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Daschle: Good, Wrong, and Terrible
President-elect Obama has named Tom Daschle to head the Department of Health and Human Services. By some measures the largest department in the government,…
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Celebrate Coal (or, How I Just Tripled My Carbon Footprint)
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Is Beer Next?
In my prior post on bottled water bans on campus I asked: If greens can get water banned, what next? Students over 21…
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John Berlau on the Auto Bailout
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Academic Nanny State
Both universities and elementary schools are going after bottled water, as if that were the greatest threat facing students today! At the grade and…
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The Least Objectionable Legislator Award
My occasional "Least Objectionable Legislator Award" today goes to Michele Bachmann (R-MN) for a solid statement at today's hearings on the Bailout on Wheels,…
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The Big Tobacco Deal’s 10th Anniversary
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LibertyWeek 17: One New Cabinet – Some Assembly Required
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LibertyWeek 17: One New Cabinet, Some Assembly Required
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University of Socialism to be Founded by Iran, Venezuela
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Obey GE
This is “Green Week,” NBC's annual effort to show you how to “green your routine.” It sounds innocuous enough, but “Green Week” is actually part…
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From Each According to his Profitability…
That seems to be the motto of Illinois, at least of those legislators who decided to tax casinos in order to prop up…
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Hillary at State — not good for trade
Controversy continues over the strong possibility of President-elect Barack Obama naming Sen. Hillary Clinton as the new Secretary of State. Politico today notes…
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The Auto Industry Has a Rich History of Failure
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GM Fiction & Scare Tactics
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Pure Hype about Bottled Water
The company producing Pur Filters is touting the fact that its filters can remove trace pharmaceuticals and even some (but they don’t guarantee it…
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The Government Money Hole
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To Blame Laissez-Faire, Anti-Market Media Must Do Better
Like many of us at CEI, it looks like my former boss Phil Gramm isn't interested in helping anybody pretend that today's financial crisis was…
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Are We Socialists Yet?
The term socialist got tossed around a lot in the recent presidential campaign. But Robert Higgs of the Independent Institute says we’re already there. And…
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Brits Say Care More Expensive, Lower Quality than in Estonia
Ah, socialized medicine. Everyone is guaranteed care, right? And the government saves so much money that is wasted in America. Well, so much for the…
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President Bush — In defense of free markets and capitalism
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Were Lada factories this bad?
As the Senate prepares to debate the proposed $25 billion bailout bill for the Big Three Detroit automakers, it’s worth pointing out — as…
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Championing civil liberties — mostly
I’ve been a closet admirer of Senator Russell Feingold (D-WI) since he singlehandedly opposed the Patriot Act in the Senate. According to…
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Will the G20 Only Make Matters Worse?
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How Not to Solve a Crisis
…is the title of a useful contribution to the discussion from the International Policy Network in London and the Lion Rock Institute in Hong…
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Bureaucrash’s Pete Eyre in the DC Examiner
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Interesting headline
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VIDEO: Understanding the Financial Crisis
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Tories Retreat From Green Taxes
A major part in the rebranding of the British Conservative Party following a traumatic election defeat (sound familiar?) in 2005 was a turn to environmentalism.
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Battling Bail-Outs: A Little Backbone at Last?
After having voted for or passively accepted some $2 trillion in federal bail-outs, a few congressmen seem be growing uneasy with the lengthening soup-line. The…
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Ugly Vegetables and Fruit Again to be Sold in Europe!
Amazing. The European Union actually responded to criticism. About one-fifth of European produce has to be dumped because it doesn’t mean minimum EU standards, which…
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BusinessWeek Cites CEI on the Auto Industry Bailout
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More on Deflation
Good stuff from Joseph Lawler at the American Spectator, defending Robert Samuelson from, err, Robert Samuelson. He concludes: No reasonable observer of government…
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Lame Duck Flies in the Face of Americans’ Rights
The Bush administration is arguable one of the most wildly unprincipled in the history of the white house. They have acquiesced to or…
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License to Print Money. Literally.
The threat of deflation is so big in the UK, where they have found their version of the financial crisis worsened by the weakness of…
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No to Union Auto Bailouts and Voter Fraud
USA Today has an editorial opposing a massive proposed bailout for the automakers. The automakers would be leaner, more efficient, and more able to…
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Bail-Outs for Bonuses
You have to love the timing. The federal government gives Wall Street billions of dollars just in time for Wall Street to pay out billions…
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The More Government Loot Available, the More Looters Who Come to Washington
There are endless attempts to "clean up" politics--limiting campaign contributions, restricting lobbyists, and the like--as if the problem is a few self-interested individuals who want…
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Detroit Broke City
In his CBSNews.com column today, CNet's Declan McCullagh makes a good case against bailing out the Detroit Big Three. As he rightly points out,…
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To President-Elect Obamaâ€â€Freeze Gov’t Regulations this Winter
Yesterday I called for a major “Deregulatory Stimulus.” Alongside---with financial, health care, energy efficiency, “green job” and other mandates likely in an Obama Administration---the…
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Meet the real boss…
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EU Lifts “Ugly” Fruit and Vegetable Ban
The European Union has rescinded its ban on some “ugly” fruits and vegetables. AP reports: The European Union bid adieu Wednesday to rules that…
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Are liberal groups’ lobbyists banned from transition team?
On Tuesday, John Podesta, the head of President-elect Obama's transition team, said that lobbyists will be banned from working on the transition team…
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Even the liberal media support the Colombia trade deal
Today's Washington Post and Los Angeles Times both endorse passage of the U.S- Colombia free trade agreement, which many Democratic politicians, pressured by…
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OpenMarket.org Cited in CFO Magazine
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Last-minute push for Colombia trade pact
Major newspapers around the country including the Washington Post, the LA Times, and the Wall Street Journal are urging President-elect Barack…
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LibertyWeek 16: Electoral Hangover
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Wacky Obama Adviser Slated for Attorney General?
Earlier, I wrote about Obama's possible appointment of Charles Ogletree, who believes that America is a racist country that is to blame for 9/11,…
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In mortgage modifications, property rights of investors must be respected
Today, in addition to Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's expected announcement of a major mortgage modification plan through the $700 billion TARP, Barney Frank's House Financial…
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The Economic Change We Need
I have an article on that very subject over at NRO today. Check it out!…
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Reject political stimulus, embrace “Deregulatory Stimulus.” And do it FAST.
Facing an economic downturn and an election, politicians of both parties sought to stimulate consumer demand—and some business investment—through political action. They promised that if…
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Gypsy Hot Dog Vendors on the Horizon?
In Toronto, city officials have been waging a slow campaign against street hot dog vendors, many of whom, notes National Post columnist Kelly McParland,…
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Explaining the Election to Brits
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“Cap-and-cash-back” — A new Ponzi scheme?
Came across this in-depth analysis on Reuters for President-elect Obama to consider. It’s a new twist on the cap and trade scheme for…
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Defending the free market — “Yes, we can!”
Matt Welch’s Reason piece “Back to the Barricades —Free Markets are Under Attack Again” is a good read, if not…
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Reality hits Gore’s World
Juxtapose this from the Washington Post-- Gore envisions a nationwide "Smart Grid"--a massive underground network of electrical power lines that would be powered by…
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Comments from the real world
Here's some insightful comments from Thomas Haynes, a friend of CEI's: There's a very interesting debate that could be conducted on who's…
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Catchy Climate Newspeak
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Gore Rebuffs Press, Admits Failure, Still Adored
Paul Krugman once accused me of Gore Derangement Syndrome. In response, I suggested that he and others suffered from Gore Blindness Syndrome. Here’s another…
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A Harvard Economist’s Advice for the President-Elect
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Obama the Political Entrepreneur
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Berlau & Smith on Dealing with the Threat of Global Recession
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Bush ignores his own mandate.
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The Dingell-Waxman fight and climate change
At the same time President-Elect Barack Obama is supporting a bailout of the auto industry, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John…
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The Regulatory President
Why bother getting elected officials' votes when you can accomplish your purposes by presidential fiat? An article in yesterday's Washington Post reveals just what…
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Bailout on Wheels Rolls Down Slippery Slope
Ah, that slippery slope. All of a sudden, Nancy Pelosi has come to the conclusion that ensuring union retirees receive large amounts of taxpayers’ money…
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Bailouts Mushroom, Impoverishing Taxpayers
The federal government is expanding its bailout of AIG to $150 billion, well above its originally-predicted cost, and planning to bail out…
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Nation of Islam’s Farrakhan: Obama Is “God-Given Leader”
Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan says that President-elect Obama is a “God-given leader with extraordinary vision.” Farrakhan, who has drawn controversy for…
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An Agenda for the Monday a.m. Obama and Bush Meeting
Since the President and President-elect start spending quality Oval Office time together today, and since the incoming admistration's advisors can't settle on either pushing…
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Obama Appoints Foul-Mouthed Freddie Mac Crony Chief of Staff
Obama has appointed as his chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, a former director of the failed government-backed mortgage giant Freddie Mac, which had to…
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Votes Magically Appear for Liberal Ex-Comedian
In Minnesota, votes are appearing, seemingly out of thin air, for the liberal Senate candidate (and onetime comedian) Al Franken. Attorney Scott Johnson…
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We’re Proof Blogging Isn’t Dead
There are all sorts of pieces about the future of "New Media" floating around these days from Andrew Sullivan's "Why I Blog" in the…
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Wayne Crews on the G. Gordon Liddy Show
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Redistributing Wealth, Simplified
It’s not fully clear what president-elect Obama plans to do on tax policy other than “redistribute” and make those families making over $250,000 pay their…
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Banana Entrepreneurs Should Follow the Cocoa Initiative
Last Wednesday, The New York Times ran an appealing story on the rise of an Ecuadorian Quichua community from…
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Forced Labor for Community Organizers, Thanks to Obama
Obama is now planning to require students to perform unpaid community service every year. “Obama will call on citizens of all ages to serve America, by…
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Spitzer Above the Law, No Charges Filed
According to WCBSTV.COM U.S. Attorney Michael Garcia announced yesterday that Former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer will not face criminal charges for paying high-profile…
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Beware of Coercive Utopians and Quack Capitalists
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Journalist Joins Obama Cult of Personality
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Rahm Emanuel and trade — there’s hope
Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) has accepted President-elect Barack Obama’s offer to serve as his chief of staff in the White House. Depending…
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The Real Culture War: Politics vs. Markets
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Obama’s win through the web…a myth?
[caption id="attachment_5754" align="alignleft" width="270" caption=" "][/caption] O'Reilly writer Andy Oram makes the case that the assertion…
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“Card Check” May Trigger Beatings, Intimidation
Clayton Cramer, who grew up in a union household, explains why the “card-check” bill favored by liberal lawmakers and Obama may lead to physical…
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Private Regulators Win Hands Down
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The Cult of Personality
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Perspective on trade in the Obama Administration
During the presidential primaries and in the campaigns, there was a lot of rhetoric about the need for “fair” trade instead of free trade.
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Support for Bailout Killed McCain’s Chances
Dick Morris, Bill Clinton’s shrewd former adviser, explains that support for the Wall Street bailout killed McCain’s chances of being elected president: “Had McCain voted…
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Civics According to “Mad Men”
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Prospects for Card Check in the Obama Administration
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The day after elections — stock market trivia
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Michael Crichton and CEI
Michael Crichton was a challenging individual. His books generally centered around some controversial policy issue: medical malpractice, airline safety, biotechnology, sexual discrimination, Japan’s economic dominance,…
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Can Free Market Advocates Work with President Obama?
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If only you could take it all with you
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What Obama Means for Environmental Policy
My colleagues will be providing some commentary on what an Obama presidency means, realistically, for global warming policy. Here, I'm going to comment on environmental…
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No “Technology Czar,” Please
Like everybody else in town, we're pondering the implications of the transition to the Obama Administration for various policy areas here at CEI. On the…
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Obama: A Safe Bet for Depository Institutions Too!
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Tom Brokaw and the Greatest Hyperbole of a Generation
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Obama: a Safe Bet for Online Gamers
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Congratulations on Obama Win from My Marxist Father-in-Law in France
My father-in-law, a Marxist trade unionist and former Trotskyite candidate for the French Parliament, called me up last night at 2 a.m. to congratulate me…
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Kudos to California
Great result in California, where the voters figured out the plan by T Boone Pickens and his cronies at Chesapeake Energy to force people to…