![This Week in Ridiculous Regulations](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Paper-stacks-GettyImages-936996072-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
Non-impeachment news involved a major court ruling on net neutrality, plus a new tariff. This year’s Federal Register is on pace to surpass last year’s…
![Industry and Nonprofit Groups Urge Senate Support for ‘Clean’ Energy and Climate Bills](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/GettyImages-93907047-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Industry and Nonprofit Groups Urge Senate Support for ‘Clean’ Energy and Climate Bills
A number of industry trade associations plus some non-profit groups sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on…
![New $7.5 Billion Tariffs against European Union](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/plane-1030900_960_720-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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New $7.5 Billion Tariffs against European Union
The Trump administration has announced tariffs on $7.5 billion of goods from the European Union. This time, it is being done with the World Trade…
![Costs of Government Steering by Direct Ownership or Control of Resources](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/hike-air-pixabay_2-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Costs of Government Steering by Direct Ownership or Control of Resources
If one thinks government ought to run a sector of the economy (single-payer health care, education, retirement, energy), then almost by definition that individual would…
![Vast Regulatory Costs of Top-Down National Plans, Agendas, and Legislative Schemes](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/paperwork_ThinkstockPhotos-57571085_5-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Vast Regulatory Costs of Top-Down National Plans, Agendas, and Legislative Schemes
If government steers in some societal, industrial, or sector-specific endeavor via top-down national plans, agendas, or legislative schemes, it can generate ongoing regulatory costs even…
![Priorities for Department of Labor’s New Secretary](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/employees_ThinkstockPhotos-512165336_16-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Priorities for Department of Labor’s New Secretary
On September 30th, Eugene Scalia was sworn in as the 28th Secretary of Labor. Last week, the Senate confirmed Scalia on a 53-44 vote. With…
![New Study: Minimum Wages Have Tradeoffs](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/College-Students-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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New Study: Minimum Wages Have Tradeoffs
Congress nearly increased the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $15 per hour this year. Though the Raise the Wage Act is unlikely to pass…
![This Week in Ridiculous Regulations](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Future-of-Cell-Tech-Thinkstock_1-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
Congress is out of session for the next two weeks, and the impeachment investigation will likely dominate headlines for some time to come. Meanwhile, the…
![Environmental Protection Agency to California: Clean up Your Act](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/drops-of-water-pixabay_0-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Environmental Protection Agency to California: Clean up Your Act
In two separate actions, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) this week put California on notice that the state is violating federal air and water…
![VIDEO: Life Is Getting Better](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/STOSSEL_OPTIMISM-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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VIDEO: Life Is Getting Better
Despite prominent headlines to the contrary, the world is not actually falling apart. As our friends at places like Human Progress tirelessly work to remind…
![New Civil Liberties Alliance Fighting for Constitutional Limits on Government Power](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ThinkstockPhotos-451264349_0-scaled-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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New Civil Liberties Alliance Fighting for Constitutional Limits on Government Power
Thanks to the New Civil Liberties Alliance for hosting a great event this week, during which their staff attorneys recounted the status of some of…
![Federal Highway Administration to Rescind Outdated Patent Rules](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Highway-driving-GettyImages-1017908786-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Federal Highway Administration to Rescind Outdated Patent Rules
The Federal Highway Administration announced it will rescind its World War I-era regulation governing the use of patented and proprietary materials in federal-aid highway projects.
![Like Socialism, Financial Transaction Tax Doomed to Fail](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/GettyImages-490771517_1-scaled-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Like Socialism, Financial Transaction Tax Doomed to Fail
In The Wealth of Nations, Adam Smith coins the four maxims of taxation: fairness, certainty, convenience, and efficiency. Smith’s maxims are used as a litmus…
![Feds: Gambling Fine, But Investing Too Risky](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Poker_-Morgue-file-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Feds: Gambling Fine, But Investing Too Risky
“In the risk reform debate, as in so many political debates, logic is often for losers.” So lamented Competitive Enterprise Institute founder and president emeritus…
![Antitrust Astroturf Activism](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/antitrust-laptops-578x324-c-default.png)
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Antitrust Astroturf Activism
Not too long ago, I pointed out that antitrust regulation is often gamed by special interests and rent-seekers. A recent story in The Wall Street…
![Protect Consumers, But Let Debt Collectors Do Their Jobs](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/payingbills_ThinkstockPhotos-smaller_2-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Protect Consumers, But Let Debt Collectors Do Their Jobs
Debt collector seem to be the occupation everyone loves to hate, but without them businesses large and small—from banks to gyms to doctor’s offices—could not serve…
![Ex-Im Bank Reauthorization: Lesson in Institutional Design](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/shipping-containers-1150062_960_720_0-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Ex-Im Bank Reauthorization: Lesson in Institutional Design
For all its flaws, the Export-Import Bank’s charter gets an important thing right: the agency must be reauthorized every few years, or it will close.
![This Week in Ridiculous Regulations](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/GettyImages-1018442606-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
The House passed a continuing resolution to avoid a federal shutdown until November 21st. The Senate will likely follow suit this week. The 2019 Federal…
![Progressive States Petition Court to Declare Trump Pre-emption Rule Unlawful](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/court-steps-pixabay-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Progressive States Petition Court to Declare Trump Pre-emption Rule Unlawful
A California-led coalition of 24 states and three cities today petitioned the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals to declare unlawful the Trump administration’s One National Program…
![VIDEO: Prosperity Is More Than Wages](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/cartofgoods-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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VIDEO: Prosperity Is More Than Wages
In a new video for the PolicyEd channel, economist Russ Roberts takes on the popular—though misleading—narrative that ordinary working Americans haven’t made any real economic…
![Export-Import Bank Fight Not Over Yet](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Congress_3-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Export-Import Bank Fight Not Over Yet
The Export-Import Bank’s charter is currently set to expire on September 30. If authorization lapses, the agency will shut down. On Thursday, the House passed…
![Trump Administration Terminates California’s Unlawful Power over Auto Industry](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/bmw-1712736_960_720_2-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Trump Administration Terminates California’s Unlawful Power over Auto Industry
Today, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) took the first step towards finalizing…
![Ex-Im Bank Reauthorization: Major Victory against Cronyism, Despite Setback](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/dock-441989_960_720_5-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Ex-Im Bank Reauthorization: Major Victory against Cronyism, Despite Setback
Nobel laureate economist Ronald Coase wrote in his 1975 essay “Economists and Public Policy” that “An economist who, by his efforts, is able to postpone…
![In Its Stores, Walmart Behaves the Same Way Amazon Does and No One Cares](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Store-GettyImages-985955122-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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In Its Stores, Walmart Behaves the Same Way Amazon Does and No One Cares
This week, The Wall Street Journal published an exclusive story detailing how Amazon uses its algorithms to prioritize its brands and products that are more…
![Wrong Again: 50 Years of Failed Eco-pocalyptic Predictions](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/GettyImages-824845572-2-scaled-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Wrong Again: 50 Years of Failed Eco-pocalyptic Predictions
Modern doomsayers have been predicting climate and environmental disaster since the 1960s. They continue to do so today. None of the apocalyptic predictions with due…
![UPDATE: Big Picture in ‘Vaping-Linked’ Lung Poisonings](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Vapes-GettyImages-928069160_0-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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UPDATE: Big Picture in ‘Vaping-Linked’ Lung Poisonings
Over the last three months, the news has been filled with stories of people falling ill from a mystery lung ailment supposedly caused by vaping.
![This Week in Ridiculous Regulations](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Deficit-GettyImages-1062733970-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
Congress returned from recess, the Democratic presidential candidates had a debate, and the 2019 federal deficit topped $1 trillion with a month left to go…
![Greenpeace Disrupters Arrested for Shutting Down Houston Ship Channel](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/portshippingcontainers_ThinkstockPhotos-77747233_2-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Greenpeace Disrupters Arrested for Shutting Down Houston Ship Channel
Ahead of the September 12th Democratic presidential primary debate, activists from the group Greenpeace were arrested after pulling a stunt that briefly held Houston commuters hostage…
![Policy Circle 4th Annual Leadership Summit Coming to Chicago](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/policycircle-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Policy Circle 4th Annual Leadership Summit Coming to Chicago
There are a lot of useful conferences, meetings, and conventions that fill our calendars, and one that we're especially looking forward to this year is the Policy Circle’s…
![Automaker Antitrust Investigation Wrong Way to Fight Cartels](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Auto-plant-GettyImages-1090466806-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Automaker Antitrust Investigation Wrong Way to Fight Cartels
Cartels need government support because they contain the seeds of their own destruction. Self-interested companies acting selfishly naturally undo their own cartels.
![Lead State in Big Tech Antitrust Suit Misleadingly Inflates Google’s Size](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Computer-keyboard-GettyImages-1091348950-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Lead State in Big Tech Antitrust Suit Misleadingly Inflates Google’s Size
In The Wall Street Journal today, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who is spearheading a multistate antitrust investigation into Google, made an egregious error.
![Unleash Markets to Reduce Traffic Congestion](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/scrib_TI-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Unleash Markets to Reduce Traffic Congestion
Congestion is a persistent and growing problem facing America’s road networks. The challenge facing policy makers is how to address this growing problem. Given that…
![Getting My Bearings in Taipei: Personally and Politically](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Lassman2-Taipei-2019-cr-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Getting My Bearings in Taipei: Personally and Politically
Key Insight of the Day: While not every aspect of life in Taiwan is dominated by the relationship with the People’s Republic of China, every…
![California to Eliminate Independent Work](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/pexels-photo-296881-578x324-c-default.jpeg)
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California to Eliminate Independent Work
Late Tuesday evening, the California legislature passed controversial legislation that would codify a state Supreme Court decision, which adopted a flawed test that effectively prohibits…
![Reform Proposal Addresses Cronyism in Government-Backed Mortgages](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/bank_creditunion_ThinkstockPhotos-web-version-537645186_7-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Reform Proposal Addresses Cronyism in Government-Backed Mortgages
Earlier this year, the Trump administration issued an executive memorandum directing the Department of the Treasury to “develop a plan for administrative and legislative reforms” of…
![Sharing Insights and Observations from the Road: A Travelogue](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Lassman3-Taipei-2019-cr-scaled-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Sharing Insights and Observations from the Road: A Travelogue
This week I’m in Taiwan as a part of a delegation of free-market trade experts. I’ll write short posts for the Competitive Enterprise Institute team…
![Unknown Societal Costs of Imposing Regulation Based on Secret (or Creatively Leveraged) Data](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ThinkstockPhotos-521304774_3-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Unknown Societal Costs of Imposing Regulation Based on Secret (or Creatively Leveraged) Data
From the food pyramid and dietary guidelines, to vaping policies, to the Progressive zeal for eugenics, humility-challenged administrative experts can be mistaken, can mislead, or…
![Trump Administration Pushes Back on California’s Fuel Economy Scheming](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/California-Flag-US-State-Metal-XL_0-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Trump Administration Pushes Back on California’s Fuel Economy Scheming
Since at least March 2018, the Trump administration and the state of California have been engaged in a legal and political struggle over the stringency…
![Study on Export-Import Bank: Repeal Is Best, Other Reforms Can Help](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/dock-441989_960_720_4-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Study on Export-Import Bank: Repeal Is Best, Other Reforms Can Help
The Export-Import Bank is up for reauthorization by September 30. It should be shut down, as I’ve pointed out before, but reauthorization will almost certainly…
![Gene Editing Can Improve Health Outcomes for the Poor](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/science-1336663_960_720_3-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Gene Editing Can Improve Health Outcomes for the Poor
Gene editing, specifically somatic gene therapy, cures maladies with traceable genetic origins. This revolutionary science is rapidly advancing, but not without major setbacks. Regulations designed…
![This Week in Ridiculous Regulations](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/cpp_3-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
Contrary to my earlier prediction, the number of new regulations this year did not pass 2,000 last week, ending the four-day week at 1,991. Meanwhile,…
![CNN Hosts Seven-Hour ‘Climate Crisis Town Hall’ with Democratic Presidential Candidates](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/pipeline_0-578x324-c-default.png)
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CNN Hosts Seven-Hour ‘Climate Crisis Town Hall’ with Democratic Presidential Candidates
CNN on September 4th broadcast a seven-hour “Climate Crisis Town Hall” featuring ten Democratic presidential candidates. Each of the following candidates was in the spotlight…
![State Attorneys General Launch Antitrust Investigations, Forget ‘Relevant Market’ Fallacy](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ThinkstockPhotos-179318921_7-scaled-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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State Attorneys General Launch Antitrust Investigations, Forget ‘Relevant Market’ Fallacy
Facebook and Google are facing separate antitrust investigations from publicity-seeking state attorneys general from both parties. New York’s Democratic attorney general is heading a joint…
![Ethanol ‘Flex Fuel’ No Solution for Climate—or Political Compromise](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Car-trouble-Thinkstock_3-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Ethanol ‘Flex Fuel’ No Solution for Climate—or Political Compromise
Pollster Frank Luntz discussed climate policy Thursday night with Laura Ingraham on her Fox News program “The Ingraham Angle.” In the previous segment, Ingraham interviewed…
![Welfare for Billionaires: Stadium Subsidies Are Pure Cronyism](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/stadium-578x324-c-default.png)
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Welfare for Billionaires: Stadium Subsidies Are Pure Cronyism
Our old friend (and former Competitive Enterprise Institute journalism fellow) Tim Carney is doing excellent work at the American Enterprise Institute these days, where he…
![Trump Tariff Costs to Outweigh Benefits from Deregulation](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/dock-441989_960_720_3-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Trump Tariff Costs to Outweigh Benefits from Deregulation
Early in the Trump administration, a series of executive orders slowed the growth of new regulations and removed some existing rules. From the start of…
![Department of Energy Expands Consumer Choice in Light Bulbs](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/cpp_2-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Department of Energy Expands Consumer Choice in Light Bulbs
The Trump administration took a pro-consumer step today as the Department of Energy finalized a rule that will allow certain types of lower-cost light bulbs to…
![Facebook’s $5 Billion Privacy Fine Almost Certainly Too High](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/codepointing_700x458-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Facebook’s $5 Billion Privacy Fine Almost Certainly Too High
Facebook has faced intense criticism from lawmakers and regulators since last spring, when The Observer and The New York Times reported that data from over…
![Marijuana Industry Bank Reform on Capitol Hill Agenda](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/bank_creditunion_ThinkstockPhotos-web-version-537645186_6-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Marijuana Industry Bank Reform on Capitol Hill Agenda
While the continued legalization of recreational and medicinal use of marijuana at the state level has undoubtedly been a win for liberty, there remains much…
![This Week in Ridiculous Regulations](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Stacks-of-papers-GettyImages-973870132-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
The UK parliament will soon be suspended for a five-week period, something the U.S. Congress should consider emulating as often as possible. Over in the…
![Loco Four Loko Hysteria](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Red-cups-GettyImages-619056486-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Loco Four Loko Hysteria
It’s only a matter of time before Phusion Projects' new hard seltzer hits shelves, which means that it’s only a matter of time before alarmists…
![Free-Market Groups Urge Reform of National Environmental Policy Act](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Industry-GettyImages-1054969666-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Free-Market Groups Urge Reform of National Environmental Policy Act
CEI and five other free market groups submitted comments on the White House Council on Environmental Quality’s Draft National Environmental Policy Act Guidance on Consideration of Greenhouse…
![How Accounting Reform Can Help Address Public Pension Underfunding](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Deficit-GettyImages-959957308-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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How Accounting Reform Can Help Address Public Pension Underfunding
By deferring compensation, in the form of pensions, and pushing those costs well into the future, politicians can gain favor with government employee unions, which…
![Lung Disease Outbreak Caused by Black Market, not Vaping](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Vapes-and-cigs-GettyImages-1069503862-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Lung Disease Outbreak Caused by Black Market, not Vaping
News media around the world have picked up on the story of “vaping-linked” hospitalizations. Most have omitted the fact that black market marijuana e-liquid has…
![Union Wish List Bill Would Harm Workers and the Economy](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Strike-signs-GettyImages-91644706-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Union Wish List Bill Would Harm Workers and the Economy
Today, the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) released a report that analyzes the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act of 2019 (H.R. 2474), which the…
![This Week in Ridiculous Regulations](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/deathvalley_nps-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
A humorous diplomatic row over Greenland was not the only news of the week, with China tariffs, divisive rhetoric, and recession fears also putting in…
![Senator Bernie Sanders Releases $16 Trillion Green New Deal Plan](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/bernie-sander-578x324-c-default.png)
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Senator Bernie Sanders Releases $16 Trillion Green New Deal Plan
On August 22nd, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) released a 14,000-word plan to implement the Green New Deal—a detailed blueprint to “avert climate catastrophe and create…
![Washington Post Uses Dubious Data on ‘Extreme’ Climate Change](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/washington-post-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Washington Post Uses Dubious Data on ‘Extreme’ Climate Change
The Washington Post ran a long, complicated story by four reporters on August 14th headlined “Extreme climate change is here.”…
![Antitrust Basics: Think Long Term, Not Just Short Term](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/ThinkstockPhotos-179318921_6-scaled-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Antitrust Basics: Think Long Term, Not Just Short Term
Moore’s Law states that computing power doubles every year and a half or so. An antitrust case against IBM, by contrast, lasted for 13 years,…
![David Koch (1940-2019), R.I.P.](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Koch_HQ-578x324-c-default.png)
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David Koch (1940-2019), R.I.P.
Friend, philanthropist, inventor, and industrialist David Koch has died at the age of 79. He was a father and husband. Known best for his pro-liberty…
![Heretics in the Church of Tobacco Control](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/GettyImages-579150312_3-scaled-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Heretics in the Church of Tobacco Control
H.P. Lovecraft opined in 1931 that “if religion were true its followers would not try to bludgeon their young into artificial conformity, but would merely…
![When Did Conservatives Stop Loving a Free Economy?](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Give-money-thinkstock_3-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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When Did Conservatives Stop Loving a Free Economy?
National Review contributor and rage-inducing controversialist Kevin Williamson has a new book out, “The Smallest Minority: Independent Thinking in the Age of Mob Politics,” which…
![Sealand, from Pirate Radio to Seasteading](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/free-speech-edited_1-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Sealand, from Pirate Radio to Seasteading
Setting up a sovereign free territory has long been a dream of libertarian mavericks, from the ill-fated Republic of Minerva to the nascent Free Republic…
![Will T-Mobile/Sprint Merger Increase Prices?](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Cell-phone-landscape_1-578x324-c-default.png)
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Will T-Mobile/Sprint Merger Increase Prices?
Lots of things influence prices and, of course, not all are influenced by the same factors. However, the lawsuit filed by several state attorneys general…
![Antitrust Basics: Corruption and Rent-Seeking](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/corruption_ThinkstockPhotos-591429586_3-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Antitrust Basics: Corruption and Rent-Seeking
Rent-seeking is economics jargon for chasing after unfair special favors from government. Businesses and individuals have a large menu of rent-seeking options to choose from,…
![Where Facebook Interim Report on Bias Falls Short](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/computer-guy-578x324-c-default.png)
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Where Facebook Interim Report on Bias Falls Short
Today former U.S. Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ), in fulfillment of an arrangement with Facebook, released an independent Interim Report (and accompanying op-ed) cataloging the primary concerns of…
![Debt Collectors Keep Credit Market Flowing](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/atm_ThinkstockPhotos-498148654-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Debt Collectors Keep Credit Market Flowing
Debt collecting is a profession that gets little love, but given the social good done by debt collectors who operate ethically and follow the rules,…
![Cataloging Regulatory Costs of Cronyism and Rent-Seeking in a Self-Interested Administrative State](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/corruption_ThinkstockPhotos-591429586_2-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Cataloging Regulatory Costs of Cronyism and Rent-Seeking in a Self-Interested Administrative State
Rent-seeking as a policy concern has been done to death: It’s been described over and over how regulation is often not about elevating the public…
![PRO Act Undermines Employee Choice](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/femalefactoryworker_ThinkstockPhotos-122406814_0-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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PRO Act Undermines Employee Choice
Democrats in Congress introduced the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act with the state goal of strengthening union power and increasing union membership, which…
![Business Roundtable Restates Obvious: Stakeholders Matter (and Always Have)](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Give-money-thinkstock_2-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Business Roundtable Restates Obvious: Stakeholders Matter (and Always Have)
There’s a flurry of news coverage this morning about the Business Roundtable releasing a new public statement on “the purpose of a corporation.” Whereas previous…
![This Week in Ridiculous Regulations](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/ThinkstockPhotos-492681611_2-scaled-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
Last week was the Federal Register’s busiest of the year, with its 3,075 pages almost tripling a normal week’s count. A new economically significant regulation…
![Climate Study Urges Blacklisting of Contrarians](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Man-Tree-Pexels-578x324-c-default.jpeg)
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Climate Study Urges Blacklisting of Contrarians
Authors of a study published recently in the journal Nature Communications want editors and journalists to blacklist “climate change contrarians.” Of course, the study doesn’t…
![VIDEO: Why Beer Sucks in Socialist Countries](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/sucksbeer-578x324-c-default.png)
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VIDEO: Why Beer Sucks in Socialist Countries
The trend of younger voters allegedly becoming more favorable to socialism has alarmed and chagrined many observers recently, from members of the New York Post…
![Children’s Environmental Health Programs Translate to Junk Science](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/science-1336663_960_720_2-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Children’s Environmental Health Programs Translate to Junk Science
For more than a decade now, the federal government has doled out millions of dollars to fund junk science and political activism under the guise…
![States Making Predictable Grab for Revenue via Online Sales Taxes](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/cybermonday_ThinkstockPhotos-512349742_3-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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States Making Predictable Grab for Revenue via Online Sales Taxes
Fallout from the 2018 South Dakota v. Wayfair Supreme Court decision, which allowed remote sales tax collection from online purchases, has begun and The Wall Street Journal editorialized…
![Modernizing Passenger Facility Charge Can Promote Airport Investment, Reduce Federal Spending](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/ThinkstockPhotos-160518686_1-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Modernizing Passenger Facility Charge Can Promote Airport Investment, Reduce Federal Spending
The passenger facility charge (PFC) is a local airport user fee that serves as an important revenue tool with less federal meddling than its primary…
![This Week in Ridiculous Regulations](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/UN-Flags_0-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
Rumblings of a “Navarro recession” are growing louder, and the 2019 Federal Register will likely crack the 40,000-page mark early this week. Rulemaking agencies published…
![Climate Rent-Seeking Backfiring on Chemours](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/earth_6-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Climate Rent-Seeking Backfiring on Chemours
In perhaps the most egregious example of climate change-related rent seeking to date, chemical giants Chemours and Honeywell have joined forces with environmental activists to…
![New Rule to Limit State Government Abuse of Clean Water Act for Climate Activism](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/drops-of-water-pixabay_1-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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New Rule to Limit State Government Abuse of Clean Water Act for Climate Activism
Making good on a promise made in an April 10th Executive Order entitled Promoting Energy Infrastructure and Economic Growth, the Environmental Protection Agency has proposed a rule restricting…
![Climate Blame Game](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/citylights_night_ThinkstockPhotos-200403745-001_0-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Climate Blame Game
In “Reformed Climate Deniers Don’t Deserve Redemption,” author Dave Leviton argues that Republican pollster Frank Luntz had no business testifying before the Senate Democrats’ Special Committee…
![Leaked White House Executive Order on ‘Censorship’ Violates Two Basic Constitutional Tenets](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Freedom-of-speech-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Leaked White House Executive Order on ‘Censorship’ Violates Two Basic Constitutional Tenets
Earlier this week it was reported that the Trump administration was drafting an executive order to combat perceived “censorship” of conservatives on online platforms such…
![Underfunded Public Pensions Put Future Taxpayers on the Hook](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/employees_ThinkstockPhotos-512165336_15-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Underfunded Public Pensions Put Future Taxpayers on the Hook
One of the most well-known and enduring lessons of public choice economics is the dynamic of concentrated benefits and diffuse costs. Well-organized groups have both…
![VIDEO: Where the Regulatory State Came From](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/plfvideo_cr-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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VIDEO: Where the Regulatory State Came From
Our friends at the Pacific Legal Foundation have a funny and insightful explainer video on the historical development of the regulatory state (also known as…
![Limits of ‘Soft Law’ Approach to Tech Regulation](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/paperwork_ThinkstockPhotos-57571085_4-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Limits of ‘Soft Law’ Approach to Tech Regulation
Can the regulation of new technology be voluntary and non-coercive? In a recent op-ed for The Hill, Mercatus Center law and technology analyst Jennifer Huddleston…
![Evils of ‘Craving Engineering’](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Donut-1-pexels_0-578x324-c-default.jpeg)
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Evils of ‘Craving Engineering’
America is a decidedly liberal (in the sense of being tolerant) nation comprised of people with different—often competing—worldviews. As a culture, we value the ability to…
![The Millionaires and Billionaires of Environmental Politics](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/money-_0-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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The Millionaires and Billionaires of Environmental Politics
There’s a story that’s told in newspapers, on news networks, and in the buzzing of Twitter. In this story, there’s a clear good guy, a…
![Nipping at Big Tech’s Heels: Competition in Social Media](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Internet-Possibilites_1-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Nipping at Big Tech’s Heels: Competition in Social Media
There has much bemoaning and hand-wringing by members of Congress on the alleged dangers of social media.
![Response to State Lawsuit against T-Mobile/Sprint: Mergers Signal Dynamic Markets](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/GettyImages-613749406_3-scaled-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Response to State Lawsuit against T-Mobile/Sprint: Mergers Signal Dynamic Markets
The end of the first blog post in this series warned that the real result of a successful lawsuit to block the merger of Sprint…
![Guidance Documents of the Week: Agriculture, Housing, Management](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/ThinkstockPhotos-521304774_2-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Guidance Documents of the Week: Agriculture, Housing, Management
Guidance documents are statements of policy issued by your favorite alphabet soup of agencies, which more often than not translate into law, despite rarely going…
![Dietary Guidelines for Americans (Except Those with Eating Disorders)](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/schoollunch_ThinkstockPhotos-177392719_0-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Dietary Guidelines for Americans (Except Those with Eating Disorders)
The goal of the government's Dietary Guidelines for Americans is to provide simple advice that promotes nutritional health, but for millions of Americans it may do…
![State Lawsuit against T-Mobile/Sprint Counterproductive for Consumers](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Internet-Image-Thinkstock_2-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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State Lawsuit against T-Mobile/Sprint Counterproductive for Consumers
State attorneys general from fourteen states and the District of Columbia have sued to block the merger of mobile phone and Internet service providers T-Mobile…
![This Week in Ridiculous Regulations](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/drugstore_ThinkstockPhotos-bldjp022005_43_4-578x324-c-default.jpg)
Blog
This Week in Ridiculous Regulations
In a pre-recess Parthian shot, the Senate passed a massive new spending bill that would increase federal spending by $320 billion over two years and…
![Advocacy Journalism Gears up to Promote UN Climate Conference](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/citylights_night_ThinkstockPhotos-200403745-001-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Advocacy Journalism Gears up to Promote UN Climate Conference
The Columbia Journalism Review reported on July 26th that more than 60 news organizations have signed up to devote “one week of focused coverage” to the international…
![Judge Rejects Climate Suit to Establish ‘Right to Wilderness’](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/hike-air-pixabay_1-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Judge Rejects Climate Suit to Establish ‘Right to Wilderness’
Oregon District Court Judge Michael McShane on July 31st rejected a petition by two nonprofit groups—Animal Legal Defense Fund and Seeding Sovereignty—and six individuals who allege the…
![Climate Change Gets 21 Minutes in Five-Hour Presidential Debate](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/earth_5-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Climate Change Gets 21 Minutes in Five-Hour Presidential Debate
CNN hosted the 2nd Democratic presidential candidates’ debate this week on two consecutive nights (July 30th and 31st). Twenty of the 24 Democratic candidates participated, with 10…
![Senate Highway Bill with First-Ever Climate Title Unanimously Clears Committee](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/light-bulb-1-pixabay_4-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Senate Highway Bill with First-Ever Climate Title Unanimously Clears Committee
On July 30th, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) passed S. 2302, America's Transportation Infrastructure Act of 2019. The vote was 22-0.
![VIDEO: Green New Deal’s Bad Science](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/mills-578x324-c-default.png)
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VIDEO: Green New Deal’s Bad Science
This week the Competitive Enterprise Institute released a new study by CEI President Kent Lassman and Power the Future Executive Director Daniel Turner on the costs of the…
![Environmental Red Tape Could Roadblock Green New Deal](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/light-bulb-503881_960_720_1-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Environmental Red Tape Could Roadblock Green New Deal
The Green New Deal reads like a progressive’s letter to Santa, a wish list that is, by the admission of Rep. Ocasio-Cortez’s (D-NY) chief of staff,…
![Department of Justice Creates Frankenstein Imitation of Market Competition](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Cell-phone-landscape_0-578x324-c-default.png)
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Department of Justice Creates Frankenstein Imitation of Market Competition
The Department of Justice’s long-awaited merger approval for T-Mobile and Sprint is good news for consumers on balance, but the conditions required for the agency’s blessing are…
![Is White House ‘Guidance on Compliance with the Congressional Review Act’ Restraining Agency Rulemaking?](https://cei.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/paperwork_ThinkstockPhotos-57571085_3-578x324-c-default.jpg)
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Is White House ‘Guidance on Compliance with the Congressional Review Act’ Restraining Agency Rulemaking?
At a time of trillion dollar runaway peacetime deficits, big-spenders can take smug comfort knowing that regulation is even less disciplined, especially where ostensibly sub-regulatory…