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Morning Media Summary
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Regulation of the Day 177: Single-Wide Trailers
In Cordova, Alabama single-wide trailer homes are illegal. After years of lax enforcement, regulators are cracking down after tornadoes left many residents homeless.
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The Auto Bailouts: Still A Huge Loss for Taxpayers, and a Failure in Stemming Unemployment
Columnist Shikha Dalmia explains how the auto bailouts are a huge money loser for taxpayers and the economy as a whole, despite recent earnings…
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NLRB Targets Boeing, Ignores Congress
It is now well known that the Obama administration is trying to use the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) as a battering ram to…
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New York Times on “Paternalistic” Government
The Dining section of today’s New York Times has a short piece reporting that the U.S. Department of Agriculture has lowered…
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Mark Haines RIP
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Education Department’s Gainful Employment Rule Was Based on Falsehoods
Earlier, CEI issued a study on an Education Department rule that is likely to backfire on students: the so-called "gainful employment rule" that is…
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Dismantling Sarbanes-Oxley
My colleague Ryan Radia and I recently wrote in an editorial for Investor's Business Daily that the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act should be dismantled for the…
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Mind-boggling Increase in Tuition Since 1960 Even as Students Learn Less and Less
There has been a truly mind-boggling increase in college tuition since 1960. For example, law school tuition has risen nearly 1,000 percent after adjusting…
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Alcohol Producers in Texas Must Unite For their Right to Produce
As discussed in my latest "Alcohol Regulation Roundup" post, a representative for brewing giant, Anheuser-Busch (AB-InBev) testified at a Lone Star State Senate…
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Morning Media Summary
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AIG Bailout’s True Costs to Taxpayers, Innovation, and Competition
The Treasury Department today is patting itself on the back for finally selling some of the government's shares in American International Group, with Treasury…
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3,700 Tax Cheats Got Stimulus Contracts
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New Jersey Supreme Court Orders Even More Spending on Mismanaged School Districts in Abbott v. Burke
Thanks to New Jersey’s Supreme Court, that state’s hopelessly-mismanaged (and sometimes corrupt) urban school districts will be getting even more money. In a 3-to-2…
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California Card Check: Just Sign Here
The card check bill soon to be sitting on California Governor Jerry Brown’s desk is another attempt by labor unions to take away worker rights.
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Obama Calls on Federal Agencies to Move to Alternative Fuel Vehicles by 2015
Today, President Obama issued a memorandum that directed executive agencies to develop purchasing and deployment plans for replacing the entire federal vehicle fleet with…
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Journalists Say the Darndest Things!
Today's Washington Post has an article about a new study confirming that the lifetime earning power of a college degree in…
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Black Friday All Over Again: Feds Seize More Online Poker Domains
This week thousands of poker fans and players will gather at the Rio Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas for the much anticipated 42nd Annual…
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Morning Media Summary
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If You Can’t Defend It, Don’t Spend It
Openmarket.org Legislators in Louisiana are proposing an ingenious bill entitled, “Public Employee Bargaining Transparency Act” (PEBTA). If enacted, Louisiana would become only the seventh state…
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200 More Obamacare Waivers Granted
204 more waivers of Obamacare’s onerous mandates have been issued over the past month, bringing the total to at least 1,372. As…
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The Politics of Public Pension Underfunding
To date, the debate over public pensions has focused largely on accounting methods — how best to estimate the level of current funding needed to…
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Donald Trump: Casino Welfare Queen and Takings-Abuser of Widows
With Donald Trump ending his quixotic-yet-simultaneously-cynical candidacy for president, this might not have the punch it could have had on his campaign, but I still…
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If You Can’t Defend It, Don’t Spend It
Legislators in Louisiana are proposing an ingenious bill entitled, “Public Employee Bargaining Transparency Act” (PEBTA). If enacted, Louisiana would become only the seventh state to…
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Regulation of the Day 176: Cooking a Burger
In North Carolina, it is illegal to cook a burger to an internal temperature under 155 degrees.
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The Loony Left Era
The Economist has this to say about the NLRB’s pursuit of Boeing: The NLRB is an autonomous body, but its board members are appointed…
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Alcohol Regulation Roundup: May 23, 2011
Alabama: Small vineyards in Alabama support a bill that would allow them to self-distribute up to 24,000 barrels a year, allowing them to compete…
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Morning Media Summary
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Stimulus Wiped Out a Million Private Sector Jobs
The economy may be slowly recovering, but that’s in spite of — not because of — the recent orgy of federal spending. Two economics professors,…
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Government Role in Causing Financial Crisis Much Bigger than Thought
Analysts who once downplayed the government's role in causing the financial crisis now have changed their tune, concluding that government regulations that promoted risky loans…
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CEI Weekly: Endangered Species Act Being Exploited to Block Economic Activity
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Trumka’s Empty Threat to Democrats
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka is warning Democratic politicians today: Push our agenda, or we won’t support you in the 2012 election. It’s hard to imagine…
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Regulation of the Day 175: Firing Dwarves
It would be nice to help out and give a job to someone who needs it, but for many employers, it’s just not worth the…
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Feds Say “Prepare for a Zombie Apocalypse!”
Who says bureaucrats don’t have a sense of humor? The Wall Street Journal‘s Health Blog points to a…
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Online Poker Showdown: States Step Over Feds to Legalize iGaming
In the wake of a federal clamp-down on Internet poker, states are forging ahead with their efforts to explicitly legalize, regulate, and tax online…
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Morning Media Summary
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Forced Unionization: Bad for Business?
Only four short months ago President Obama said: If we make America the best place to do business, businesses should make their mark in…
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Republicans Filibuster Left-Wing Lawyer’s Nomination to Key Appeals Court; Block Confirmation of Goodwin Liu
"Goodwin Liu's nomination to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals appears to be done for" thanks to a Republican filibuster, says David Freddoso of…
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Trade Week: Why I Learned to Hate Civilization
When I first played the strategy game Civilization -- on an Amiga computer in the early 1990s -- I was instantly hooked. I was a…
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In Other TSA News…
TSA officials recently performed a bomb drill at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, and didn't tell anyone about it in advance.
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Alan Bock, RIP (1943-2011)
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TSA Sing-Along
The good folks at Reason.tv have released an educational music video about the TSA featuring singer-songwriter-comedian Remy. Worth watching.
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Is the U.S. Serious About Trade and Economic Growth — Or About Currying Favor with Trade Unions?
Is the U.S. serious about trade or does the Obama administration just want to cater to union supporters and set up more obstacles for trade…
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Delaware to Erase a Remnant of Prohibition?
On April 6, a remarkable bill was quietly introduced in the Delaware state house. If it passes and is signed into law,…
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This Time, Many Jobs May Be Gone For Good
Pajamas Media Americans have a lover’s faith in technology. And no wonder: for much of American history, technological innovation has lifted millions out of poverty,…
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Morning Media Summary
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Felix Salmon on Internet Gambling
He writes: But it’s insane to legalize an activity on the grounds that some tiny fraction of the people doing it are very successful…
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Fighting Back Against Obama’s Big Labor Favoritism
Republicans in both Houses of Congress are answering the Obama administration’s overreach in union favoritism. Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Oversight Committee…
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Colorado Governor Hickenlooper Overturns Low-Alcohol Ban
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NFL Case Illustrates Power of Unions
The NFL's protracted labor dispute with The Union Formerly Known As The NFL Players' Association (TUFKATNFLPA) turned another corner yesterday. An Appellate Court ruling granted…
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Obama Administration Undermines Safeguards for Teachers and Students
In the Washington Examiner, I explain how the Education Department is both undermining protections for falsely-accused students and teachers, and reducing the accuracy…
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Vote Expected Soon on Judicial Nomination of Left-Wing Law Professor Goodwin Liu
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has filed a cloture petition on the pending nomination of Berkeley Law Professor Goodwin Liu to the Ninth Circuit…
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CEI Podcast for May 18, 2011: Suing Chuck E. Cheese
Communications Coordinator Lee Doren breaks down a bizarre class action lawsuit against Chuck E. Cheese's. The suit accuses the company of offering gambling services to…
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Unionization by Regulation: House Oversight Committee Seeks Answers from Politicized NLRB, NMB
As unions continue to decline in their private sector membership, union leaders are seeking political solutions to their problems. President Obama will need organized labor’s support…
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Tom Palmer on the Morality of Profit
The Atlas Economic Research Foundation‘s Tom Palmer has a new video explaining why profits are moral and how the profit motive brings out…
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Morning Media Summary
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Planning to Disaster: Paso Robles, Calif. Adopts Form-Based Code
I’ve previously written about the dangers of form-based codes (see here, for instance), the Euclidian zoning replacements that, rather than gut government planning abilities,…
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Trade Week: Fair Trade Isn’t Fair
As I passed by the Commerce Department on my way in to work this morning, I saw the bureaucrats had erected a banner for…
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Fighting for its Life: Absolute Poker Makes a Deal with Feds
In 2002, four fraternity brothers from the University of Montana founded an online gambling platform that became one of the most popular online casinos for…
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USDA’s War on Potatoes
The Wall Street Journal reports today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture is proposing to “eliminate the ‘white potato’ — defined…
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Morning Media Summary
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Freakonomics Author Steve Levitt on Internet Poker
Steve Levitt, author of the well known pop-economics book Freakonomics, has a recent post explaining his opposition to the crackdown on Internet gambling.
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Greenland Flourishes Due to Global Warming and Climate Change
Alarmists have been decrying the effects of global warming on Greenland for years, even though Greenland was greenest during the Medieval Warm Period, and Greenland’s Vikings,…
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Morning Media Summary
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CEI Files Another Amicus Brief Challenging Obamacare
Debate over the constitutionality of the massive health care law passed in 2010 has focused on its "individual mandate": the requirement that individuals buy health…
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Temporarily Buoyed by Japanese Earthquake, General Motors Looks for Profit Overseas
"GM sees China as a road to profit," reports the Washington Post today. "GM last year sold more cars in China than in the…
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AOL cy pres Ninth Circuit appeal oral argument set
I’ll be arguing the AOL cy pres case June 7 in Pasadena. (My record in Ninth Circuit oral arguments to date: 2-0, with…
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PROTECT IP Act: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Combating "rogue websites" is a top priority for many in Congress this year. Lawmakers have held several hearings over the past few months…
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Stetson v. West Publishing Corp. – BarBri Class Action Settlement
Because the 170,000 class members are law students and lawyers, I’ve been getting a lot of inquiries about this case and its coupon settlement. Stay…
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Durbin ‘Swipe Fee’ Price Controls — Bernanke’s Warning and Dean Baker’s Fudge of Fed Data on Costs
Even considering the usually sympathetic audience at the Huffington Post, liberal economist Dean Baker had a tough task of persuasion with his Monday column defending…
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Morning Media Summary
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Senators Introduce Bill to Push Back against NLRB Overreach
Reacting to the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) blatant efforts to promote organized labor’s agenda, Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)…
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Regulation of the Day 174: Lying about the Size of the Fish You Caught
If you live in Texas, look over your shoulder before you tell a tall tale about your last fishing trip.
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Brookings Report: Time to Fix America’s Broken Transit Policy
Following my post yesterday on Portland’s immense rail transit waste comes this new report from the Brookings Institution. Released today, the report (and…
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Raise Awareness on Your Own Time
Openmarket.org The Washington Examiner had a piece that hits close to home, as I have seen this waste firsthand. I’m sure many in D.C.
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Raise Awareness on Your Own Time
The Washington Examiner had a piece that hits close to home, as I have seen this waste firsthand. I’m sure many in D.C. area…
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There is No More Fat to Trim from Government Budgets, Part 3
The USDA is spending $2 million to take pictures of what San Antonio school children eat for lunch.
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TSA Pats Down Infant
Surprisingly, no explosives were found during extra screening, including what a TSA official describes as a "modified pat-down" of the suspicious infant.
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Morning Media Summary
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Is Trade Adjustment Assistance a Pre-Condition for Pending Trade Agreements?
Today, at the Senate Finance Committee’s hearing on the U.S.-Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA), the committee chairman, ranking Republican, and the U.S. Trade Representative’s…
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Who’s Afraid of Walmart?
As surely as summer follows spring, it seems like every new Walmart store opening announcement in a major city is now followed by protests. The…
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Rail Transit Pipe Dream is Alive and Not-So-Well in Portland
If you’ve been following the free-market critiques of rail transit, you know that Portland, while frequently touted as “the city that works” by lefty…
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Hormones in Milk: They Do a Body Good
Today's Washington Post Food section contains a number of articles following up on the Post's "The Future…
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Regulation of the Day 173: Yellow Pages
San Francisco is phasing out the distribution of hard-copy Yellow Pages.
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Time to Recharter Executive Agencies
Several government agencies are mightier today than traditional departments like the Treasury. For instance, the EPA is one of the major regulatory bodies and…
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The FCC is Broken
A new report in The Hill notes House Republicans’ concern over “dysfunction” at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the need for overhaul. Their…
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NLRB vs. Arizona, South Dakota
By Chris Woodward/Onenewsnow.com A labor policy expert is blasting the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) for filing lawsuits over secret ballot legislation. The legal complaints…
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Morning Media Summary
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New Jersey Bill Would Criminalize Taking Photos of Kids
Last week, a New Jersey State Assembly committee considered a bill that would make it illegal to photograph minors without parental consent. The committee ultimately…
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Congressional Economics
Congress might as well pass a law guaranteeing an above-average lifestyle for all Americans.
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Morning Media Summary
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Alcohol Regulation Roundup: May 9, 2011
While some states seem to never change at all, this Monday's Alcohol Regulation Roundup highlights some pleasant possibilities on the horizon.
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Morning Media Summary
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New CBO Pension Report: Underfunding Could Be Higher
That state and local governments face serious pension funding problems isn't a particularly controversial contention. However, the question of how much they're underfunded by is…
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Clinic for Porn Actors Closes, AIDS Group Rejoices
After years of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation trashing them in the media, the Adult Industry Medical Foundation (aka AIM) has closed its doors for good,…
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CEI Weekly: Special Interests Walk Away with Multi-Million Dollar Obamacare Handouts
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Regulation of the Day 172: Bestiality and Baggy Pants
NBC Miami's Brian Hamacher with the second-best lede I've read this week: "Floridians are going to have to start pulling up their pants and stop…
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Morning Media Summary
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CEI Podcast for May 5, 2011: Salt
A new study says that high-salt diets may not be as harmful as once thought. Research Associate Daniel Compton takes a look.
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Prince Charles Says, “Let Them Eat Organic”
HRH the Prince of Wales delivered the keynote address at The Washington Post's "Future of Food" conference yesterday at Georgetown University.