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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.
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It’s Nothing Death, Poverty, and Ignorance Can’t Fix
The New York Times “Room for Debate” frets today about overpopulation (h/t Don Boudreaux). Julian Simon and liberty have long since come…
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Regulation of the Day 171: Cream Puffs
This blog will be paying close attention to the heated legislative battle in Madison to give the delicious cream puff its due.
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Morning Media Summary
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Progress on Free Trade — With Strings Attached
Looks like there could finally be some progress on long-pending free trade agreements (FTAs). Yesterday U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk said that the administration…
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Congress Needs to Fix “Orphan Works” Gap in Copyright Law
I recently blogged at the Examiner on the frustrating saga of the Savory Collection, a collection of rare jazz recordings from the late 1930s…
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Free Trade Agreements Don’t Kill Jobs
Over at the Daily Caller, I look at employment data and find out that the labor force has grown by 23 million people since NAFTA…
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Union Health Dependent on Obamacare
Openmarket.org The Obama administration through Obamacare (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) steadily gives competitive advantages to Big Labor. Benefits for top political donors of…
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Under Obama, Running Out of Money Is a Success
Big Government Only in Washington would running out of money and prematurely limiting a program be considered a success. This Friday (May 6,) Obamacare’s first…
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Free Trade: A Step Towards Revitalizing the Economy
According to Chris Frates’ article this morning in Politico, After years of wrangling, labor and business groups are gearing up for an epic showdown…
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Union Health Dependent on Obamacare
The Obama administration through Obamacare (Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act) steadily gives competitive advantages to Big Labor. Benefits for top political donors of the…
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Morning Media Summary
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D.C. Councilmembers Propose Taxicab Medallion System… Again
Washington, D.C., is one of the five taxicab jurisdictions in the country that allows for essentially free entry. While the cab situation in D.C. is…
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“Ten Thousand Commandments” on Capitol Hill
Regulatory reform is at least as important as spending, taxes, and deficits, but it doesn’t get nearly as much attention. That’s why we are pleased…
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The Battle for Wisconsin
Capital Research Center Wisconsin is the birthplace of American public-sector unionism. In 1930s the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) first organized…
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Regulation of the Day 170: Kinder Eggs
Kinder eggs are a type of candy that enjoys worldwide popularity. They are also illegal in the United States.
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Morning Media Summary
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Court rules for NVIDIA
Details at the Point of Law blog. I’m sorry, as well as angry. Update: I won’t be filing an appeal, though my clients are…
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Morning Media Summary
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Regulation of the Day 169: Singing “Kung-Fu Fighting”
A British man was arrested for singing the 1970s hit “Kung-Fu Fighting”.
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New Food Marketing Guidelines Undermine Parental Responsibility
On Thursday, the federal government once again appealed to the food industry to stop marketing junk food to kids. This time, though, government officials…
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Obama Administration Ignores the Will of States
Openmarket.org Recent National Labor Relations Board actions have revealed some disconcerting truths about the vision of the Obama Administration. The litigation against South Dakota…
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Obama Administration Ignores the Will of States
Recent National Labor Relations Board actions have revealed some disconcerting truths about the vision of the Obama administration. The litigation against South Dakota and…
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Regulation of the Day 168: When Chickens Mate
In Hopewell Township, New Jersey, chickens are only allowed to mate on 10 pre-selected days per year.
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Washington Post’s Royal Class Snobbery Against Middletons
Thanks Iain, for your kind comments on my Wall Street Journal op-ed celebrating the Middleton's entrepreneurship and for the great info on how…
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CEI Weekly: Real Story Behind Royal Wedding Is Entrepreneurs’ Fairy Tale
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Martha Stewart’s Posh Tribeca Penthouse Finally Off the Market
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Illegal coupon settlement in Nevada
Daniel Greenberg of the Center for Class Action Fairness LLC has filed an objection on behalf of two class members to a coupon settlement…
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Morning Media Summary
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CEI Podcast for April 28, 2011: High-Speed Rail
Land Use and Transportation Policy Analyst Marc Scribner looks at China's experience with high-speed rail, and finds that it may not be a very good…
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Political Bailouts for Underfunded Union Pensions
While the nation's attention has focused on government employee unions' fight to retain their collective bargaining privileges, unions in the private sector are in an…
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Obama Subsidizes Job-Killing Outsourcing, While Attacking Job-Creating Outsourcing
In his 2008 campaign, Obama demagogued about “outsourcing,” but his own policies have outsourced thousands of American jobs, at taxpayer expense, as I…
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There Is No More Fat to Trim from Government Budgets
Over the last five years, the DC Metro has spent $2.4 million on back pay... for work that was never performed.
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Substantive Reform Must Include Cutting Regulatory Burdens
In today's Investor's Business Daily, Wayne Crews and I argue that reformers shouldn't forget about regulation:…
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Faulty Public Pension Accounting: A Problem too Big to Ignore
One reason the ongoing debate over collective bargaining for government employees has been so loud is that the stakes are so high -- for unionized…
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The Policy Side of the Royal Wedding
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Hayek vs. Keynes, Round Two
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Morning Media Summary
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Reply brief in Bachman v. A.G. Edwards coupon settlement appeal
Milberg and several other law firms collected $21 million in quick-pay fees for a Missouri state-court class action settlement that provided face value of $39…
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Atlas Producer Shrugs and Refuses to Make Sequel
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Giving Back to the Community
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Supreme Court Refuses the Speedier Route for Health Care Appeal
Monday morning the Supreme Court rejected Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli's request to speed up the process for a ruling on Virginia's health care appeal.
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Ideologies Undermine Attorney-Client Relationship, National Sovereignty, and Protection Against Crime
At the Washington Examiner, I discuss the implications for the attorney-client relationship of a law firm’s decision to dump a client after signing…
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Why Behavioral Economists Are So Often Mystified
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Morning Media Summary
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Alcohol Regulation Roundup: April 27, 2011
National: Seventeen state attorneys general are asking Pabst Brewing Co. to lessen the alcohol content of its new “Blast” product. Blast, the 12 percent…
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Randal O’Toole on the Future of Automobility
Cato’s Randal “Antiplanner” O’Toole discusses replacing the gas tax with tolls and vehicle miles traveled (VMT) taxes, the importance of signal coordination and adaptive…
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Gittin v. KCI USA and Calloway v. CashNetUSA class action settlements
In these two California class action settlements over debt-collection practices, one strongly suspects the attorneys are trying to rip off their clients: notwithstanding the clear…