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Regulation of the Day 182: The Definition of a Hot Dog
Having solved the state’s fiscal crisis, California’s state legislature has moved on to more important issues, such as the legal definition of “hot dog.”…
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Strangely Specific Regulations
The next someone tells you the economy is dangerously unregulated, refer them to this list:…
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CEI Podcast for July 7, 2011: How Much Does Regulation Cost?
One federal study says federal regulations cost $1.75 trillion. Another says it's $62 billion. The difference is almost a factor of 30. Vice President for…
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Regulation of the Day 182: PowerPoint Presentations
A political party in Switzerland is seeking to ban Microsoft PowerPoint presentations in meetings.
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Regulation of the Day 181: Offensive Bumper Stickers
Tennessee drivers can be fined $50 if someone else finds their bumper sticker offensive.
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Schumpeter on Ideology
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The Neuroscience Behind Partisanship
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Costs and Benefits of Regulation
One of the major developments in regulation over the last 30 years has been the rise of cost-benefit analysis. At first, agencies squirmed and resisted.
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CEI Podcast for June 29, 2011: Stealing You Blind
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Regulation Roundup
King County's $86 fine for swimming without a life vest, plus more.
Blog
CEI Podcast for June 23, 2011: Bunker Fuel
Bunker fuel is a heavy fuel used by large ships around the world. Land Use and Transportation Policy Analyst Marc Scribner looks at new environmental…
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We Need Regulators, Not Interveners
Most of what people call regulation doesn't have anything to with regular commerce. These kinds of rules are more accurately called interventions.
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Where Do TSA-Confiscated Items Go?
The TSA has a habit of confiscating security-unrelated items. Over at The American Spectator, I recall just such an experience that I had at O'Hare.
American Spectator
My Mother-in-Law Is Owed an Apology
My mother-in-law once gave me a Leatherman multi-tool for Christmas. The one she gave me had Phillips and flathead screwdrivers, scissors, a knife, and…
Daily Caller
Regulators Should Regulate Economy, Not Intervene In It
Just as surely as summer is followed by autumn, it seems that these days every proposed corporate merger is followed by antitrust complaints —…
Blog
No Such Thing as an Average Cancer Patient
CEI Senior Fellow Greg Conko has an excellent piece in today's Wall Street Journal. Greg doesn't think it's right that the FDA is denying terminally…
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Lessons in Entrepreneurship: Lemonade Stand Edition
Lemonade stands are technically illegal in Montgomery County, Maryland.
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CEI Podcast for June 15, 2011: Do ATMs Kill Jobs?
In a recent NBC interview, President Obama blamed ATMs for taking away bank tellers' jobs. Communications Coordinator Lee Doren points out that innovation doesn't affect…
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Standardized Test Scores Continue to Disappoint
Children would be far better served if government were to take a leading role in K-12 education… oh, wait.
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Regulation Roundup
A new Senate bill would make lip-synching to other people’s music a jailable offense, plus more.
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CEI Podcast for June 9, 2011: The Other Black Friday
Online poker has been illegal since April 15, now called Black Friday by poker fans. Policy Analyst Michelle Minton goes over the controversy and explains…
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Regulation of the Day 180: Braiding Hair
Businesses often use regulations as a cudgel to bludgeon their competitors. Occupational licensing is one of the most-abused types of regulation.
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Regulation of the Day 179: Giving Food to Homeless People
Last Wednesday, three people were arrested in Orlando for giving food to homeless people.
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Regulation of the Day 178: Helping Tornado Victims
Mike Haege, a tree-trimmer in Hastings, Minnesota, was threatened with jail and fined $275 for helping clear damaged trees from tornado victims' yards.
Blog
Regulation Roundup
Tennessee makes it illegal to use someone else's Netflix password, plus more.
Blog
Top 3 Myths about Immigration
According to Ben Powell, the three most common immigration myths are that immigrants are a drag on the economy, they steal our jobs, and that…
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CEI Podcast for May 31, 2011: FDA Rescinds Approval of Breast Cancer Drug
Conko believes this battle boils down to one question: who decides which treatments patients can use? Will it be the FDA, or doctors and patients?…
Blog
Liberalize High-Skilled Immigration
Over at the Daily Caller, Alex Nowrasteh and I tell the story of Jeffrey Lin. He is a Ph.D student at CalTech who holds three…
Daily Caller
Immigration Reform Can Jumpstart Economy
Jeffrey is a talented electrical engineering PhD student at CalTech. He already holds three patents. One of his inventions may cure glaucoma. It is…
Blog
Regulation Roundup
Some of the zanier happenings in the world of regulation:…
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CEI Podcast for May 26, 2011: President Obama Proposes Deregulation
Cass Sunstein, President Obama's regulatory czar, announced today that the administration intends to repeal regulations from 30 different agencies. CEI Vice President for Strategy Iain…
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Sunstein and Obama, Deregulators?
Winston Churchill observed that "Americans can always be counted on to do the right thing...after they have exhausted all other possibilities." We may finally be…
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Regulation of the Day 177: Single-Wide Trailers
In Cordova, Alabama single-wide trailer homes are illegal. After years of lax enforcement, regulators are cracking down after tornadoes left many residents homeless.
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Regulation of the Day 176: Cooking a Burger
In North Carolina, it is illegal to cook a burger to an internal temperature under 155 degrees.
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Regulation of the Day 175: Firing Dwarves
It would be nice to help out and give a job to someone who needs it, but for many employers, it’s just not worth the…
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In Other TSA News…
TSA officials recently performed a bomb drill at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, and didn't tell anyone about it in advance.
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TSA Sing-Along
The good folks at Reason.tv have released an educational music video about the TSA featuring singer-songwriter-comedian Remy. Worth watching.
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CEI Podcast for May 18, 2011: Suing Chuck E. Cheese
Communications Coordinator Lee Doren breaks down a bizarre class action lawsuit against Chuck E. Cheese's. The suit accuses the company of offering gambling services to…
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Regulation of the Day 174: Lying about the Size of the Fish You Caught
If you live in Texas, look over your shoulder before you tell a tall tale about your last fishing trip.
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There is No More Fat to Trim from Government Budgets, Part 3
The USDA is spending $2 million to take pictures of what San Antonio school children eat for lunch.
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TSA Pats Down Infant
Surprisingly, no explosives were found during extra screening, including what a TSA official describes as a "modified pat-down" of the suspicious infant.
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Regulation of the Day 173: Yellow Pages
San Francisco is phasing out the distribution of hard-copy Yellow Pages.
Blog
Congressional Economics
Congress might as well pass a law guaranteeing an above-average lifestyle for all Americans.
American Spectator
Congressional Economics
The House of Representatives is not exactly a bastion of economic knowledge. But it can be a goldmine for economic educators if they know where…
Blog
Regulation of the Day 172: Bestiality and Baggy Pants
NBC Miami's Brian Hamacher with the second-best lede I've read this week: "Floridians are going to have to start pulling up their pants and stop…
Blog
CEI Podcast for May 5, 2011: Salt
A new study says that high-salt diets may not be as harmful as once thought. Research Associate Daniel Compton takes a look.
Blog
Regulation of the Day 171: Cream Puffs
This blog will be paying close attention to the heated legislative battle in Madison to give the delicious cream puff its due.
Blog
Free Trade Agreements Don’t Kill Jobs
Over at the Daily Caller, I look at employment data and find out that the labor force has grown by 23 million people since NAFTA…
Daily Caller
Free Trade Agreements Don’t Kill Jobs
The U.S. is slowly working towards free trade agreements with Colombia, Panama, and South Korea. After years of wrangling, they might even pass this…
Blog
“Ten Thousand Commandments” on Capitol Hill
Regulatory reform is at least as important as spending, taxes, and deficits, but it doesn’t get nearly as much attention. That’s why we are pleased…