Blog
How sweet it is — for sugar producers
As the House Agriculture Committee begins debate on the 2007 Farm Bill today, eight public interest groups sent a letter to committee members…
Blog
Washington Appeals Decision Striking Down Gun Ban
Washington, D.C. bans handguns, even when used solely for self-defense. Earlier this year, its gun ban was struck down under the Second Amendment by…
Blog
Gigantic Class Action Lawsuit at Death’s Door
Earlier, I wrote about the gigantic class action lawsuit in Schwab v. Philip Morris, in which the tobacco companies are being sued for selling…
Blog
Plans for the A380
Blog
One Step Toward a Tobacco Monopoly
The New York Times has a story today on the FDA regulation bill, which would place the tobacco industry under FDA regulation. The bill…
Blog
India Adapts
Deepak Lal has a typically thoughtful essay in New Delhi’s Business-Standard this week. He finds there are many reasons for India to rethink its…
Blog
“We are able to reach less people”–U.N. Food Program
This pair of articles by Javier Blas and Jenny Wiggins of the Financial Times is of direct relevance to the debate in Washington,…
Blog
Why So Shy?
After Live Earth missed its promised audience of 2 billion by about, oh, 1.9 billion (and that’s charitable), one has to wonder how much money…
News Release
Public Interest Groups Oppose Sugar Subsidies
Washington, D.C., July 17, 2007—As members of the House Agriculture Committee consider the 2007 farm bill, several public interest groups are urging committee members to…
News Release
New Study Charts the Growth of Environmental Law
Washington, D.C., July 17, 2007—According to a new study from the Competitive Enterprise Institute, the conventional idea that progressive environmental causes suffer under conservative…
Study
Environmentalism’s Legal Legacy
Letters
Letter to Members of the House Agriculture Committee Regarding the 2007 Farm Bill
To: Members of the House Agriculture Committee We, as representatives of consumer, taxpayer, public policy, and humanitarian groups, are writing to express…
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. ENVIRONMENT Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. makes waves by calling global warming skeptics “traitors.” CEI Expert Available…
Blog
One Cheer for Singletary
Christine: Like you, I dislike Singletary’s hectoring tone but I think that she inadvertently makes a pretty good point: Market prices can provide a…
Blog
FDA Regulation of Tobacco Opposed
Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina is opposing a bill to place the tobacco industry under the jurisdiction of the FDA. He cites the…
Blog
How’s that? Save money by painting yourself green?
I’m worried about Michelle Singletary, The Washington Post‘s personal investment columnist. From her, you would expect to hear advice on how to build personal wealth…
Blog
What Lending Crisis?
Op-Eds
Short on Storm Coverage
So long as hurricanes continue to sweep through Florida's landscape, Floridians will have to find ways to repair the damage. As the Sentinel…
Op-Eds
Ignorance Is Strength, Dissent Is Treason
At last weekend’s Live Earth concert in New Jersey, Robert Kennedy, Jr., a spokesman for the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), charged ExxonMobil and Southern…
Op-Eds
Al Gore’s Whine: What Really Happened on the Mall
Now it's official. Global warming alarmism has indeed “jumped the shark“, as revealed by the dismal failure of the Live Earth concerts to galvanize…
Op-Eds
The Biofuel Fad
William Saletan argued in favor of biofuels on humanitarian and environmental grounds ["A Corny Cold War," Outlook, July 8]. He was wrong on both…
Op-Eds
Nothing Sweet about It
"It’s an outrage!" That’s the usual cry of Washington politicians when they chastise the world outside their chambers for their profligate ways, which they…
News Release
Congress Poised to Prop Up Sugar Regime
Washington, D.C., July 16, 2007—Americans have been paying for sugar at two to three times the world price over the past 25 years, thanks…
Letters
A Letter Urging Congress to Reject Capital Gains Tax Hikes
Dear Representative, On behalf of the millions of grassroots investors who are members of our organizations, we strongly urge you to reject any increase…
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. FINANCE Private insurance companies refuse to issue coverage to hurricane-prone areas in Florida. CEI…
Op-Eds
Farmers are Shuckers, Too
It is not surprising that National Corn Growers Association President Ken McCauley uses the term “free market” pejoratively (“Reusable fuels: Good goal, good policy,”…
Blog
Macomber on Brookes
At The American Spectator, Shawn Macomber has very good article on Warren Brookes, after whom CEI’s journalism fellowship is named. He highlights Brookes’s…
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More Controversy About the N-Word
The Montgomery County Schools are eliminating a lesson plan designed to prepare students to read Harper Lee’s classic To Kill A Mockingbird, saying that…
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Just Say No…to The Yes Men
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We’re Gonna Need a Bigger Tablet
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Government Wisdom
The House Agriculture Committee’s homepage features a message from the chairman that includes this line: Every American who eats should recognize the importance of…
Blog
Would You Like Some Wood Pulp With That?
Blog
Is false advertising truthful if it is stupendously false?
What prompts this question is a full-page advertisement in today’s (July 11, 2007) Wall Street Journal by BASF, “The Chemical Company.” The ad features a…
Blog
Attorneys General: Corruption By Contingency Fee
Adam Liptak of The New York Times recently wrote about the increasing practice by state attorneys general of hiring trial lawyers to bring lawsuits…
Blog
Hate Crimes Bill is Back
Earlier, I wrote about how the federal hate crimes bill contains provisions that would undermine protections against double-jeopardy and constitutional federalism safeguards (see here,…
Blog
A message from the President of the American Council on Renewable Energy
A few days ago, our colleague Dr. Marlo Lewis had a column over at The American Spectator on the current debate in Congress over…
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. HEALTH California officials issue a West Nile virus public health alert. CEI Expert Available to Comment:…
Blog
Less reliable than Old Ben’s Almanack?
Tim Worstall has a very interesting post over at the Adam Smith Institute blog on the validity of those temperature projections that get the…
Blog
A Second Look at Second Life Analogies
My letter to the Washington Post regarding Michael Gerson’s “Where the Avatars Roam,” which appeared in the Post last week: Michael Gerson’s July 6…
Blog
Historic buildings vs. enviro-think
In today’s Wall Street Journal, an interesting article (reg. req’d.) on the collision between building preservation and enviro-think. Seems that people who move into…
Blog
Delegated democracy?
Paul Chesser of North Carolina’s John Locke Foundation has a useful article in today’s Washington Times about how one advocacy group, funded by leftist…
Blog
They Can Have My Maserati When They Pry My Cold, Dead Hands off the Steering Wheel
Bloomberg’s Doron Levin presents a sad vision of Europe’s future – one in which high-performance sports cars are a thing of the past: If…
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. CONGRESS The House of Representatives votes to give more regulatory power to the Food…
Blog
When “plenty of attitude” is a good thing
Blog
False Analogies from WIRED
Wired magazine’s Scott Gilbertson summarized the FTC net neutrality report by quipping, “Wait and see if it all goes south and then maybe consider…
Blog
Greenhouse Gas Sanctimony
Al Gore was born into a wealthy family and lives high on the hog. But he is very preachy and sanctimonious about the little people…
Blog
Let Them Drink Tap
Some lawmakers maintain that energy needed to transport the bottled water is too high for the value that the product brings. Let everyone drink tap,…
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Syndicated Vindication
Another CEI milestone – we’ve made it into the popular syndicated newspaper column The Straight Dope (the column has published since 1973 under the…
Blog
What Passes for Good News in Washington
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. ECONOMICS The federal budget deficit drops to $205 billion…
Blog
$200 Billion Class Action Lawsuit Over “Light” Cigarettes Appealed
Today, the federal appeals court in New York heard the appeal of trial judge Jack Weinstein’s decision to certify a $200 billion class action…
Blog
Satellite (Radio) of Love
The FCC is currently presiding over the proposed merger of satellite radio companies XM and Sirius. And, to no one’s surprise, a host of…
Blog
Pelosi v. Dingell: Energy Policy Smackdown
The Hill has the latest today on the, shall we say, “evolving tensions” between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Energy and Commerce Chairman John…
Blog
“Our Planet” has a MySpace page!
Turns out “our planet” has a MySpace page. I ask you: full of pomposity? Just puttin’ that out there. I’m all in favor of a…
Op-Eds
Hanging Onto the Trash
One would think we were dealing with a major national security issue considering how worked up New York politicians get about garbage. But that's…
Op-Eds
Economic Climate Changes
Congress is considering global warming legislation to require substantial cuts in emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), the inescapable byproduct of the fossil fuels —…
Op-Eds
Private Public Matters
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
1. CONGRESS House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Chairman John Dingell prepare for a showdown on energy policy. CEI Expert Available to…
Newsletter
Cooler Heads Digest
Global Warming in the News: Inside the BeltwayMyron Ebell, CEI As the House leadership tries to figure out what pieces of anti-energy legislation…
Blog
Myron Debates Global Warming on CNN (7/7/07)
Blog
Mandatory Purchase
In a piece in Saturday's Washington Examiner, I examine the parallels between auto insurance and health insurance, and, for the most part, find that…
Blog
Live Earth’s Ratings Meltdown
As Iain noted earlier, in the UK, TV ratings for Live Earth were dismal for an event so hyped. Now the Nielsen overnight…
Blog
Bad apple doesn’t fall far from the rotten tree
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Ambushed by the Unruh Act
California's Unruh Act is a trial lawyer's dream, and a nightmare for the rule of law. It has been interpreted to ban "discrimination" against customers…
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Irrationality of Mandated Recycling
I’ve said it a million times: Recycling isn’t environmentally beneficial if it uses more resources than it saves. That is why many government-mandated recycling programs…
Blog
The Tragi-Comedy that is California Energy Policy
For the setting of this melodrama, we have California foolishly passing AB32 to reduce her greenhouse gas emissions 11 percent by 2010, 25 percent by…
Blog
Bong Hits 4 Jesus Fallout
Julie Hilden has an interesting column at Findlaw on the recent Supreme Court ruling upholding a teenager’s suspension for holding up a “Bong Hits…
Blog
Live Earth Tree Falls in Silent Forest
Well, Live Earth has been and gone like a tree falling in a forest with no one around: Just 22% said they followed news…
News Release
Bureaucrash and the “Demand Debate” Campaign Crash Live Earth New York
Washington, D.C., July 9, 2007—This weekend pro-freedom activists from the Bureaucrash Activist Network teamed up with DemandDebate to infiltrate the New York…
News Release
XM-Sirius Merger Should Go Forward
Washington, D.C., July 9, 2007—The proposed merger of satellite radio companies XM and Sirius should be cleared by the Federal Communications Commission, according to…
Comment
Comments submitted to the Federal Communications Commission in the matter of XM Satellite Radio Holdings and Sirius Satellite Ra
Comments of the Competitive Enterprise Institute Contents…
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. ENVIRONMENT Al Gore’s “Live Earth” concert series leaves many observers underwhelmed. CEI Expert Available to…
Blog
National Geographic Cover Story on Malaria
The July issue of National Geographic features an excellent cover story on malaria. It notes the importance of DDT, highlights many problems with relying…
Blog
222,623.63 Miles of Smug
Britain’s Daily Mail has estimated Al Gore’s Live Earth concerts’ environmental footprint, and calls the event “an exercise in hypocrisy on a grand scale.” A Daily Mail investigation…
News Release
A Skeptical Response to “Live Earth”
Washington, D.C., July 7, 2007—As millions of people prepare to enjoy the musical talents of their favorite bands at the seven-city “Live Earth” concert…
Op-Eds
The Road to Health Care Reform
When they buy automobile insurance, Americans enjoy a market that provides many choices, lots of competition, and, in most places, reasonable rates. Residents of…
Blog
Virtual Second Life = Libertarianism Is a Failure ??
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What Insight Katrina Lends to the International Aid Industry
Blog
Lemonade Stands and the Free Market
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. Environment Al Gore’s “Live Earth” concert series will host a previously cancelled performance this…
Blog
Live Earth: Global warming has “jumped the shark”
This weekend, rock stars will jet around the world, cars and buses will clog traffic, and elaborate sound stages will be set up to burn…
Blog
Support for Big Government Grows
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More Foreign Lawsuits Against Tobacco Companies
Back in 1998, in the Master Settlement Agreement, the big tobacco companies agreed to pay 46 states billions of dollars in perpetuity, supposedly to defray…
Blog
This does not compute
Gov. Rendell of PA is indignant because GOP legislators are calling his proposed “system benefits charge” or “fee” on electricity a TAX. The proposed…
Blog
Could it happen here? Probably not.
Recent media reports indicate that some the leading suspects in the recently attempted terror attacks against the U.K. were doctors working for the…
Blog
Racial Set-Asides Cost D.C. Taxpayers
Washington, D.C. has a minority set-aside program that results in taxpayers of all races paying hundreds of millions of dollars more in taxes to pay…
Op-Eds
Junk Science: Live Earth’s Gross Groupies
Why is NBC airing Al Gore’s Live Earth concert this weekend? Why are Democrats, who claim to support the Fairness Doctrine, not objecting to…
News Release
Stringent Government Rules Can Turn Deadly
Newsletter
Cooler Heads Digest
1. The Week in Global Warming News 2. CEI’s Insider Information 3. Issue of the Week: Marlo Lewis’s Senate Testimony4.
Blog
Price signals don’t lie
And today in Nigeria they bring some needed, and rare, good news in an otherwise dismal situation: The price of machetes has halved…
Blog
I Think I Hear Lee Greenwood in the Background
In the spirit of Independence Day Eve, we should all read Peter Hartlaub’s column in today’s San Francisco Chronicle, and admire its praise of…
Blog
Khosting on Fumes
Our old friend Vinod Khosla is back in the news, this time with something to show for his efforts: the world’s first commercial-scale…
Blog
By His Enemies Shall You Know Him?
Op-Eds
Seeking to Expand Ranks and Increase Salaries, Not Improve Education
With Democratic majorities in the U.S. House and Senate, the nation’s teachers unions are certain to make major demands on their Capitol Hill…
Study
Ten Thousand Commandments 2007
Executive Summary…
Newsletter
CEI Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. Trade Four international trade agreements await action in Congress. CEI Expert…
Blog
Scooter Libby’s Sentence Commuted
Bush has just commuted Scooter Libby’s sentence, eliminating his prison sentence, while leaving his $250,000 fine intact. That is what I recommended here.
Blog
Sprawl: The Next DDT?
The Business and Media Institute reports that the greens are trying again to use the nation’s national symbol—the Bald Eagle—to undermine free-markets. The Bald…
Blog
California Loots Safe-Deposit Boxes for State Spending Spree
To finance mushrooming government spending, California is seizing as “abandoned” property the contents of bank safe-deposit boxes held by customers with currently active bank…
Blog
Tune into the Space Angels Network
Kerry Howley is covering the latest developments in private exploration in space exploration today over at Hit & Run. Also, the July/August ’07 issue…