The Open Market Blog

• By: Alex Harris
• 07/08/2008

Tech news source ArsTechnica reported last night that more than 200 civil rights groups are panicking about the transition to digital TV and asking…

• By: Hans Bader
• 07/07/2008

Since ethanol mandates cause deforestation and skyrocketing food prices, the European Union is now reconsidering its biofuel mandates.  Ethanol subsidies have many bad effects. …

• By: Hans Bader
• 07/07/2008

Washington, D.C. recently tried to put cheap private buses out of business, by preventing them from picking up passengers anywhere but the inconvenient, forbidding location…

• By: Hans Bader
• 07/07/2008

An “excess profits” tax on oil companies — which liberal Congressional leaders support — may well harm you by taking money out of your retirement fund,…

• By: Alex Harris
• 07/07/2008

Google decided to give into demands from California legislators and post a link to its privacy center on its homepage. Jim Harper…

• By: Doug Bandow
• 07/07/2008

A British hospital says no.  But a suspicious number of foreign liver transplants have been done at one hospital.  Reports the BBC:…

• By: Hans Bader
• 07/06/2008

A global food crisis has resulted in skyrocketing food prices, riots, and starvation in many poor countries like Afghanistan, Haiti, Egypt, and…

• By: Doug Bandow
• 07/05/2008

It’s long been obvious that you don’t want to get cancer in Great Britain.  (Obviously, you don’t want to get it anywhere, but especially in…

• By: Hans Bader
• 07/04/2008

The Washington Post cites Colombia’s dramatic rescue of American hostages to endorse passage of the free trade agreement between Colombia and the U.S.   (The…

• By: Hans Bader
• 07/04/2008

Researchers are discovering that Vitamin D cuts deaths from a host of illnesses.  Exposure to the sun provides crucial Vitamin D, especially for lactose-intolerant people.  Yet…

• By: Ivan Osorio
• 07/03/2008

The story of the Colombian army’s daring, flawlessly executed, rescue of hostages held by the FARC terrorist group has an interesting detail: The stunning…

• By: Alex Harris
• 07/03/2008

Today, a bunch of telcos got together to form a consortium to create standards for developing mobile-friendly websites – an important task as more…

• By: Hans Bader
• 07/03/2008

Fairfax County, Virginia, is going to spend millions of taxpayer dollars to try to prop up the housing bubble a little longer.  They’re planning to buy…

• By: Hans Bader
• 07/03/2008

A law called NEPA requires costly and expensive environmental assessments before the government does a lot of things — even if what the government is…

• By: Fran Smith
• 07/03/2008

The Financial Times noted today that the OECD’s recently released report on employment prospects in the developed world showed an uptick in unemployment…

• By: Alex Harris
• 07/03/2008

The ACLU and EFF are filing a Freedom of Information Act request to find out how the government decides when to use…

• By: Hans Bader
• 07/03/2008

The Washington Examiner argues that recent proposals to increase federal tax rates to 55 percent on households making over $250,000 per year would result…

• By: Alex Harris
• 07/03/2008

On the heels of a report showing the odd, politically-driven fluctuations in indecency complaints submitted to the FCC, two advocacy groups are claiming…

• By: Alex Harris
• 07/02/2008

What is it with delayed mergers and agreements today? I just reported about the DoJ beginning its investigation of Google-Yahoo. Now, Ars reports…

• By: Hans Bader
• 07/02/2008

A New York appellate court has ruled that former state attorney general Eliot Spitzer lacked the authority to challenge the huge pay package of…

• By: Alex Harris
• 07/02/2008

The Justice Department has begun an investigation of the Google-Yahoo advertising deal. What exactly the DoJ will do to the deal is as yet…

• By: Fran Smith
• 07/02/2008

Senator John McCain, the Republicans’ presumptive presidential candidate, continued his strong support for free trade with a visit to Colombia and discussions with…

• By: Alex Harris
• 07/02/2008

The Copyright Office just released a report asking Congress to end the practice of forcing broadcast TV stations to give their signals to cable…

• By: Alex Harris
• 07/01/2008

Valentine v. Chrestensen was a landmark 1942 Supreme Court ruling declaring that the Constitution does not protect commercial speech. This precedent has allowed Congress…

• By: Alex Harris
• 07/01/2008

The TSA is finally allowing laptop designers to make cases that can pass through TSA security with the laptop inside. With an older…

• By: Hans Bader
• 07/01/2008

The Rhode Island Supreme Court overturned a trial court ruling against paint companies sued by Rhode Island’s attorney general in a huge lead-paint lawsuit.  The companies had been found…

• By: Alex Harris
• 07/01/2008

CNET reports that you may soon be able to draw a doodle to gain access to ATMs, computers, or websites. The two computer scientists…