates Liberal Lawyer Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court
President Obama has nominated liberal lawyer Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. She currently serves as Solicitor General. Before that she was dean at…
Blog
LibertyWeek 92: FCC Power Grab
Newsletter
Cap and Trade, FCC’s “Future of Media” Project and Another Fannie Mae Bailout
Sen. Lindsey Graham withdraws his support for climate legislation co-sponsored by Sens. John Kerry and Joe Lieberman. The Federal Communications Commission is launching a “Future…
Comment
CEI Comments to the FCC on the “Future of Media” Inquiry
Full Document Available in PDF FCC’s “Future of Media” Campaign vs. Separation of Speech and State The Duty to Expand Communications Liberty…
Blog
Mortgage Giant Seeks Another $8.4 Billion in Bailouts, After Obama Lifts $400 Billion Limit on Bailouts for Government-Sponsored Enterprises
Mortgage giant Fannie Mae is seeking another $8.4 billion in federal bailout money, after the Obama administration earlier lifted a $400 billion limit…
News Release
The First Amendment Doesn’t Need a Bailout
Washington, D.C., May 10, 2010—In recently-submitted regulatory comments, the Competitive Enterprise Institute urged the Federal Communications Commission to take a stand against government interference…
Townhall
Obama’s Spanish Disaster
The number 13 is proving quite fortuitous for me, if not so much for the global warming industry. Thirteen months after I…
Blog
Heartland podcast
Arin Greenwood interviews me about some recent Center for Class Action Fairness cases.
Townhall
GM Deliberately Tried to Deceive Americans (Letter to the Editor)
The Examiner was right to criticize General Motors for falsely claiming in a recent TV ad campaign to have “repaid”—“in full”—what it received from…
Blog
Friday Regulation Roundup
In Yukon, Oklahoma, it is illegal for a patient to pull a dentist's tooth, plus more.
Blog
Lindsey Graham: “It’s not a global warming bill to me.”
Today’s Greenwire (subscription required) includes an edited transcript of an interview with Lindsey Graham (R-SC) that recalls Bill Clinton’s famous line, “It all depends on…
Townhall
Arizona Law May Be Flawed, But Federal Remedy Will Be Worse
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
Pennsylvania’s IRS Knows Where You Live
Blog
D.C. Rail Fetishists Propose “Free” Trolleys
If you believe the “city of northern charm and southern efficiency” is geared solely toward imposing stupid, expensive directives on the rest of the country,…
Blog
Taxpayers to Put Up Billions More for Bailouts of Greece and Corrupt Mortgage Giant
Government-sponsored mortgage giant Freddie Mac is demanding another $10.6 billion in bailouts, which the Obama administration is expected to give it. Obama’s so-called…
Blog
CEI Weekly: CEI Catches GM’s Misleading Ad
CEI weekly is a compilation of articles and blogs from CEI's staff. This week features CEI's complaint filed to the FTC against General Motors for…
Blog
Federal Register Hits 25,000 Pages
This morning, the 2010 Federal Register passed the 25,000 page mark.
Newsletter
The Gulf Oil Spill, GM’s Bailout Troubles and the Costs of CO2 Regulation
Environmentalists call for a stop to offshore drilling in reaction to the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. CEI files a complaint against General Motors with…
Daily Caller
The Kerry-BP ‘Energy Refund’ Bill
E&E Daily reports that, speaking before a lobbying group gathered to promote more ethanol-style boondoggles (but for windmills), “Sen. John Kerry is predicting widespread…