CEI Weekly: Firsthand At the Tea Party

CEI Weekly is a compilation of articles and blog posts from CEI’s fellows and associates sent out via e-mail every Friday. Also included in the Weekly newsletter is a brief description of CEI’s weekly podcast and a feature on a major CEI breakthrough made during the week. To sign up for CEI Weekly, go to http://cei.org/newsletters

CEI Weekly
July 10, 2009

>>Americans Converge on 4th of July to Voice Discontent of the Regulatory State
CEI’s Michelle Minton Delivers a Speech at the DC Tea Party
Citizens share why they gather on Independence Day and what liberty means to them
Michelle Minton’s blog on her perspective of the Tea Party

>>Shaping the Debate
Cap and Traitors
Fred L. Smith, Jr. and William Yeatman in The Washington Times
Sink Schumer’s Dangerous ‘Shareholder Bill of Rights’: It’s Micromanaging Madness
John Berlau in The New York Daily News
Unnecessary Baggage
Ryan Young in The American Spectator
Worst Idea of the Year
Eli Lehrer in The New Majority

>>Best of the Blogs
Congress Sticks It to the Taxpayer by Supporting No-Strings-Attached Green Energy Loans
by William Yeatman
Congress created a Loan Guarantee Program for “innovative” energy production that reduces greenhouse gas emissions responsible for so-called “global warming” (it hasn’t warmed in a decade, but that’s a different story). With the LGP, the federal government promises to cover the loan in case of default, which makes credit cheaper for borrowers. The Congress put the DOE in charge of the LGP, despite the fact that the Department has no expertise disbursing loans and its woeful history of picking energy technologies to support.
Congress Vehemently Opposed to Reading the Legislation It Votes On
by Marc Scribner
Recall the passing of Waxman-Markey by the House, which had 300 pages added 18 hours before the floor vote–almost certainly going unread by most members of Congress. . . As CEI Adjunct Fellow Fran Smith noted, some on the left went as far to claim that members of Congress uncomfortable with voting for climate change legislation in the dark were guilty of “treason against the planet.
Will Obama Blackmail Honduras Into Installing Would-Be Dictator?
by Hans Bader
Last Sunday, Honduras removed its would-be dictator, Mel Zelaya, who flouted court rulings by using intimidation to try to get Hondurans to change their constitution to allow him to extend his tenure in office. The country’s Supreme Court issued a warrant for Zelaya’s arrest, which the military enforced by seizing Zelaya and kicking him out of the country. . . Now, Obama, who knows nothing about Honduran law, is ignorantly claiming that Zelaya’s removal was “illegal,” and demanding that Zelaya be reinstated as president.
Ex-CEO Hank Greenberg Hits Home Run Against AIG and Spitzer
by John Berlau
Once again, the team of politicians and corporate bureaucrats pursuing the witchhunt against former American International Group CEO Maurice “Hank” Greenberg have struck out. . . Greenberg. . . won another legal round today as a federal jury in New York City ruled that he did not have to reimburse AIG for shares taken by an investment firm Greenberg owned when he was forced out as CEO.
Blight Hits East Coast, Capitalism Saves the Day
by Kevin Hilferty
News sources are reporting that a widespread outbreak of blight, the mold responsible for the Irish Potato Famine, is hitting the East Coast hard right now. The silver lining: because of entrepreneurial innovations and trade made possible through the open market, what would have been a major crisis 100 years ago is now a minor inconvenience to home gardeners.

>>CEI in the News
The Boston Globe— Wayne Crews

>>Podcast
Episode 50: Detroit Bribe City
We start with plans for new enviro-cops in the UK, the latest bribery scandal out of Detroit, and the sweet taste of free beer in North Carolina. We then move on to analysis of the political turmoil in Honduras and Michelle’s recap of the Washington D.C. TEA Party on Independence Day.

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Charles Huang
Web and Media Associate
Competitive Enterprise Institute
202-331-1010