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New EPA Report Confirms Biofuel Policy Harms Environment
A draft EPA report released a few days ago largely confirms what we already know, that conventional biofuels produced on a large scale in the…
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Regulation of the Day 162: Breaking Wind
The southeast African country of Malawi is about to make farting illegal. The government there is trying to “mould responsible and disciplined citizens.”…
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Morning Media Summary
Tech: Without Internet, Egyptians find new ways to get online: “”When countries block, we evolve,” an activist with the group We Rebuild wrote…
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TSA Shuts Door on Private Airport Screening Program That Exposed TSA’s Inefficiency
The Transportation Security Administration has shut the door on a private airport screening program that was making the inefficient agency look bad by outperforming it…
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Fannie Mae Backers Unrepentant Despite Its Fraud and Colossal Bailout
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were bailed out at a cost to taxpayers of between $148 billion and $363 billion. Their recklessness…
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California Businesses Vote With Their Feet
According to this report, 204 businesses left California for greener less green pastures in 2010. That is up from the 51 businesses which left in 2009. This…
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Regulation of the Day 161: Crossing the Street
Three states are proposing to make it illegal to listen to your iPod while crossing the street. Legislators in California, New York, and Oregon are…
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Afternoon Links: January 28, 2011
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Short-Term Problems
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The American Subsidy is Coming to an End
Two items on the front page of yesterday’s Washington Post: “Record U.S. Deficit Projected this Year” and “Two lawmakers from Michigan propose billions in incentives for…
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CEI Weekly: Obama Confirms Fears of More Spending in his State of the Union
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DOJ Wants Access to Your Data!
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Morning Media Summary
Tech: Facebook posts mined for court case evidence: “It’s the latest litigation tactic in the online age: U.S. lawyers are trying to mine…
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Helming the IRS is Like Being Mayor of the Worst City in America
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U.S. Government: Too Big to Fail?
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Democratic Process: Not How the Future is Won
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Afternoon Links: January 27, 2011
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Full Employment, Motherhood, and Apple Pie
These are not good economic times for labor unions, whose membership continues a long decline in the private sector. However, they remain a potent…
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Thundersnow and the Nightmare Commute
Last night’s Surprise Snowpocalypse froze traffic in place for upwards of 13 hours. Check out this visual above for where the traffic accumulated, from…
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Marketing and Transit Shelters
Here’s a great example of private entrepreneurship making public life a little sweeter. Caribou Coffee has launched a new campaign in Minnesota, touting warmed…
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The Supreme Court is NOT Pro-Business
Once again ruling against America’s employers, the Supreme Court Monday broadened the reach of the 1964 Civil Rights Act’s ban on retaliation. It overturned…
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SUGAR Act Would Phase Out U.S. Sugar Program
Sweet news on the sugar front. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and newly elected Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) have introduced a bill to phase out…
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Morning Media Summary
Tech: Facebook phones to be unveiled next month: “London-based City A.M. is reporting that Facebook, in conjunction with Taiwanese phone manufacturer HTC, will…
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Afternoon Links: January 26, 2011
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Obama’s State of the Union Address: More of the Same on Trains
For the second year in a row, President Barack Obama has fretted over the “faster trains” of Europe and China in his State of…
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Bush’s Third Term Continues
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Obama’s State of the Union: A Blueprint for Crony Capitalism and Costly Educational Failures
In his State of the Union address, President Obama called for even more spending on his cronies — what he euphemistically referred to as…
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Alcohol Regulation Roundup: January 26, 2010
Texas: Despite the fact the two-thirds of Dallas voters approved a ballot measure last November allowing grocery stores in the…
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Obama State of the Union Flunks Fact Check; More Wasteful Spending and “A Million Points of Trite”
The Associated Press fact-checked Obama’s State of the Union address last night, and found it to be misleading in many ways: “The ledger…
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Morning Media Summary
Tech: DOJ seeks mandatory data retention requirement for ISPs: “The U.S. Department of Justice and an organization representing police chiefs from around the…
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Special interests propel harmful legislation and block needed reforms
The Examiner At the end of The Wizard of Oz, the great and powerful wizard is revealed to be a little man behind a curtain,…
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Afternoon Links: January 25, 2011
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Newt Gingrich Panders to Corn Belt, Eyes 2012 GOP Bid
Today, Newt Gingrich spoke at the Iowa Renewable Fuel Association Annual Summit. Here is a link to his speech. Remember, Gingrich is no dummy,…
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What’s Expected on Trade in the State of the Union Address
In his State of the Union address tonight, President Obama will finally set out his agenda and timetable on three pending free trade agreements…
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Congress Considering “Kill Switch” for Capitalism
Introduced last summer, a bill affording President Obama executive power over private Internet companies in the event of a “national cyberemergency” is returning this year,…
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State of the Union Live-Blogging
CEI's Ryan Young live-blogs President Obama's State of the Union address. Coverage will begin shortly before the speech at 9:00pm EST.
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Thoughts on the State of the Union and Education in America
In the Washington Examiner, I discuss some of the president’s anticipated proposals in his State of the Union address today. The president is…
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Biofuels and the Military: Reality Strikes Back
Lots of news bits over the past few years have covered the military’s PR effort to produce a significant amount of biofuels for…
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Morning Media Summary
Tech: Two-thirds of U.S. Internet users lack fast broadband: “Two-thirds of U.S. Internet connections are slower than 5 Mbps, putting the United States…
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Afternoon Links: January 24, 2011
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Regulations and Small Business
A theme of President Obama’s State of the Union speech tomorrow is the idea that we need to make America more competitive in the global…
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Our Journey Down Hayek’s Road
As the president lays out his vision for the country in his State of the Union address tomorrow, it’s important to keep a simple question…
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The State of the Union Address in Five Words
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Morning Media Summary
Tech: Opps: No copied Java code or weapons of mass destruction found in Android: ?Sometimes the sheer wrongness of what is posted on…
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Alcohol Regulation Roundup: January 24, 2011
In national news: The Federal Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) is proposing a bill that would require all producers of beer, wine, and spirits…
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What Should POTUS Say During SOTU?
Freedom Action‘s Myron Ebell, while he isn’t optimistic, answers on a POLITICO forum: In an ideal world, President Barack Obama would use his…
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South Carolina Attempts to Ban Alcoholic Energy Drinks
We throw around the term “nanny state” a lot, but to put in plain English, nanny-state regulation differ from other types of governance in that…
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The Hidden Cost of Going Green
Here’s a sobering read at SmartMoney on how green products that are supposed to save money can take longer than expected for payback. This holds…
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Obama Policies Fuel Global Food Crisis Through Ethanol Mandates, While Fostering Obesity in America
Food prices are soaring all over the world. The global food chain is reportedly stretched to the limit, fueled by the fact…
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Afternoon Links: January 21, 2011
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Andrew Sullivan Blames Tea Party for Budget-Busting Deal That He, Not It, Supported
The deficit is largely the result of “feel-good” bipartisan policies supported by the political establishment. But rather than taking credit for the deficit it…
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EPA Approves Increased Ethanol Blend
Today the EPA gave initial approval of E15 blends for use in vehicles made in or after 2001, an extension of an initial ruling…
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How to Cop Proof Your Cell Phone
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVCROjpgCB0 285 234]…
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Students Learn Less in College, Even As Education Spending Skyrockets
“Nearly half of the nation’s undergraduates show almost no gains in learning in their first two years of college, in large part because colleges don’t…
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Apple backdating litigation update
We opposed preliminary approval of the Apple settlement because there was a possibility that money would go to third parties at the expense of…
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Remember: Envy is a Deadly Sin
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CEI Weekly: CEI’s Agenda for the New Congress
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Additional briefing in the HP Inkjet Printer coupon settlement case
The briefing by the settling parties in support of final approval seemed exceptionally poor, though I admittedly have never been in a position where I’ve…
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Tim Carney Knows How Washington Works
Tim's latest column is a must-read. Lobbying wouldn't be such a booming business if regulation wasn't, too.
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The Economics of Toilet Seats
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Morning Media Summary
Tech: Gov will spend 400k pounds to destroy ID card data: “The cost of destroying the personal data collected under the ill-starred programme…
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Why Cell Phones are Banned on Airplanes
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Yes, Obamacare is a Government Takeover of the Health Care System
In Tuesday’s Washington Post, Glenn Kessler looked at Republican claims about Obamacare, such as the claim that it “is a ‘government takeover’ of the health…
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New York City Taxi Alliance Opposes Competition
From their webpage, we see a press release denouncing Mayor Bloomberg’s decision to allow livery cars (limousines, personal hired cars, etc.) to pick…
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CEI Podcast for January 20, 2011: The Future of Space Policy
CEI Adjunct Scholar and space policy expert Rand Simberg explains why NASA stagnated after its early success in bringing man to the moon.
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Afternoon Links: January 20, 2011
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Vincent Vernuccio on Unions’ Public Image
[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxnvlndMyjY 285 234]…
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Merit-Based Pay Benefits Baltimore
A milestone achievement has occurred in Baltimore: teachers with the recently negotiated contract will receive merit-based pay. This is a striking difference from the…
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An Incrementalist Approach to Transportation Extremists
Architecture writer Karrie Jacobs has a new article up at Metropolis magazine’s website, “The Incrementalists,” in which she derides the supposed slow-and-steady course chartered…
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Morning Media Summary
Tech: Starbucks launches largest mobile payment program in the US: “Starbucks has started accepting mobile payments. Customers can use the Starbucks Card Mobile…
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Six Painless Ways to Cut Federal Red Tape
President Obama signed an Executive Order this week that will initiate a "government-wide review of the rules already on the books to remove outdated regulations…
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Afternoon Links: January 19, 2011
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King Ignores His “Principles”
UAW’s president Bob King has already blatantly disregarded his “Principles for Fair Union Elections.” In his effort to unionize foreign automakers, it is clear the…
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Harper’s vs. UAW
When can one expect leftists to oppose unionization of a business? When it’s their own. That’s the case at Harper‘s magazine right now, where some…
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Don’t Believe Everything You Think!
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EPA to Re-Brand Mortality Risk Reduction
A recent paper published by the EPA provides up to date governmental thoughts on attempts to put a value on a statistical life (VSL)…
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Stossel and O’Reilly on Sports Betting
Stossel hits the nail on the head in his recent blog post. Apparently, Bill O’Reilly reached out to him for feedback on the issue…
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Morning Media Summary
Tech: FCC signs off on Comcast’s bid to control NBC Universal: “Federal regulators signed off on Comcast Corp.’s bid to control NBC Universal,…
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Will UAW Seek Foreign Help to Unionize American Workers?
America has a vibrant and successful auto industry — just largely outside of Detroit. For years, many foreign automakers’ American divisions have been successful at…
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Afternoon Links: January 18, 2011
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NLRB Litigates for Less Freedom
n another demonstration of the overreaching power of the federal government, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is preparing to sue Arizona, South Carolina, South…
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NLRB Litigates for Less Freedom
In another demonstration of the overreaching power of the federal government, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is preparing to sue Arizona, South Carolina, South…
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Repeal Senseless and Job-Destroying Volcker Rule from Dodd-Frank
On Tuesday, the Financial Stability Oversight Council may issue its recommendations for implementing the Volcker Rule, the provision of the Dodd-Frank financial legislation that bans so-called proprietary trading…
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Morning Media Summary
Tech: Facebook: Goldman Sachs excludes US investors from deal: “Investors from outside America will be able to take part in…
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Smartphone Searches, Encryption, and the Constitution
The smartphone is arguably one of the most empowering and revolutionary technologies of the modern era. By putting the processing power of a personal…
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How the President Can Foster the “Civil and Honest” Debate He Called For
In his speech in Tucson, where federal Judge John Roll was murdered, President Obama said that “only a more civil and honest public discourse can…
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D.C. Installs Private Car Charging Station
Remember when the Prius first hit the market, and the D.C. Beltway authorities opened the HOV lanes to electric cars as an incentive to switch?…
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Smears and Hypocritical Calls for “Civility” Follow Tucson Shooting
Even though the Tucson shooter was mentally unbalanced, did not listen to talk radio or Fox News, and liked The Communist Manifesto, several…
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CEI Weekly: The Government Continues to Attack Personal Choice
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Afternoon Links: January 14, 2011
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Alcohol Regulation Roundup: January 14, 2010
Gulf States: Laws in some Gulf States get in the way of charity aimed at helping victims of Hurricane Katrina. This article…
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Clarifying For Media Matters
Media Matters for America is an organization dedicated to “comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media.” They didn’t, in my opinion,…
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WikiLeaks Backs Censorship in Response to Tucson Shootings
In a press release, WikiLeaks has blamed Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin, and other conservatives for the Tucson shootings, and called for them to…
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Morning Media Summary
Tech: Google Release Chrome 8.0.522, Pays $14,000 in Bug Bounties: “Google has released version 8.0.552.237 of its Chrome browser, which includes fixes for…
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Secret of Lawmaking: It’s All in the Enforcement
Lawmakers are quick to DEMAND ACTION when circumstances change. But when it comes to encouraging citizens’ good behavior, sometimes the secret is in simply enforcing…
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Kids These Days Are More Financially Responsible Than You
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The Meaning of Civility in the Aftermath of the Tucson Shootings
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Victory: court rejects Classmates.com settlement
We’d like to think our objection had at least a little to do with the end result. This decision is not a big surprise…
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When the Green River Runs Dry
Jobs created become jobs destroyed. Two recent articles highlight the struggle that renewable energy companies run into when taxpayer subsidies are tightened. The first,…
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