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Deregulation Watch: Horsemeat
Last year, about 138,000 horses were taken to slaughterhouses in Canada and Mexico, defeating the very purpose of the ban. Recognizing its failure, the ban…
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Obama Administration Ignores Illegal Racial Discrimination In Voting Against Whites, Koreans, and Filipinos in Guam
Under the Supreme Court’s decision in Rice v. Cayetano (2000), racial exclusion from voting is unconstitutional, even when the victim is white, and the…
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Today’s Links: November 29, 2011
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Journalistic Humor
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Farm Bill: Bailouts, Special Interests, and Pheasants
The infamous “secret farm bill,” negotiated by the leadership of the agriculture committees with little transparency and discussion, will not pass as part of…
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Canada Cuts Tariffs, Endorses Free Trade — Imports Good, Exports Good
In a free-trade lesson the U.S. should study, Canada announced that it was eliminating tariffs on imports that Canadian manufacturers use to help spur…
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Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis Continues to Advance Dangerous Big Labor Agenda
Openmarket.org Yesterday, Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis wrote an indignant blog post titled, “Long Overdue: Winning Back Pay and Benefits for Workers,” in which…
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Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis Continues to Advance Dangerous Big Labor Agenda
Yesterday, Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis wrote an indignant blog post titled, “Long Overdue: Winning Back Pay and Benefits for Workers,” in which she…
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Let Me Be Clear
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Hidden Regulations Stifle Job Creation; EEOC Kills Jobs By Promoting Lawsuits
When reporters write stories about the cost of regulations, they only focus on regulations found in formal codes of regulations. But most regulations aren't formal…
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Barney Frank’s Cognitive Dissonance on Liberties and Risk-Taking
Congress will certainly be different and, for the country, better with the absence of Rep. Barney Frank, who announced today he will not seek reelection.
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Today’s Links: November 28, 2011
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What the Super Committee Could Have Learned From Italy
Entitlement reform. Those words alone make politicians’ ears bleed. Or in the case of Italy, it makes their fists literally fly at one another. I…
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Regulation of the Day 201: Playground Chatter
Quebec officials are starting to listen in on what children are talking about on school playgrounds during recess to make sure they are speaking French.
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Update on FMCSA’s Proposed Hours-of-Service Rule
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), the agency tasked with writing and enforcing safety regulations for large trucks and buses, is due today to…
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Are We Living in Post-Republic America?
Americans have the notion that liberty equals elections, and therefore feel themselves still living in a free country so long as elections proceed as scheduled. But the growth of government bureaucracy…
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Wherein CCAF is “justly lauded”
More coverage of the AOL victory in a Washington Examiner op-ed. And Reuters Legal does a lengthy story. AOL’s attorney’s comment is…
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Is the Four Loko/FTC Settlement on the Rocks?
If you're a regular reader of OpenMarket.org, then you know we at CEI have written quite a bit on the issue of Four Loko.
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Isaac Newton’s Funeral
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No, Rousseau, Man Is a Social Animal
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The Poor Benefit Most
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Class-Action Abuses Challenged in the Courts; CEI Files Amicus Brief Challenging Abuses
Thanks to the Center for Class Action Fairness, courts are finally enforcing safeguards against the diversion and misuse of class-action lawsuit settlements, which all…
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How to Lose an Argument
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One Measure of Progress
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Regulation of the Day 200: Flying Food
Millions of Americans are taking to the skies to spend time with their families over Thanksgiving. Many of them will be carrying leftovers on their…
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Don’t Fear the Feast: Pass the Canned Cranberry Sauce, Green Beans, and Gravy!
It seems like the leftist activists don't want anyone to enjoy life. They'd rather we be fraught with worry. During the weeks and days leading…
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Government Meddling Won’t Create Jobs
The Hill recently ran my letter to the editor responding to Sen. Tom Harkin’s column, “Republican attacks on workers’ rights won’t create jobs.” I make…
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CEI Podcast for November 23, 2011: The Most Expensive Regulation of All Time?
What is the single most expensive regulation of all time? Energy Policy Analyst William Yeatman has one candidate: the EPA’s proposal to regulate mercury emissions…
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Some updates
Coverage of Monday’s Nachsin v. AOL cy pres victory for CCAF, some of which is even accurate. I was also interviewed by Reuters and…
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Government meddling won’t create jobs
The Hill A recent op-ed in The Hill by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) (“Attacks on workers’ rights won’t create jobs,” Nov. 15) highlights the need…
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Amtrak Bans 12-Year-Old Unaccompanied Child Riders
In Japan, 6-year-old children are not only allowed to ride the train by themselves, but are eligible for a special fare. Not so in America,…
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Longshoremen’s Union Rejects Occupy Oakland’s Call for “Solidarity” West Coast Port Shutdown
After briefly shutting down their [adopted] city's port earlier this month, Occupy Oakland is calling for a December 12 shutdown of all West Coast…
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Hank Greenberg Rises Again — Takes on Treasury, NY Fed in “Takings” Lawsuit
Feisty 86-year-old Hank Greenberg, long-time chief executive of AIG, is suing the Treasury Department and the New York Federal Reserve Bank charging that its…
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Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton Orders Unionization of Child Care Providers
Openmarket.org The NLRB’s pro-union bias and penchant for overstepping legal precedent has spread to Minnesota. Governor Mark Dayton (DFL) issued an executive order calling…
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What Decline and Fall?
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Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton Orders Unionization of Child Care Providers
The NLRB’s pro-union bias and penchant for overstepping legal precedent has spread to Minnesota. Governor Mark Dayton (DFL) issued an executive order calling for…
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United States and China Talk Trade
The annual session of United States – China trade talks was held last week, in the Chinese city of Chengdu. These talks look for…
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Fred Weekly: Give Thanks for Capitalism
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Elites of the World, Unite! You Have Nothing to Lose!
And they are — but we have much to lose. See Iain Murray’s latest piece on the EU crisis. The intellectual temptation — the…
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Ninth Circuit cy pres victory in Nachshin v. AOL
We’ve been at the forefront of noting the problem of abusive cy pres; originally intended as a last resort “second-best” way to benefit the class…
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Today’s Links: November 21, 2011
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Regulation of the Day 199: How to Catch a Tuna
Authorities confiscated an otherwise legally caught bluefin tuna because it was caught with a net. The government intends to sell the fish and keep the…
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And Now, a Word from John Waters . . .
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Stimulus Will Hurt Economy in the Long Run, Congressional Budget Office Confirms
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California Supreme Court Rejects Union Suit to Bar Private Contractors from Golden Gate Project
Last week, the California Supreme Court rejected a suit by a government employee union, the Professional Engineers in California Government, that sought to…
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Law Schools: Incubators of Evil and Waste?
The New York Times had a disturbing article Sunday about how most law schools are utterly failing to teach their students the basics of how to…
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Obamacare Attacks Your Flex Account — Minimize Damage in 2013 by Doubling Up for 2012
Hey Joe and Jane Citizen, concerned about the future of your country and your family. Please step away for five minutes from the nonstop TV coverage…
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Obama Peddles Myths About the Great Depression: No, Hoover Didn’t Cut Taxes or Spending
Herbert Hoover increased marginal tax rates on the wealthy to 63 percent, and more than doubled government spending as a percentage of the economy. But…
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More Scholarships for Murderers to Attend Law School: It’s the “Progressive” Thing to Do
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Middle Class in Big Trouble
A new study titled Growth in the Residential Segregation of Families by Income 1970-2009 by Stanford University researchers throws harsh light on a disturbing…
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Today’s Links: November 18, 2011
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Fred Weekly: Conflicts of Interest
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Alcohol Regulation Roundup: Turkey Day Edition
As Thanksgiving quickly approaches many hosts and hostesses are scratching their heads about what drinks to pair with their meal items. The Washington Post…
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Regulation of the Day 198: Talking about Water
In a ruling so dumb that only a panel of intellectuals could have written it, the EU has decided that companies may not claim…
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CEI Weekly: New Study Urges Lawmakers to Reject Green Chemistry
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Today’s Links: November 17, 2011
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Sen. Hagan Bill Would Expand Accelerated Drug Approval
According to Bloomberg News, North Carolina Democratic Senator Kay Hagan is set to introduce a bill that would create new “progressive”…
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Maryland’s Governor Spends $553,000 on Pianos at Left-Wing Junk College
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Retailers Won’t Destroy Thanksgiving
Every holiday season features a slew of laughable articles denouncing the destruction of American tradition. Meghan Cox Gurdon’s piece in The Washington Examiner today…
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Fannie and Freddie’s Double Outrage — Millions in Bonuses and Subsidies for Millionaire Mortgages
Yesterday, the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held a hearing on the granting of nearly $13 million in bonuses for executives of Fannie…
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CEI Podcast for November 17, 2011: Conflict Guitars
CEI Founder and President Fred Smith talks about why restricting conflict mineral trade can mean more violence, not less. He also discusses why the Gibson…
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Super Committee Follies
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Today’s Links: November 16, 2011
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High-Speed Fail: Even Left-Leaning Washington Post Criticizes Obama Administration Rail Boondoggles in California and Elsewhere
Even the left-leaning Washington Post, which has not endorsed a Republican for President since 1952, is getting fed up with the Obama administration's desire to…
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Online DVD Rental Antitrust Litigation / Wal-Mart/Netflix Settlement
Class members (including me) are getting email notice of a class action settlement with Wal-Mart in the Online DVD Rental Antitrust Litigation, No. M…
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House Republicans’ Shortsighted Proposal to Fund Roads through More Drilling
Recently, Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives have proposed opening up more federal land and offshore areas to natural resource extraction. Such…
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My Job Creation Proposal
Over at The American Spectator, I break down the debate over regulation's impact on the job market and propose one regulation that could create countless…
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Farm Bill Negotiated In Secrecy
The Hill reports that a new “secret Farm Bill” will be included with the super committee’s debt deal. As The Hill points out, legislators…
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Debating Return-Free Taxes: Rep. Jim Cooper Responds
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Penny-Wise, Pound-Foolish on NASA
On Sunday, flights to the ISS resumed for the first time since the retirement of the Shuttle last summer. As I’ve…
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Obama Administration Promotes Panic Over “Bullying” To Incite Attacks on Students’ Rights and Well-Being
Obama administration officials call bullying an “epidemic” and a “pandemic.” But in reality, bullying and violence have steadily gone down in the nation’s schools,…
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Cronyism: Obama Administration Showers Your Tax Dollars on Shifty Wall Street Operator and Liberal Donor
In a corrupt deal, the Obama administration is paying a shifty Wall Street operator's firm an extravagantly inflated price for an unneeded vaccine, at a…
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What’s in My Makeup Bag? — Junkscience
The Oregon Environmental Council and the regional government for the Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area recently released a survey of young women regarding their personal…
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Today’s Links: November 14, 2011
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Crony Capitalism and the Space Program
Over at The Weekly Standard today, I describe how the desire of politicians to steer pork to their constituents is undermining…
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Supreme Court Grants Review in Case Challenging Obamacare as Unconstitutional
The Supreme Court today granted certiorari in the Obamacare cases brought by 26 states and the National Federation of Independent Business. The court allotted 5…
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Is the Constitution a Threat to Liberty?
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CEI Weekly: CEI Challenges Big Labor Corruption at AFP Conference
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Alcohol Regulation Roundup: Beer for Our Soldiers Edition
Not to overshadow the once-in-100-year numerically sequenced date, but today is also Veterans' Day. This isn't a great way to get free drinks at the bar…
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CEI Podcast for November 10, 2011: Eminent Domain Abuse
Land Use and Transportation Policy Analyst Marc Scribner explains why allowing the government to seize land from its owners and give it to developers is…
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When the Lights Go Out
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U.S. Sugar Program Hurts Businesses and Kills Jobs
CBS San Antonio affiliate KENS 5 reports that a San Antonio candy company, Judson-Atkinson Candy Company, has ceased operations after 110 years of…
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Today’s Links: November 10, 2011
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Fred Weekly: Occupy Wall Street
In the latest episode of “Fred Weekly,” CEI President Fred Smith discusses the Occupy Wall Street movement and why the protesters ought to be targeting…
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2011 Federal Register Tops 70,000 Pages
The next time someone complains about America's unregulated cowboy capitalism, you should ask them where such a thing might actually be found.
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Big Labor’s Ohio win doesn’t end states’ fiscal crises
The Washington Examiner Everyone knows state governments are swimming in red ink, but how deep exactly is the fiscal hole? The nonprofit watchdog group State…
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Today’s Links: November 9, 2011
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A Backdoor Tax on the Poor
For some time now, the IRS has been flirting with what's called a return-free system. It's being touted as a time-saver. But it would also…
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Cheers to Washington State Voters
Yesterday, Washington State voters passed an initiative to privatize spirit sales and facilitate a more open market. It essentially breaks up the state’s mandatory…
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Mississippi Voters Pass Initiative Restricting Eminent Domain Powers
Yesterday, voters in Mississippi overwhelmingly passed Initiative 31, which will limit eminent domain condemnations for private benefit. Despite opposition from Republican Governor Hailey…
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Barber Auto Sales v. UPS
The Center has objected to a settlement that would pay $2 million to class members (without even telling them how much of their claims…
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Smokers’ Opportunity to Quit Smoking Opposed by Blinkered Anti-Tobacco Zealots
As The New York Times' John Tierney notes, a tool to quit smoking and save lives is being blocked by anti-tobacco zealots: If you…
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Moral Hazard in Super Committee
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Today’s Links: November 8, 2011
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Liquor Privatization Would Edge Washington State Toward Freedom
Today voters in Washington State will finally have their say in whether or not to get the state out of the business of selling liquor.
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Working through the email
As you might expect, I got a lot of email from the October 31 Wall Street Journal story. Between an October 31 Ninth Circuit deadline,…
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Surface Transportation Board Rejects Misguided Push to Re-Regulate the Railroad Industry… For Now
Late last week, the Surface Transportation Board (STB) refused [PDF] to initiate a rulemaking (Ex Parte 711) proceeding that was petitioned by the shippers'…
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The Heavy-Lift Empire Strikes Back
Readers of this space will recall that there was a leak of an internal NASA document a couple weeks ago that…
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Department of Labor Sells Out Union Members for Big Labor 1%
Openmarket.org The Department of Labor (DOL) doesn’t need to loosen financial disclosure for union bosses to take advantage of union members’ dues. Yet, this is…
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Department of Labor Sells Out Union Members for Big Labor 1%
The Department of Labor (DOL) doesn’t need to loosen financial disclosure for union bosses to take advantage of union members’ dues. Yet, this is exactly…