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Morning Media Summary
Tech: Person Tweeting Death Wish for Palin Now Wants Privacy: “Now YouTube is threatening to pull the video because one of the people…
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Benefits of Cutting White Pages Distribution
After asking why so many states get involved in TelCo activity (requiring that phone books get distributed in hard copy, even over phone companies’ vigorous…
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Tab Rally 1/12/11
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CEI Podcast for January 12, 2011: Public-Private Partnerships
Land-use and Transportation Policy Analyst Marc Scribner talks about his new CEI Issue Analysis, "The Limitations of Public-Private Partnerships."…
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US Loses Ground in 2011 Index of Economic Freedom
The U.S. dropped from 8 to 9 on the just-released “Index of Economic Freedom” put out by the Heritage Foundation and the Wall Street…
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Afternoon Links: January 12, 2011
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The Political Climate is Too Dull and Conformist Already
There is a lot of cynical and dishonest blather right now about the need to dial down America’s political rhetoric because of the shootings…
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Why Do States Still Require Phone Books to Be Delivered?
Did you know that some states require companies to deliver phone books to state residents? Never mind the fact that most people don’t use phone…
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Villaraigosa: Brown’s Elimination of Redevelopment Agencies “a Non-Starter”
Pro-smart-growth, “green” Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is upset with Governor Jerry Brown’s remarkably sensible decision to shut down the state’s 425 redevelopment agencies, including…
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Troubles in Central Planning: New York City Cabs
Via the New York Times, an article with empirical evidence that regulatory incentives encourage cabs to disappear around 5pm, just when they are needed…
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Employee Rights at the Discretion of Unions
The AFL-CIO has filed a formal complaint against Roquette for the ongoing lockout of union employees. The union claims that Roquette refused their terms of…
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Morning Media Summary
Tech: Verizon iPhone Could Double U.S. Mobile Games Industry This Year: “Earlier today, Verizon and Apple finally confirmed what everyone knew was coming:…
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Press coverage of the Bachman case
In Litigation Daily, Forbes.com, and the Washington Times. Also Amy Alkon’s blog.
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Afternoon Links: January 11, 2011
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New Jersey Quietly Approves Online Gambling Bill
Yesterday the New Jersey Assembly voted to approve a bill that would allow for residents of New Jersey to participate in some forms of…
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Americans Resist Blame Game Over Arizona Shooting, Poll Suggests
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Morning Media Summary
Tech: Iceland protests to U.S. over Twitter data demand: “Iceland called in the U.S. ambassador in Reykjavik on Monday to register its displeasure…
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Pub Poker on the Table in Wyoming
There are many bars in Washington, D.C., where one can find a free poker tournament. Such events draw in a diverse crowd of customers and…
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Bachman v. A.G. Edwards coupon class action settlement appeal
Our unsuccessful objection to the Bachman v. A.G. Edwards settlement, which consisted almost entirely of time-restricted non-transferable $8.22 coupons, received press coverage…
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Thoughts on the Tucson Shootings
In the Washington Examiner, I have a commentary entitled “Shootings Obscure America’s Generally Bland and Timid Political Culture.” In The Wall Street Journal, law…
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Commonsense Proposals for Sustainable Government
In the midst of federal and state deficits at record levels, politicians are attempting to run the government similar to a business. Elected officials are…
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Afternoon Links: January 10, 2011
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Autism Doctor a Fraud, But Hardly Alone
“A deliberate fraud.” That’s what the British Medical Journal, one of the world’s most prestigious periodicals, has written of the study…
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Dime a Drink Tax in Maryland will Hit Everyone
Though it is touted as a “dime a drink” increase on alcoholic beverages, the proposal in Maryland to raise the excise tax on alcohol…
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The Fate of the Renewable Fuel Standard
As this article in Wired notes, the U.S. has effectively hit the “blend wall” for domestic ethanol production in the short term. Given current…
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Morning Media Summary
Tech: Twitter endorsements face OFT clampdown: “How does a celebrity declare their affiliations to certain brands in fewer than 140 characters? Many may…
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Dodd-Frank Financial “Reform” Violates Property Rights and Equal-Protection Guarantees
Last week, I described how the Dodd-Frank financial “reform” law passed last summer violates constitutional separation-of-powers safeguards by giving unaccountable bureaucrats the…
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Four Radicals Renominated to Federal Judgeships
On Wednesday, President Obama renominated four radicals to federal judgeships, even though their nominations previously died in the Senate. A week earlier, he made six controversial recess…
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SEIU Arbitrates Life or Death
In two recent reports revolving around the Service Employee International Union have shown their callous disregard for human life, in the name of contract negotiations…
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Dodd-Frank Violates Separation of Powers and Constitutional Checks and Balances
In a recent edition of the Washington Post, former White House counsel C. Boyden Gray noted that the sweeping Dodd-Frank financial “reform” law passed…
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Afternoon Links: January 7, 2011
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Committee Name Change Puts Big Labor on Offensive
In the midst of the Republican takeover of Congress labor union officials have been vigilant to the changes that are sure to come concerning labor…
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Alcohol Regulation Roundup and Update on Four Loko: January 7, 2011
Update on Four Loko: After being pulled off of shelves by FDA decree, the wholesalers who purchased of alcoholic energy drinks such as…
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Fred Smith: Government Force vs Personal Choice
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CEI Weekly: Enviros Stubbornly Ignore Climate Evidence
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Morning Media Summary
Tech: Hackers find new way to cheat on Wall Street – to everyone’s peril: “High-frequency trading networks, which complete stock market transactions in…
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CEI Podcast for January 6, 2011: D.C.’s Plastic Bag Tax
Warren T. Brookes Journalism Fellow Kathryn Ciano talks about Washington, DC's five-cent tax on plastic bags.
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Committee Name Change Puts Big Labor on Offensive
In the midst of the Republican takeover of Congress labor union officials have been vigilant to the changes that are sure to come concerning labor…
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More Signs of Incompetence in Washington, D.C. Transit System
In the latest sign of dysfunction at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (“Metro”), the struggling subway system has appointed a supervisor of escalators…
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Junk Scientist’s Autism Research “An Elaborate Fraud,” Reports British Medical Journal
Yesterday the British Medical Journal found that Andrew Wakefield, who authored “studies” linking autism with measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines, had committed “an elaborate…
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What Government Unions Want: One, Two, Many Californias
That the large Republican gains in the 2010 midterm elections pose a setback for organized labor’s agenda is hardly news. What will be newsworthy is…
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Afternoon Links: January 6, 2011
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More News on Ohio Bedbugs
Bed Bugs have become such a problem in Ohio — as CEI noted earlier this week — that the state is now using Medicaid funds…
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Declining Access to Non-Ethanol Fuel
Via EENews ($ubscription required), and a letter (PDF) from Senator Inhofe and Senator Snow to the EPA on the declining availability of pure…
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Morning Media Summary
Tech: HHS is Paying Google with Taxpayer Money to Alter ‘Obamacare’ Search Results (Updated): “The brazenness of the Obama administration never ceases to…
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Oral argument scheduled in the Bluetooth case
The Ninth Circuit has scheduled oral argument in the Bluetooth case for Monday, February 7, 9 a.m., in the federal courthouse in Pasadena. (Five other…
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D.C. Bag Tax Falls Short of Stated Revenue Goals
Last New Year’s saw the beginning of D.C.’s infamous bag tax, a 5-cent tax on each plastic shopping bag consumers take away from stores. In…
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New York Snow Debacle Shows: It’s Government Unions vs. Taxpayers
The longstanding alliance between Democratic politicians and government employee unions has come under increasing strain, as I recently noted in a Washington Times op…
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Afternoon Links: January 5, 2011
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Media Continue Spreading High-Speed Rail Misinformation
Following the Obama administration’s decision to revoke Ohio and Wisconsin’s High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail (HSIPR) Program funding that was included in the American Recovery…
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The Market for Responsible Drinking
The alleged reason for many alcohol regulations — such as labeling mandates — is that consumers lack resources or ability to monitor and control…
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Morning Media Summary
Tech: CES 2011 Predictions: 7 Trends To Watch At The World’s Biggest Tech Show: “Las Vegas is currently gearing up for the Consumer…
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EPA Bed Bug Protection for Elderly “Not Enough”
Outgoing Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland says EPA’s response for help in the state’s battle against bed bugs is simply “not enough.” He petitioned the…
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Afternoon Links: January 4, 2011
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Update on D.C. Metro Bag Inspections
Last night, a crowded audience gathered at the WMATA headquarters to discuss the recent decision to begin randomly screening passengers bags for potential explosives. It…
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Freedom of Speech on Alcohol Labeling
After posting my Washington Times op-ed on wine-labeling mandates yesterday, I came across Diageo’s — the premium drinks company — press release that highlights…
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Morning Media Summary
Tech: Court OKs searches of cell phones without warrant: “The California Supreme Court allowed police Monday to search arrestees’ cell phones without a…
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Highway Trust Fund’s Funding Guarantees are the Problem
Streetsblog laments incoming Republicans’ alleged attempt to “hoard” Highway Trust Fund dollars as a budget gimmick. At issue is a proposed change to…
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New Jersey Trying to Seize Unused Gift Card Balances
That's one way to fix a busted budget. Here's another: spend less.
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Afternoon Links: January 3, 2011
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CEI Weekly: The EPA Wants YOU to Lose Weight
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Alcohol Regulation Roundup: January 3, 2011
A brand new year with brand new wacky regulations on alcohol consumption: Alabama: Is there such a thing as too much beer? While I…
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TSA’s High Failure Rate Is the Least of its Problems
If policymakers were rational, they would give twenty times more attention to lightning strike prevention than to terrorism. But they aren't, and they don't.
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Morning Media Summary
Tech: The 10 best Android hacks: “The web’s massed fanboy armies will debate the relative merits of iOS and Android until the apocalypse,…
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In re HP Inkjet Printer Litigation class action settlement objection
If I were to buy a three-pack of color ink for my inkjet printer today, it would cost me $42.99 at HP.com and $36.99 at…
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Afternoon Links: December 30, 2010
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New Year’s Musings: My WSJ Arts Piece on “Cry Me a River” and More on Debit Card Interchange Price Controls
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Union Snow Cleanup
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Union Holds New York Hostage
Public anger over New York City’s botched snow plowing effort this week has turned to the city’s sanitation workers union — for good reason.
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Paris Contemplates SUV Ban
Paris is looking to potentially ban “gas-guzzling” vehicles from city limits. The proposal, still in its infancy, lacks important details but nonetheless appears to…
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2010 Federal Register is Third-Largest Ever
The final unadjusted page count is 82,589 pages. That's the third highest ever.
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Morning Media Summary
Tech: Apple Sued Over Apps Privacy Issues; Google May Be Next: “Two separate groups of iPhone and iPad users have…
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The College Diploma Fraud and Its Consequences
Retired professor Robert Weissberg has a fascinating article at The American Thinker called “The College Diploma Fraud.” It describes how worthless many college degrees have…
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Afternoon Links: December 29, 2010
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Driver Monitoring Increases Accuracy, Lowers Insurance Costs
Believe it or not, insurance companies do not want to overcharge you. They want to charge just the right amount — as little as possible…
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Morning Media Summary
Tech: Earth project aims to ‘simulate everything’: “An international group of scientists are aiming to create a simulator that can replicate everything happening…
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New CEI Podcast — December 28, 2010: IRS as Tax Preparer?
Fellow in Regulatory Studies Ryan Young looks at the IRS' proposal to save you time by doing your taxes for you.
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Alcohol Regulation Roundup: December 28
Much a like a family that you don’t get to choose, let’s make a quick holiday visit to the states around the nation and their…
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Alfred E. Kahn, 1917-2010
The man behind airline deregulation passed away yesterday at age 93. Let us learn from his example of a life well lived.
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Morning Media Summary
Tech: Top Chinese blogger shuts down country’s first pvt magazine: “China’s first private magazine, which was launched by famous blogger Han Han in…
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Potato Diet Improves Man’s Health; Obama Administration Bans Potatoes from WIC Program
Chris Voigt lost 21 pounds and improved his health by living on a potato-only diet for 60 days. Potatoes are more nutritious…
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Morning Media Summary
Tech: Top 10 Tech Disasters That Haven’t Happened… Yet: “Congratulations: You’ve survived another year, and 2010 was quite an eventful one. For…
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Time for Big Cuts in Education Spending?
America spends far more on education than countries like Germany, Japan, Australia, Ireland, and Italy, both as a percentage of its economy, and in absolute…
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CEI Weekly: Public Employee Unions Are Bankrupting States
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U.S. Blows Hard at Chinese Wind Power Subsidies
Well, the U.S. has taken it one step further — it has gone to the World Trade Organization for “consultations” about China’s green energy…
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Environmental Working Group Should Win Annual Junk-Science Award
If there ever was a year-end, junk-science award, it should go to the Environmental Working Group — every year. Perhaps more than any group,…
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Ethanol and NASCAR
The ethanol industry earlier this year teamed up with NASCAR in order to better promote expensive, highly subsidized, not so environmentally friendly…
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The Streetcar Delusion: Minneapolis Receives Funding to Bolster Wasteful Rail Transit
Delusional Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood continues to flush taxpayer dollars down the toilet on increasingly idiotic rail programs. The latest example of LaHood’s anti-mobility…
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Morning Media Summary
Tech: Skype Outage hits users worldwide: “Millions of Skype Internet phone users worldwide couldn’t make calls — or were dropped in mid-conversation —…
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NPR Covers Corn Ethanol Boondoggle
NPR’s “Morning Edition” has finally caught on to the ethanol boondoggle. It’s doing a three-part series on ethanol that started yesterday. And it gets…
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FCC Net Neutrality: Some Networks are More Neutral than Others
Today’s decision [by FCC bureaucrats] will help preserve the free and open nature of the Internet [as defined by the government] while encouraging innovation [as…
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The Colombia FTA Deserves a Speedy Vote
President Obama needs to look beyond pushing only the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement to standing behind ratification of the other pending trade agreements with…
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The Obama Administration’s Misguided War on For-Profit Colleges
In Forbes, economist Richard Vedder of Ohio University documents the blunders behind the Obama administration’s war on for-profit colleges that wiped out $8 billion…
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Will Net Neutrality Save the Internet?
Reason.TV created an excellent video explaining Net Neutrality and arguing against it. I’ve heard too many people irrationally claim that big corporations are going to…
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Confusion about “Conflict of Interest”
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Compare and Contrast Biofuel Predictions
From the Ethanol Producer Magazine: For years, cellulosic ethanol has been five years away from commercial viability. With several companies making significant progress in…
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Morning Media Summary
Tech: E-Mail Gets an Instant Makeover: “Signs you’re an old fogey: You still watch movies on a VCR, listen to vinyl records and…
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Alcohol Regulatory Roundup: December 21st
Maryland: Lawmakers will likely pass a measure next year allowing direct shipping of wine to Maryland residents. Vineyards, especially smaller wine makers, claim that…
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Afternoon Links: December 21, 2010
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Obamacare Makes State Budget Problems Worse
Obamacare is making state budget problems much worse, as governors now lament. Earlier, CEI filed an amicus brief in Florida v. HHS on…