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Blog
Big business is a myth
Many policy discussions, from antitrust to telecom policy, focus on how large businesses should be. Almost no one asks the big questions. Why are businesses…
Blog
Declaration of Independence: Ringbolt of America’s freedom
Frederick Douglass called the Declaration of Independence the ringbolt to the chain of our national destiny. He argued that its principles are our saving principles.
News Release
June added 147,000 jobs to economy, increase in discouraged workers: CEI analysis
The jobs report for June showed an increase of 147,000 jobs in the economy, exceeding economists’ expectations. An increase in discouraged workers and a…
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The Daily Caller
Eco-Billionaire Tom Steyer Is Noticeably Absent from Fight Against Solar Tariff Push
The Daily Caller discusses solar tariffs. Billionaire green energy champion Tom Steyer has been strangely silent about a slew of trade tariffs analysts believe…
Blog
Economic Lessons of Thanksgiving
The history behind Thanksgiving can teach us valuable lessons about how we can and should live together with our fellow Americans.
Blog
This Thanksgiving, I’m Thankful for Hysterical Net Neutrality Advocates
Do you want private entities in a marketplace in charge or do you want government regulators calling the shots?…
Blog
Framework for a Free Society: Celebrating the Ideas of Bruno Leoni
People can manage their affairs, even drawing and administering the lines between right and wrong, without legislators and bureaucrats.
Forbes
Online Gambling — None of Washington’s Business (But Its Enemies Don’t Care)
George Leef writing for Forbes cites Michelle Minton’s work on online gambling. One of the things that gives capitalism a bad name is the way…
Blog
Trump the Hipster? AT&T, Time Warner, and Hipster Antitrust
When antitrust law no longer focuses on consumer welfare, and when vague concerns about the bigness of firms are actionable, regulators have a free hand…
Blog
Predictable Attempts to Extend Government Control over Internet Content
Technology companies should take this opportunity to fight against harmful government restriction on business practices, innovation, and investment. The future of the Internet depends on it.
Blog
Tear Down the Wall Between Banking and Commerce
The separation of commerce and banking has little relevance in the 21st century.
News Release
Competitive Enterprise Institute Praises Trump SEC Nominee, Hester Peirce
The Senate Banking Committee today voted unanimously to confirm two of President Trump’s nominees to fill vacant posts on the powerful Securities and Exchange Commission.
News Release
EPA Reforms of Advisory Boards are “Long Overdue” Says CEI
Sensible reforms mean the advisory boards must be objective and free from conflicts of interest.
Letters
Open Letter to President Trump: Avoid Trade Restrictions on Solar Panels
VIEW FULL DOCUMENT AS PDF Dear President Trump, On behalf of the undersigned organizations, representing millions of Americans, we urge you to…
News Release
Senate Stops Harmful CFPB Arbitration Ban
The Senate prevented a cash grab that would have transferred wealth from consumers to the pockets of wealthy attorneys.
Blog
Will New Zealand Forget the Benefits of Economic Freedom?
As an Australian, there are two things I have always admired about New Zealand—their remarkable national rugby team and their stunning embrace of…
Comment
Testimony of Wayne Crews on “Regulatory Reform Task Force Check-In”
View Full Document as PDF When policymakers neglect federal regulation, they ignore arguably the greatest element of governmental influence in the United…
News Release
CEI Comments on Stop Settlement Slush Funds Act (H.R. 522)
From Adam Schulman, Attorney with CEI’s Center for Class Action Fairness, on HR 522, The Stop Settlement Slush Funds Act: “Our constitutional republic is premised…
News Release
CEI Comments on Sunshine for Regulations and Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act (H.R.469)
From William Yeatman, Senior Fellow, on HR 469, The Sunshine for Regulations and Regulatory Decrees and Settlements Act: “H.R. 469 is a welcome bill that…
Intercollegiate Review
Licensed to Death: How One Reform Could Empower Americans and Boost Our Economy
Economic freedom—the ability of individuals to exchange voluntarily without government interference—is the greatest driver of prosperity the world has ever seen. Over the past three…
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Think Tank Releasing Report on New Jersey Challenge to Sports Betting Act
Las Vegas Review-Journal covers Michelle Minton’s “Let States Regulate Sports Gambling within their Borders.” When the U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments on the…
News Release
More than 60 Climate Experts Support Reconsideration of EPA’s Endangerment Finding
Today, the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) and the Science and Environmental Policy Project (SEPP) sent a letter to Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt…
Blog
Fighting for Our Right to Party at WhiskeyFest
Don’t be afraid of sticking up for your favorite things – there’s always someone looking for the weakest target to tax, regulate, and restrict. If…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Letter Urging Repeal of Estate Tax
View Full Document as PDF Dear Leader McConnell, Speaker Ryan, Chairman Hatch, and Chairman Brady, The undersigned organizations appreciate your work to…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Letter Urging Comprehensive, Pro-Growth Tax Reform
View Full Document as PDF Dear Speaker Ryan, Leader McConnell, Secretary Mnuchin, Director Cohn, Chairman Hatch, and Chairman Brady: On behalf of…
Blog
President Trump Outlines ‘American Model’ Tax Code
On Friday, September 29, President Trump outlined his tax reform package in a speech to the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) in Washington, D.C.
Blog
Celebrate National Coffee Day
In the modern American workplace, many people see coffee as essential to productivity and for socializing around the coffee machine, which makes it unsurprising that…
Blog
Taxes, Welfare, and Economic Inequality
At a time when comprehensive tax reform is dominating news headlines, concerns about income inequality and the distributional effects of future tax changes are again…
Augusta Free Press
American Sports Betting Coalition Details Benefits of Legalized Sports Betting at Capitol Hill Briefing
Augusta Free Press covers the American Sports Betting Coalition’s efforts on Capitol Hill to advocate for legalizing sports betting. The American Gaming Association and…
Foundation for Economic Education
London’s Uber Ban Sends it Back to the Dark Ages
When I lived in London in the 1990s, I had to use pricey Black Cabs to get around the city at night. However, heaven help…
Blog
Google Employees Hear Moral Case for Fossil Fuels
Everyone, especially Silicon Valley's tech elite, needs to understand the human value of fossil fuels.
InsideSources
Three Early Lessons From the Equifax Hack
InsideSources covers the Equifax breach and Jim Harper‘s response to it. It’s been almost two weeks since Equifax reported the hack of 143…
Blog
Beacon Center Nominated for Templeton Freedom Award
Congrats to the hard-working folks of the Beacon Center of Tennessee for their “Tackle the Hall Tax” advocacy campaign…
Federal Times
Report Calls for Drastic Workforce Cuts at Regulatory Agencies
Federal Times covers CEI’s publication Shrinking Government Bureaucracy. The non-profit Competitive Enterprise Institute is all about shrinking government. In a newly released report…
Blog
Why Should Millennials Want to Shrink Government Bureaucracy?
Free markets and limited government are for every generation.
Blog
CEI Film ‘I, Whiskey: The Human Spirit’ on Tour
"I, Whiskey" is back on the road this fall with three festivals in California.
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Letter Opposing Raising the National Debt Limit
View Full Document as PDF Dear Speaker Ryan, Leader McCarthy, Whip Scalise, and Chairwoman McMorris Rodgers: We, the undersigned conservative organizations,…
Foundation for Economic Education
Eventually Amazon Will Fail – and That’s a Good Thing
The Federal Trade Commission has cleared the merger between Amazon and Whole Foods, sparking yet more fears that the retail giant is becoming too…
Blog
Happy 25th to the State Policy Network
The State Policy Network is an impressive organization that helps improve the effectiveness of nonprofit organizations and nonprofit leaders at the state level across the…
Blog
Why Economic Freedom Is the Best Weapon against Poverty
This blog post is adapted from a speech delivered to the Foreign Service Institute at the United States Department of State on August 29, 2017.
National Review Online
Operation Choke Point is Over – Perhaps
Supporters of the rule of law will be overjoyed to hear that the Department of Justice has officially closed down Operation Choke Point. In…
Blog
Occupational Licensing Reform in the Beehive State
Occupational licensing reform is a winner in terms of giving the working poor greater opportunities to earn a living…
Blog
Understanding Spontaneous Order with ‘It’s a Wonderful Loaf’
Sound economic thinking combined with an artistic, poetic presentation can reach both the hearts and minds of people across the political spectrum.
News Release
Shrinking Government Bureaucracy Provides Roadmap for Rethinking Federal Agencies
Dramatically decreasing federal regulations could boost the economy, unshackle job creators, and put more money back in Americans’ pockets.
Study
Rethinking the Securities and Exchange Commission
View Full Document as PDF The nation’s securities laws and the very existence of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) are premised…
Study
Rethinking the Department of Commerce
View Full Document as PDF The Department of Commerce’s mission statement is a charter for government interference in markets. It employs 47,000…
Blog
Happy India Independence Day
Today is the 70th anniversary of India’s independence from the United Kingdom, and the nation of 1.3 billion people has seen dramatic economic and social…
Blog
Anthem Film Festival Award Winners
In addition to dozens of panels, debates, and presentations over the four days of FreedomFest 2017, attendees were also treated to the movies presented at…
Blog
The Other Kind of Documentary
Nothing energizes a web video producer more than showing their film to a live audience.
Blog
FreedomFest Explores ‘New Frontiers’ in Liberty
CNN’s Chris Moody recently reported from FreedomFest, the pro-liberty political conference that’s been hosted for the last 10 years in Las Vegas.
Crowdfund Insider
“Sarbanes-Oxley Is Shutting Out Average Investors from the Early Growth Stages of the Next Cisco & Starbucks”
Crowdfund Insider covers John Berlau’s testimony on Sarbanes-Oxley before the Subcommittee on Capital Markets, Securities, and Investment (Financial Services). … In…
Blog
Restore Economic Opportunity by Repealing Occupational Licensing Rules
To increase growth, we need to get rid of some of the unnecessary barriers to economic opportunity that have arisen in recent years – such…
Blog
OMB Director Mick Mulvaney Discusses the Trump Administration’s Regulatory Reform Efforts
The following is an excerpt from remarks delivered by Office of Management and Budget Director Mick Mulvaney on The Path Forward of Regulatory Reform held at CEI…
The New York Times
U.S. Reopens Harley Settlement, Cutting Funds for Pollution Reduction Plan
The New York Times covers the Harley-Davidson settlement recently changed by the Trump administration. Last year the United States government fined Harley-Davidson…
InsideSources
Department of Energy Invests Additional $46M in Struggling Solar Energy Sector
InsideSources covers a coalition letter, including CEI, urging the House Appropriations Committee to cut the SunShot program. When it comes to solar power,…
Letters
CEI Joins Coalition Supporting Amendment #388 to the National Defense Authorization Act [H. R. 2810]
View full document as PDF Dear Representative: The undersigned organizations write in strong support of Representative Warren Davidson’s amendment #388 to H.
The Regulatory Review
Constructively Improving Railroad Regulations
Edward R. Hamberger, President and CEO of the Association of American Railroads, mentions a piece by Fred Smith and Marc Scribner regarding regulations of the…
The Daily Caller
RAWA: One Casino Billionaire’s Quest to Kill Internet Gambling
The Daily Caller covers the Restoration of America’s Wire Act and cites a paper written by Michelle Minton on the subject. Enter the…
News Release
CEI Statement on Senate Confirmation of Neomi Rao to head Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs
Today, the Senate voted to confirm Neomi Rao as Administrator of the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), the office tasked with the critical job of…
Washington Examiner
Shift to E-Commerce Is Saving Time, Creating Jobs
Washington Examiner cites Anna St. John’s piece on a class action suit involving the Metropolitan Museum of Art and how similar suits can harm cultural…
Blog
Conservatives International Brings Pro-Liberty Activists Together
Our friends at Conservatives International published a great short video this week featuring CEI’s own Iain Murray.
OneNewsNow
Up for Debate: Is Amazon Getting Too Big?
OneNewsNow discusses the Amazon-Whole Foods deal with Iain Murray. A free market strategist says consumers shouldn’t worry about Amazon gaining a monopoly on…
Blog
Fred Smith on Free Markets, Trump, and Climate Change
Fred Smith talks with the PanAm Post at a recent conference on international politics in Miami, Florida.
Washington Examiner
No, Amazon Isn’t a Monopoly Just Because It Bought Whole Foods
Amazon announced a deal last week to purchase the grocery chain Whole Foods for nearly $14 billion. The company’s largest proposed transaction to date,…
Fortune
States Are Secretly Trying to Tax Your Online Purchases
States and localities currently cannot tax online purchases made from companies outside their own borders. Yet over the past two decades, state and local…
Blog
Is Greed Really Good for Business?
Is the for-profit world only about making profits and nothing else?…
News Release
CEI Comments on Amazon’s Plan to Buy Whole Foods
Amazon’s recent announcement of its plan to buy the grocery chain Whole Foods has set off a series of questions and speculation. CEI experts on…
Blog
The Key to Prosperity in the Southern Hemisphere and around the World
We have the potential to put developing economies on a path to avoid the mistakes made in America and among our European friends.
The Denver Post
Colorado’s Costly “Demand-Side Management” Bill Makes No Sense
At the end of the legislative session, the Colorado General Assembly had an opportunity to stop a nonsensical electricity program that will cost Xcel Energy…
Hot Air
Change: DoJ No Longer Sharing Lawsuit Payouts with Activist Groups
Hot Air covers the DOJ’s rule change to disallow settlement payments to activists groups. An important — and expensive — incentive for legal…
Blog
Emoluments Clause Does Not Ban Sales to Foreigners
The Constitution is not hostile to the free market or international trade. Indeed, many…
Blog
CEI in Wonderland: The 2017 CEI Dinner Movie
This year, inspired by Lewis Carroll's famous characters, our theme was “Through the Looking Glass: Washington Gets Curiouser and Curiouser.”…
Blog
Through the Looking Glass: Washington Gets Curiouser and Curiouser
The following remarks were delivered by CEI President Kent Lassman at CEI’s Annual Dinner and Reception held on June 7, 2017. Thank you. Despite her…
Blog
Capitalism for the Little Guy
One of the single greatest achievements in human history has been playing out almost unnoticed over the past few decades.
Blog
Remembering Aaron Wildavsky
Aaron Wildavsky, born on this day in 1930, died tragically and all too young in 1993, but left behind an incredible legacy in the public policy…
News Release
CEI Reviews Trump Budget on Regulation, EPA, Transportation and Infrastructure
Policy experts offered their first takes on President Trump's budget, with a focus on regulatory reform, the EPA, and transportation and infrastructure reforms.
Blog
Cheers to Whiskey, the ‘Oil of Conversation’
Whiskey culture is characteristically welcoming, with whiskey makers and aficionados ever eager to share a dram and a story.
Blog
Center for American Progress’ Make-Work Scheme Needs Details
A debate over income inequality and job growth is worth having.
The Hill
Congress Must Put an End to Online Taxation Without Representation
The recent reintroduction of the misnamed Marketplace Fairness Act (MFA) is the latest in the effort to expand taxes on internet sales. Proponents of taxing…
Blog
The Politics of Children’s Literature
Liberty-loving individuals with children in their lives should take a second look at what’s on the shelf.
Blog
Learn Liberty on Capitalism and Liberation
Learn Liberty’s recent video, featuring historian Thaddeus Russell, highlights how capitalism created an environment where women were increasingly free to make their own decisions and…
Forbes
New Trump Executive Order Seeks To Boost Agriculture And Rural America
“My farmer died.” —Punchline to the old joke about why a USDA employee is weeping at his desk The ratio of number of farmers…
Forbes
The March For Science Should Demand Separation of Science And State
My second youngest son wanted to head downtown to D.C. for the March for Science. I had to explain to him that’s not quite…
Blog
Archbridge Institute Releases Optimistic New Research on Economic Mobility
The best way to encourage more economic mobility is to foster a cultural and regulatory environment where innovation, openness, and change are encouraged.
Blog
How Payday Lenders & Check Cashers Help the Poor
Our friends at Reason TV have another fascinating video out on the ethics and politics of short-term financial services like payday lending and check cashing.
Los Angeles Times
Let Richard Branson Kill United Airlines
Los Angeles Times highlights Marc Scribner’s comments on how government policy has lead to poor airline service. Yes, airlines on the continent come…
Blog
White House Should Drop Support for Cronyism of Export-Import Bank
With the Trump administration’s early emphasis on deregulation, there was hope that cronyist agencies such as the Export-Import Bank, Overseas Private Investment Corporation, and Economic…
The Huffington Post
Resisting Executive Excess Means Relearning Lessons from the Past
Defenders of checks and balances should be happy that a circuit split on President Trump’s executive order on immigration means that the Supreme…
InsideSources
Trump’s Budget Targets Agency That Helps Foreign Workers
InsideSources discusses President Trump’s proposed budget with Iain Murray. “President Trump’s proposed budget is the clearest sign yet that he is moving…
Blog
Restraint, Humility Needed at Federal Trade Commission
As President Trump evaluates candidates to chair the Federal Trade Commission, he should look for a person who appreciates the importance of letting markets evolve…
News Release
CEI Calls Trump Budget Clearest Sign Yet of Move to Shrink Federal Government
"“The President's budget proposal is just the starting point. Congress has a responsibility to the American taxpayer to demand value for the taxpayer dollars spent…
The Conservative Online
Market Institutions Never Evolved For The Environment; And That’s Why It Can’t Be Properly Protected
As Joseph Schumpeter noted, free markets had a good first century (the 1750s to 1850s). A market economy produced massive improvements in the quality of…
Blog
On Tour with U.S. Chamber’s ‘Let’s Grow’ Campaign
While the policy landscape is far from perfect, we have the best opportunity in a long time to clear the field for growth and prosperity…
Washington Post
Last night, conservatives gave up on conservatism
The Washington Post discusses President Trump’s policy proposals from his address to a joint session of Congress with CEI President Kent Lassman. The…
Blog
Low-Cost Private Schools a Success for Developing World Families
Education reform advocates in the United States have a lot to learn from low-cost private schools in the world's poorest communities.
Blog
“I, Whiskey” Screens at the Oxford Film Festival
Richard Morrison and Amanda France recently presented the CEI film "I, Whiskey: The Human Spirit" at the Oxford Film Festival.
The Wall Street Journal
Letter to the Editor: Both Parties Have Many With Trump Trauma
Over a year ago, Paul Krugman coined the term “Trumpenfreude,” meaning the glee or satisfaction experienced by Democrats watching the Republican Party slit its own…
Blog
Celebrate Hans Rosling’s Fact-Based Optimism about Our World
Fans of free markets and limited government were often especially disposed admire Hans Rosling, given his relentless debunking of scare stories that are often used…
Blog
Companies Make a Play for Hearts and Minds with Super Bowl Ads
Corporations are in trouble – people see more bad than good in corporate America, even though they may like and enjoy their products.
Blog
Deregulate to Speed Recovery from ‘Creative Destruction’ of Trade and Innovation
Government regulation limits the ability of individuals and businesses to recover from normal economic setbacks.
Blog
The Super Bowl: Not Just for Football Fans
The Super Bowl is perennially one of the most-watched TV events around the world, so it’s no surprise that millions of people find reasons to…
Blog
Harry Potter and the City Council Chambers
The MacIver Institute documents the temptation of local governments to spend taxpayer money on “economic development” projects and tourist events.
Blog
Burns Night Cheers
Tonight, friends at home and abroad gather both for Burns Night and the International I, Whiskey Watch Party to salute the individuals— freedom fighters, innovators,…
