Regulation, Urban Beekeeping, and Federal Job Security

Today in the News

Regulation

Obama claims to want to fix any federal rules that are an “unnecessary burden on business.”

Director of the Center for Investors and Entrepreneurs John Berlau and Vice President for Policy Wayne Crews argue that Obama is echoing what free market advocates have long said.

“Balancing the budget and reducing spending are important in addressing fiscal woes. But to resolve the current ‘ceiling’ we suffer on job creation, we must reduce the ‘regulatory budget’ of costly mandates faced by entrepreneurs.”

 

Urban Beekeeping

New York City recently released its ban on urban beekeeping—but the city is now cracking down on fines for urban apiarists.

Policy Analyst Marc Scribner defends urban beekeeping.

“The fact that the city considers beekeeping a public health threat is beyond stupid: honey bees are simply not dangerous, even when they swarm (provided you don’t try to attack them) due to poor hive management. These bees, in addition to being a fun hobby for some residents, are essentially harmless insects that play a key role in pollination. See here for the honey bees’ greatest hits.”

 

Federal Job Security

USA Today reports that federal employees have more job security than private sector workers.

Fellow in Regulatory Studies Ryan Young talks about the perks of working for the federal government.

“Back in the old days, government jobs didn’t pay very well compared to private sector jobs. But they’ve always offered better job security. For people who value not having to worry about being laid off, it can be a fair tradeoff. Today, federal jobs tend to pay much better than comparable private sector jobs. There are other perks such as early retirement, and exceedingly generous pension and health benefits.”