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Year-End Fun: Scroogenomics
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Florida Attorney General Questions Constitutionality of Healthcare Bills in Congress
Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum is questioning whether it is constitutional to force people to buy health insurance, as the health…
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Regulation of the Day 92: Camping at the Beach
In Oregon, it is illegal to set up a tent at most beaches.
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Swine flu also unexceptional in contagiousness
With a massive amount of data indicating swine flu is vastly milder than seasonal flu, a new study in the New England Journal of…
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No, yet again, cell phones do not cause cancer
If you’re getting a headache from spending to much time on your cell phone, it’s probably from yakking too much. But it’s not from brain…
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MI Senate not “FAIR” and it’s a good thing
The Michigan Senate recessed last week without passing the proposed insurance reforms that would, among other things, prevent insurers from using factors such as…
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For the Birds
An environmental group is suing to cancel an upcoming AC/DC concert in Austria because they think loud music poses a threat to birds.
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Regulation of the Day 91: Horse Floaters
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Where did all the global warming hurricanes go? (My Forbes article)
The cover of Al Gore’s new book, Our Choice: A Plan to Solve the Climate Crisis, features a satellite image of the globe showing…
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Is ObamaCare’s “Individual Mandate” Unconstitutional?
The health care bills backed by the President require that individuals buy health insurance if it is not provided by their employer. Is that unconstitutional?…
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Say No to EFCA in 2010
Given the amount of palm-greasing that was required to get reluctant moderate Democratic senators to vote to end debate on Obamacare, it's unlikely that those…
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LibertyWeek 74: TSA Under Fire
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Progressives Against Health Care Bill for Wrong Reasons
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Regulation of the Day 90: The National Poultry Improvement Plan
Having solved all the nation’s other problems, the federal government has a National Poultry Improvement Plan.
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Entitlement creep exemplified (or why we’re going broke)
1965, Medicare health insurance authorized for all Americans over age 65 along with Medicaid that covers both seniors and the poor. Somehow for 190 years…
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CEI Weekly: CEI Offers More for Gore Debate
CEI weekly is a compilation of articles and blogs from CEI's staff. This week features CEI's video invitation to Al Gore to debate the topic…
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Michigan’s population leak
In a preview to the 2010 census, Michigan learned this week that it was one of only three states to lose members of its…
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Government Expands Fannie and Freddie Bailout and Lavishes Money on their CEOs
Under the Bush administration, federal regulators took over Fannie and Freddie in the name of stopping their risky practices. But the Obama administration has increased…
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EPA’s Tailoring Rule: A Temporary, Legally Dubious, and Incomplete Antidote to Massachusetts v. EPA’s Legacy of Absurd Results
Today, I submitted a comment on EPA’s proposed Prevention of Significant Deterioration and Title V Greenhouse Gas Tailoring Rule. The gist of my…
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Terrorist Charged After Trying to Blow Up Plane; Government Undermines Airline and Railroad Security
An alleged terrorist from Nigeria has been charged with plotting to blow up an airliner. He carried explosives onto a plane…
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Flu Watch Dec. 24 – The U.S. Epidemic is Over
The Big Scare of 2009 is over, folks. The U.S. swine flu epidemic has ended. “The proportion of deaths attributed to pneumonia and influenza (P&I)…
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Coverage at the Volokh Conspiracy
Todd Zywicki at the Volokh Conspiracy writes about the Center for Class Action Fairness, and commenters debate the issue.
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Climategate Op-Ed in Detroit News
Here is my op-ed published in the Detroit News on December 23. Climategate: What e-mail really means Daniel Compton By now, most people…
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Why Won’t Al Gore Debate?, Part 2
CEI has a gift for Al Gore, arriving just in time for the holidays. You may recall that CEI last month rushed to the cause…
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Health care bill’s hidden tax on pain relievers, Pedialyte, and prenatal vitamins
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Regulation of the Day 89: Purple Dye
Modern innovations such as synthetic dyes, the Minnesota Vikings, and purple M&Ms have taken away purple’s exotic reputation. But no worry. Federal regulators are doing…
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The Financial Crisis Made Easy, Radio Edition
Some of OpenMarket.org’s readers may know that I’m in the middle of earning a Master’s of Journalism here in D.C. I’m concentrating in Broadcast and…
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Fairchild v. AOL briefing
Additional issues arise in the response to the motion for settlement. 1) Is an email notifying subscribers of a pre-existing policy substantive injunctive relief…
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Regulation of the Day 88: College Football’s Playoff System
On the other hand, legislators do less harm when they spend their time on college football rather than, say, health care.
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An unhappy ending for CA’s adult film industry?
One reason people enjoy pornography (apart from the obvious benefit) is that it allows them to fantasize about activities in which they cannot or do…
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Flu Watch Dec. 18 – What Swine Flu ISN’T Doing this Week
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Bringing on the clowns at Copenhagen
I was intrigued with a reference in Wes Pruden’s Washington Times column today that the Copenhagen COP15 delegate from Tuvalu, weeping while pleading for…
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Climategate and consensus nonsense
Cato’s Pat Michaels, one of the scientists attacked in the Climategate emails, has an excellent editorial in the Wall Street Journal today with examples…
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CEI Weekly: CEI at Copenhagen
CEI weekly is a compilation of articles and blogs from CEI's staff. This week features reports from two CEI analysts, Myron Ebell and William Yeatman,…
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Regulation of the Day 87: The Volume of TV Commercials
The House passed the Commercial Loudness Act on Wednesday. If it becomes law, the FCC would control the volume level of television commercials.
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Barton Or Bust! How to Stop Mass. v. EPA from Wrecking the Economy
Rep. Joe Barton (R-TX), ranking member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, announced today that he plans to introduce a “resolution of disapproval” to…
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Is “several degrees” of warming “virtually certain,” as NASA claims?
Earlier this week, at an American Geophysical Union meeting in San Francisco, NASA unveiled new data on atmospheric greenhouse gases (GHGs), notably carbon dioxide…
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Hype is More Dangerous than Chemicals in the Water
Officials at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are working hard to hype drinking water risks as they ask Congress to expand their authority under…
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Horner & Horner Fight Global Warming Alarmism
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FDIC Prepares for “an even-larger number of bank failures” in 2010
[T]he increase is intended to “ensure that [they] are prepared to handle an even-larger number of bank failures” in 2010.
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Comprehensive Immigration Reform Helps Highly Skilled Immigrants
Section 320 of the The Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity Act of 2009 H.R. 4321 (CIR ASAP) is fantastic. It exempts…
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Chavez (and Marx) a hit at Copenhagen
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez couldn’t resist another opportunity to bash capitalism — and the COP15 Copenhagen Conference on global warming gave him a perfect…
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Regulation of the Day 86: Cockfighting Advertisements
If you’re thinking of sending out advertisements for a cockfight through the mail, you should be aware that a new regulation allows the postal service…
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The Big Business of Illegal Gambling
Tonight at 9pm CNBC will investigate the horrors of illegal gambling . It will doubtlessly delve into the shady underground economy of gambling, where…
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What Nanny Doesn’t Want You to Know
Nanny state regulators got it all wrong back in 1977 when the feds placed a warning label on the sugar substitute saccharine. They said it…
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Anti-Takings Abuse Bill Introduced in the House
The Strengthening the Ownership of Private Property Act of 2009, introduced by Rep. Stephanie Sandlin (D-SD), would prevent any federal economic development funding from being…
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Regulation of the Day 85: Peddlers
It is illegal to be a peddler in Wisconsin without a license. One of the requirements is five years of residency in Wisconsin. Because clearly,…
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Removing Antitrust Exemption Won’t Increase Healthcare Competition
The senators wisely state in their piece that making health insurance more affordable will require more competition in the marketplace. Unfortunately, their proposal to revoke…
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Summary of Comprehensive Immigration Reform: Good and Bad
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The Economist on Government Employee Unions
The current issue of The Economist leads off its United States section with a story on public sector unions that breaks down the issue very…
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It’s Curtains on Free Speech in Colorado
Maybe the air is a little too thin out in Colorado and the supreme court justices aren’t getting enough oxygen to their brains. Perhaps that…
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CEI Weekly: Sarbox in Court, EPA Ruling on Gases, and Copenhagen
CEI weekly is a compilation of articles and blogs from CEI's staff. This week features coverage on Sarbanes-Oxley's first day in the Supreme Court. This…
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Bastiat’s Broken Window Fallacy isn’t even an analogy when it comes to Obama
One can only stand back in awe. President Obama said this at Home Depot today: “The simple act of retro-fitting” — installing…
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Santa to move headquarters to Palm Springs!
Or somewhere new, anyway. By necessity. So says Al Gore. In a speech at the Copenhagen climate summit he declared: “These figures are fresh.
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Schools call off Taliban debate
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Regulation of the Day 84: The Size of Holes in Swiss Cheese
Talk about attention to detail. The federal government regulates the size of hole in Swiss cheese.
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LibertyWeek 73: Understanding ‘Obamanomics’
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Washington Post Back to Pushing Avian Flu Panic
Remember avian flu? Until swine flu came along, that’s what was going to wipe out mankind.
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Obama Summit: President’s goals of more loans and more heavy-handed regulation in conflict
Statement of John Berlau, director, Center for Investors and Entrepreneurs, Competitive Enterprise Institute: President Obama’s twin goals of more bank loans and more heavy-handed regulation…
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Objection to Yahoo! “Sponsored Search” settlement
In In re Yahoo! Litigation, Case No. CV06-2737 CAS (FMOx), plaintiffs’ lawyers seek approval to settle a class action over alleged problems in…
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Honda Civic Hybrid class action settlement objection
In True v. American Honda Motor Co., Case No. 07-cv-00287 VAP (OPx), trial lawyers seek to settle consumer fraud litigation over mileage claims…
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On the Nature of Change: Calm Down!
Most people are convinced that we shall die in either fire or ice. The proportion crying each variety of wolf varies according to the fashion…
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Regulation of the Day 83: Citations
The Code of Federal Regulations contains a regulation on how to cite the Code of Federal Regulations.
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Financial Fiasco
I recently finished reading Swedish economist Johan Norberg's book about the financial crisis, aptly titled Financial Fiasco. It's both short and informative. Six chapters and…
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Flu Watch Dec. 11 – What Swine Flu ISN’T Doing this Week
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Utopia and totalitarianism — Revel’s new book
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Marcus Aurelius: Emperor, Philosopher, Economist
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World Meteorological Organization blows hot air on global warming
“The decade of 2000 to 2009 appears to be the warmest one in the modern record, the World Meteorological Organization reported in a new analysis…
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The Intoxicating Effects of Privatization
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Lots of vituperative comments to Palin’s WaPo op-ed
Sarah Palin’s op-ed in the Washington Post yesterday on ClimateGate and the Copenhagen conference has spawned a blizzard of comments from Post readers. Almost…
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Regulation of the Day 82: Veterinarians
Did you know that the federal government is in the veterinary accreditation business? It’s true.
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Innovations like “Living Stories” will help keep much of legacy media in business
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MD doesn’t stand in Casino’s way
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Tarp the TARP and give small biz relief from Sarbanes-Oxley and other burdensome regs
Statement of John Berlau, Director of CEI’s Center for Investors and Entrepreneurs, on extending TARP for small business and on Rep. Barney Frank’s plans to…
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EPA moves to bypass climate change legislation
While climate experts were off at the Copenhagen summit working on their tans (in sunny Copenhagen), the EPA pulled a fast one. As the Washington…
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GW alarmists continue their exploitation of children
This, I think, has to go down as one of the creepiest “editorials” written by global warming alarmists recently. Clive Hamilton, ABC News in…
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Poll: Used Car Salesmen More Ethical than Congress
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Antitrust as Corporate Welfare for Aggrieved Competitors
Wayne Crews and I have an article in today's American Spectator about the antitrust crusade against Intel. An FTC picking winners and losers is not…
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Regulation of the Day 81: Porn
A proposed rule in California would reclassify adult film actors as being subject to certain employment regulations. The unintended consequences are potentially fatal.
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In-Flight Rent-Seeking
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Regulation of the Day 80: Falconry
The Code of Federal Regulations contains 12,834 words worth of rules concerning falconry, of all things.
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Did Deregulation Cause the Great Recession?
Over at RealClearMarkets, I explain why the answer is a resounding no. Over 30,000 total new rules passed during the Bush years. Hardly any were…
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File this under “Shocked, shocked!”
“Experts predict flu pandemic could be mildest on record” declares the Washington Post headline. Unless, that is, you use the old definition of pandemic…
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All the Former Vice President’s Men: ClimateGate
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LibertyWeek 72: Champagne Wishes and Climate Change Dreams
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AOL Footer case – Fairchild v. AOL objection to proposed settlement
Four plaintiffs represented by three law firms sued AOL for including advertising in the footers of emails and failing to make it sufficiently easy for…
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Regulation of the Day 79: Auctioneers in Alabama
It is illegal to conduct an auction without a license in Alabama. Violators can be punished with fines of up to $500. Applicants must pay…
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PCAOB case in the WSJ — Kazman quoted
CEI’s Sam Kazman has a great quote on the PCAOB case in James Freeman’s article today in the Wall Street Journal. Although the case,…
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False Claims by Government in Supreme Court Case: PCAOB Agency Is More Powerful and Independent Than Government Claims
The members of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB), an agency being challenged in the Supreme Court on December…
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More Biased Press Coverage of the Supreme Court and Its Ledbetter Decision
Press coverage of the Supreme Court is sometimes marred by ideological bias. Liberal court reporters sometimes distort what Supreme Court justices say, or the facts of Supreme…
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“WHO Should Just Give Up on the Flu Scare,” my National Post piece
The folks who dubbed the swine flu piglet a pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO), just won’t let up. “It is too early to say…
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Don’t Worry about Trade Deficits
I run an ongoing trade deficit with my local grocery store. I import food from them every week. They have never purchased a thing from…
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Peekaboo! PCAOB More Powerful and Less Accountable than Government Claims
On December 7, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear Free Enterprise Fund v. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board. The case, brought by CEI and Jones Day…
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RGGI: A tax is a tax is a tax
President Obama and other cap-and-trade advocates assured us they had “learned from Europe’s mistakes” and would auction all emission permits rather than hand them out at no charge to favored…
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Flu Watch Dec. 4 – What Swine Flu ISN’T Doing this Week
The epidemic has plunged so far that it’s on the borderline of no longer being one. An epidemic, that is. It’s right on the…
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What about a “second wave” of swine flu?
Mr. Fumento, I read your articles religiously. You recently attacked swine flu as hysterical overreaction. Is it really? You talk about a bell curve…
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“Big Media” Critics Miss the Big Picture on Comcast-NBC Deal
Media watchdogs are having a fit this week over the announced agreement between Comcast and NBC Universal. Under this deal, Comcast will hold 51%…
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CEI Weekly: Climate-Gate Continues
CEI weekly is a compilation of articles and blogs from CEI's staff. This week features the continued coverage of ClimateGate, the leaked email scandal, on…
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Regulation of the Day 78: Green Energy Subsidies
If green energy is commercially viable, then it doesn't need any subsidies. If it isn't, no amount of subsidy will make it so.
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ClimateGate gets even more bizarre
ClimateGate is serious. When prominent climate scientists fudge results, refuse FOIA requests, take steps to restrict publication of dissident views, etc., it’s serious business,…