The Open Market Blog

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 12/09/2008

I’ve had some fleeting contact with the management of the Republic Windows and Doors plant that striking workers have famously occupied. Working on an…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 12/07/2008

At a meeting I attended a top Ford Executive made an interesting point: Automakers, he said, wanted to avoid bankruptcy because the mere fact of…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 12/06/2008

Reports have it that Congress and the President have agreed to an auto industry bailout. Bad idea. But here’s one prediction: this $15 billion…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 11/05/2008

Michelle makes a good point below. There’s also a good case that an Obama administration will be good news for those who favor…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 11/04/2008

Voting this morning in my busy Fairfax County Precinct, I realized something: the old way of voting–on paper ballots–is better than every new…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 10/27/2008

An article from the Australian Herald-Sun newspaper points out that the release of new AC/DC albums has correlated with economic recessions in the United…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 09/30/2008

Borrowers who put less than 20 percent of a home’s value down for a mortgage almost always have to secure “private mortgage insurance” (PMI) to…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 09/15/2008

Unfortunately, Congress needs to renew the National Flood Insurance Program sometime in the next few weeks. Right now, the program provides the only flood coverage…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 09/02/2008

P. Diddy, one of my heroes, has announced that he wants to bring down gas prices so he can fly coast to coast on…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 07/15/2008

For all the talk of a “rescue plan” for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, I think that there’s a much better solution: let them…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 06/23/2008

Wired, reports that a credit card company has come under fire and FTC investigation for “behavioral scoring”: reducing credit limits for people who use…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 06/09/2008

My former employer, the United States Senate, will–at long last–turn over its dinning facilities to a private contractor. Anyone who has ever had to…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 06/04/2008

Via our friends at The Heartland Institute we find a selection of letters that a sixth grade class sent to Heartland decrying its…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 06/01/2008

Via fark.com, there’s a Daily Mail story about how more than 100 homeless people live permanently in London’s Heathrow airport. There’s no clear source…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 05/02/2008

By now, of course, everyone has heard the story of Elisabeth Fritzl and the seven siblings/children she gave birth to while her father Joseph…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 05/02/2008

Iain, I believe you that congestion pricing has not worked in reducing traffic during London’s rush hour. Here’s my question: how can Virginia’s just-started…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 04/28/2008

Doug, Although I sympathize with your point of view, I think that your post about HSAs misses the fact that the HSAs we have…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 04/15/2008

Doug, Obviously, stories like the one you related show that socialized medicine is a bad idea. In this context, it’s worth noting two things:…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 03/24/2008

Fark.com, the world’s best workplace time-waster, links to a story in the Sun about a British couple that will use a 5 million…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 03/21/2008

Fran, I think the Progressive Automotive X Prize is a great idea. It may work where the government has failed. Existing government programs…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 03/18/2008

Anthony Minghella, a film director adored by critics and liked by audiences, has died at 54. Minghella (link goes to his IMDb page),…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 03/17/2008

Re-watching Dirty Dancing — a movie far better than its reputation — last night inspired me to do some Internet research. I was pleased…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 03/17/2008

The Washington Post runs a very interesting story about things on their way out. The list includes “truly blind dates” (we now have Google),…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 03/17/2008

Today, of course America woke up to news that JP Morgan Chase has bought out Bear Stearns for $2 a share. (It was trading…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 03/13/2008

Today’s Washington Post runs a story about the services provided by high-priced call girls. According to the story, high class prostitutes provide “a pledge…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 03/11/2008

When I said Elliot Spitzer shouldn’t resign as governor I was wrong. His use of public accounts, efforts to cover up his activities,…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 03/10/2008

I’ve previously called attention to stupid product bans around the nation. Now, with Elliot Spitzer — a member of CEI’s list of The…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 03/07/2008

At long last, David Simon’s grossly overrated, overwrought, overwritten, television series “The Wire” is getting the bad reviews it deserves. [Full disclosure: I’ve…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 03/05/2008

An important new study from the American Consumer Institute shows that consumers, on the whole, want broader choice of insurance plans. Right…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 03/05/2008

Cord, I couldn’t agree more with your points about Gary Gygax. I think it’s also worth noting that the game he created Dungeons…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 03/04/2008

I’m a case study in complex taxes. During 2007, I switched jobs, got income from a half dozen sources, bought one house, sold another, made…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 02/26/2008

A new CEI paper by one of our fellows–okay, me–outlines the five dumbest product bans we could find in the United States. My personal…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 02/25/2008

I recently came across Tumbleweed, the self-styled “tiny house company.” The houses that Tumbleweed builds in California and delivers to any site in the…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 02/20/2008

Via fark.com comes an I-can’t-believe-she-wrote-this memo telling journalists to be nice to Castro. One particularly delicious passage: Please note Fidel did bring…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 02/18/2008

I’m an eBay fanatic: clothes, shoes, furniture, razor blades, makeup for my wife, books and even a car — I’ve found them all on…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 02/12/2008

Doug, I agree with your criticisms of the about the problems with the Swedish health care system. But, of course, we have pretty much…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 02/12/2008

My former boss, Bill Frist, has a very interesting piece in today’s Miami Herald. A quote: Chronic diseases, such as diabetes, emphysema, high…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 02/11/2008

John, You miss one very important part of the history of the yellow cab company in Chicago: It succeeded as a business almost entirely…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 02/07/2008

I’m at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) and I’m discouraged. I’m a pro-life, pro-gay, pro-market, pro-gun conservative who hates terrorists and central planning…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 02/06/2008

Michelle, I’m all with the D.C. cab drivers and I disagree with your post. Anyone with a not-terrible driving record should be free to…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 02/03/2008

Compliments of Ted’s Montana Grill–founded, owned, and named after Ted Turner. Ted’s Montana Grill is an eco-friendly company, so please do not…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 01/28/2008

In the last few days, I’ve been following the saga of Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick with the same fascination I often reserve for car…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 01/17/2008

Today’s Washington Post carries an interesting, dirt-filed piece about a the Veterans’ charity Help Hospitalized Veterans. The group spends only 31 percent of…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 01/15/2008

Thor Halvorssen's wonderful Human Rights Foundation has published an important new report on Bolivian president Evo Morales' efforts to introduce a system of…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 01/11/2008

Christine, I agree with the intentions of Rep. John Boehner and company in issuing the Little Book of Big Government that you wrote about.

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 01/11/2008

I couldn’t resist posting this gem from a Radar magazine article speculating that Ron Paul has Asperger’s syndrome (a mild form of autism):…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 01/04/2008

I appeared on CNBC earlier today arguing in favor of sovereign wealth funds. (Which are foreign government-owned investment companies.) For whatever it’s worth, you can…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 01/02/2008

Our fine colleagues at Bureaucrash have long sold a t-shirt reading “Smoking is Healthier than Fascism.” Now, Illinois has apparently become the first state…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 12/28/2007

A new British government report has concluded that…wait…wait…wait.. getting rid of bad teachers will improve schools. Wow. I’m amazed.

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 12/26/2007

It’s Christmas Eve (although you probably won’t read this until some time after) and I’m sitting in front front of the television now watching the…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 12/26/2007

The Associated Press reports that a New York state judge has dismissed an airline industry suit against the state’s newly enacted Airline Passenger Bill…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 12/17/2007

This past weekend, I watched Juno. It’s the best film I’ve seen this year. (I’m not alone: Roger Ebert also loves it.) The film…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 12/05/2007

Earlier this year, CEI recognized Talk Like a Pirate Day. Today, December 5, many will mark The Day of the Ninja. For reasons…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 12/04/2007

Two scientists have found that divorce. . .wait…wait. . .wait. . .HURTS THE ENVIRONMENT. (In fact, they really didn’t find that directly, only that…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 11/30/2007

In recent years, conservatives and libertarians have gone up in arms over the United Nations Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST). CEI's own take on…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 11/30/2007

McAffee, a company that makes cyber security software, has released a report warning of a new “cyber cold war.” I’m skeptical of how big…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 11/26/2007

Men’s Health magazine has released its latest list of what it’s editors believe are the “worst” items on chain restaurant menus. Yawn! Unlike, say,…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 11/26/2007

Nearly everyone has an opinion about Sen. Trent Lott (who, the Associated Press reports, plans to resign from the Senate today.) My off-the-cuff judgment…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 11/08/2007

If you’re interested in the debate over Optional Federal Chartering for insurance companies, you may want to check out CEI’s new website OFC FAQ.ORG.

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 11/07/2007

That’s really all I have to say about Robopanda.

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 11/05/2007

The D.C. Preservation League recently announced its 2007 list of "most endangered" properties. While there's nothing wrong with historical preservation per se, the recent…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 11/02/2007

Ivan, As I’ve written before, I disagree with your post on the end of D.C.’s zone system. Washington cabdrivers are overwhelmingly independent entrepreneurs…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 10/29/2007

If you have an extra $2.5 million to spare, you can become the proud owner of The Robosaurus. Some specs from the web…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 10/23/2007

To the surprise of nobody, CBS canceled the bizarre murder mystery/musical/comedy Viva Laughlin after dismal ratings this past Sunday. Yes, the show was…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 10/18/2007

Alex, I mostly agree with your post but, well, I think that private enforcement of law in Medieval Iceland is an example of exactly…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 10/15/2007

Wayne told me about an NPR story about credit unions getting into the payday loan alternative business. My only comment is: Why didn’t they…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 10/15/2007

Today’s Washington Post carries a story decrying the growth of bank branches in the District of Columbia. Reporter Paul Schwartzman writes: District officials…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 10/12/2007

I’ll leave it to others who have thought far more about Al Gore’s work than I have but it’s worth noting that Nobel Peace Prize…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 10/11/2007

Dorris Lessing won the Nobel prize in literature today. I’ve never been a fan of her work myself. I don’t think I ever finished…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 10/09/2007

The Washington Post carries a…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 10/04/2007

As a Chicago native, I’m quite used to crooked elections. As a result, I got a huge kick out of this story from Reuters:…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 10/03/2007

The House Capital Markets Subcommittee is currently conducting the first in what I hope will be a series of hearings to discuss reform of insurance…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 10/01/2007

William, I disagree with your comments about compact florescent light bulbs (CFLs). They used to make you ugly but, well, they don’t anymore. Thanks…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 09/28/2007

The Washington Post carries a story about a minor dust-up between Naral Pro-Choice America and Verizon. Naral wanted to use Verizon’s mobile network to…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 09/24/2007

The Washington Post reports today that Unisys Corporation is under investigation for its failures to detect intrusions into government networks. I’m not surprised. Prior…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 09/21/2007

I don’t know what to make of it but DeSmog Blog–which seems pretty alarmist–reports that Dr. Klaus-Martin Schulte’s analysis of Global Warming journal articles…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 09/20/2007

Arrr. Shiver me timbers! Why hasn’t CEI done more t’ celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day? Only one post? Although Seafarin’ heartys be, fer…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 09/19/2007

Wayne’s post got me thinking. Yes, of course, its absurd for Sen. Byron Dorgan to say that consumers somehow own fiber “pipes” that clearly…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 09/17/2007

As the health care debate heats up in Congress, in the media, and on the campaign trail, proposals to fix America’s health care system have…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 09/17/2007

A very interesting USA Today story points to investors’ flight from actively managed mutual funds largely in favor of index funds. In general, mutual…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 09/14/2007

The University of California, Irvine, has just made what appears to be a truly boneheaded move by withdrawing a left-wing law professors’ nomination to…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 09/12/2007

Well, someone had to do it. UnlikeWayne I don’t mind the freegans. Yes, they’re annoying and self righteous. But they do practice what they…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 09/11/2007

Of course, the study that Wayne cites isn’t the first of its type. One that comes to mind is Frank Sulloway’s study that…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 09/10/2007

Hans, I have three comments about what you say here. First, on paratransit. The paratransit service (MetroAccess) in this area is already run by…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 09/09/2007

I count myself amongst those who think Damien Hirst — he of the shark-in formaldehyde — a first-rate artist. His work is shocking, interesting, stimulating,…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 09/07/2007

Today’s very modest reported decline in overall employment, 4,000 jobs, appears to stem from the loss of about 6,000 mortgage industry positions. Most of…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 09/03/2007

The Washington Post carries a very interesting story about the growth of a Roman Catholic Religious Order. Two things I find interesting from a…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 08/31/2007

With Tim Johnson, the lead sponsor of the Optional Federal Charter for insurance companies back in the U.S. Senate next week, it’s likely that the…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 08/28/2007

New census bureau data shows a modest uptick in the number of Americans who do not have health insurance. (The number has not “soared,”…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 08/27/2007

Taiwan’s Acer has announced plans to acquire computer-maker Gateway. In its heyday during the 1990s, Gateway ran brash, folksy ads in just about every…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 08/24/2007

Today’s Inside Higher Ed reports on a very interesting study about college costs and drop out rates. According to the study (which costs $5.00)…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 08/23/2007

I came home Thursday to find an Light Emitting Diode (LED) light bulb in my mailbox. I had ordered it on ebay and paid…

• By: Eli Lehrer
• 08/21/2007

The today’s Washington Post carries an interesting story about the Louis Vuitton Tribute Patchwork bag. As you see from the picture, the bag…