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Want higher air fares? Overregulate credit cards
This morning, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and the Department of Transportation are holding a joint hearing “investigating” airline and credit card reward programs.
Blog
Biden’s veto of joint employer rule CRA a blow to small businesses
President Biden’s veto Friday of a Congressional Review Act (CRA) bill rolling back the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) “joint employer”…
Blog
Subsidy-free capitalism may require a constitutional amendment
Automobiles, electrification, ample consumer goods and mass marketing, a construction boom, and access to credit helped fuel the Roaring Twenties of a century ago.
Search Posts
Op-Eds
Dodd’s Bank Bill: New Nationalization Powers for Fed, FDIC, and Treasury Secretary
There are many bad things contained in Chris Dodd’s "Restoring American Financial Stability Act," the financial regulatory "reform" bill that after filibustering for…
Op-Eds
Dodd’s Bank Bill: New Nationalization Powers for Fed, FDIC, and Treasury Secretary
There are many bad things contained in Chris Dodd’s “Restoring American Financial Stability Act,” the financial regulatory “reform” bill…
News Release
Failed Bank Bill Filled with Unintended Consequences for Main Street
Washington, D.C., May 19, 2010 – After the Senate today defeated a major banking regulation bill, CEI issued the following statement by John Berlau,…
Newsletter
Immigration Reform, SCOTUS and “Market Fundamentalism”
The New York Times reports that younger people are more likely to favor liberalized immigration policy than the baby boomer generation. The Supreme Court’s decision…
Op-Eds
The EPA’s Shocking Power Grab
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is carrying out one of the biggest power grabs in American history. The agency has positioned itself to regulate…
CNET
Congress May Roll Dice and Legalize Internet Gambling
Opposing Views
Proposed Congressional Pay Cut — Like Spitting in the Ocean
Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick is proposing a 5 percent pay cut for members of Congress. “In the face of our ever-deepening federal debt, the federal…
Opposing Views
Immigration Reform Should Focus on Security
The recent arrest of Faisal Shahzad, the Times Square bombing suspect, has reopened the debate on immigration and national security. Shahzad is an immigrant…
Orange County Register
Short-Circuiting the Internet
Newsletter
Drug Ads, Debit Card Fees and Labor Finances
The Food and Drug Administration moves to crack down on the advertising of prescription medicines for “off-label” uses. Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) pushes for limits…
Newsletter
Energy Legislation, Facebook Privacy and Wine Regulations
Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) unveil their long-delayed energy bill. Executives at Facebook hold a high-level meeting to…
Orange County Register
New York Needs to Relax on Wine
New York liquor retailers oppose Gov. Pater son’s proposal to let supermarkets sell wine — but it would be a clear winner for everyone…
Orange County Register
Dems Block Reform of Corrupt Mortgage Giants
In a party-line, 56-to-43 vote Tuesday, Senate Democrats blocked any reform of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the corrupt, government-backed mortgage giants…
Orange County Register
Durbin’s Walgreens Amendment Shifts Costs to Consumers
Give Dick Durbin some credit for his chutzpah. It’s not every lawmaker who, in proposing an amendment to a financial reform bill ostensibly aimed…
Townhall
Schumer’s Hypocritical Assault on Facebook
Hypocrisy in politics is nothing new. But Senator Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) set a new standard for it last week when he and three of his…
Townhall
Off Target On Off-Label Drugs
Americans are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with their government, according to opinion polls released in April by the Pew Research Center. The center’s president, Andrew…
Townhall
Dodd’s Bank Bill: Worse Than ObamaCare. It’s the Nationalization, Stupid!
There are many bad things contained in Chris Dodd’s Restoring American Financial Stability Act,” the financial regulatory “reform” bill that after filibustering for three…
News Release
Kerry-(Graham)-Lieberman Bill a Huge Payoff to Big Business
Washington, D.C., May 11, 2010—As Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) prepare to introduce their long-delayed energy-rationing legislation, the Competitive Enterprise Institute calls…
Newsletter
Cap and Trade, FCC’s “Future of Media” Project and Another Fannie Mae Bailout
Sen. Lindsey Graham withdraws his support for climate legislation co-sponsored by Sens. John Kerry and Joe Lieberman. The Federal Communications Commission is launching a “Future…
Townhall
Obama’s Spanish Disaster
The number 13 is proving quite fortuitous for me, if not so much for the global warming industry. Thirteen months after I…
News Release
The First Amendment Doesn’t Need a Bailout
Washington, D.C., May 10, 2010—In recently-submitted regulatory comments, the Competitive Enterprise Institute urged the Federal Communications Commission to take a stand against government interference…
Townhall
GM Deliberately Tried to Deceive Americans (Letter to the Editor)
The Examiner was right to criticize General Motors for falsely claiming in a recent TV ad campaign to have “repaid”—“in full”—what it received from…
Townhall
Arizona Law May Be Flawed, But Federal Remedy Will Be Worse
Daily Caller
Regulations, Regulations Everywhere
Federal regulations cover everything from the size of holes in Swiss cheese to the label text on over-the-counter flatulence medication. There are so many rules,…
CBS News
The FCC’s “Third Way,” Will it Work?
Wired
FCC Offers Regulation Lite for Broadband Providers, Pleasing Few
Wired cites Wayne Crews on the FCC's net neutrality. Competitive Enterprise Institute blasted the idea as an “unwarranted, unjustifiable power grab by a…
Newsletter
GM’s Misleading Bailout Claims, Swine Flu and Financial “Reform” Legislation
General Motors boasts that it has repaid its government loans in full, despite having used other bailout funds to repay the initial loans. The government…
Wired
Shutdown.fcc.gov
Increasingly, some groups contend there’s a crisis in journalism, even to the extent of advocating government support of news organizations. The dangers to freedom…
News Release
EPA Contest Asks How Big Government Helps You, CEI Answers in New Video
How does Big Government help you? The Environmental Protection Agency wants to know. Today, the Competitive Enterprise Institute has the answer.
Comment
CEI’s FTC Complaint Against General Motors Over Bailout ad
Full Document Available in PDF CEI today accused GM of deceptively advertising that it had repaid its government bailout. In a formal complaint…
Wired
GM’s Tricky Payback
President Obama’s tax-cheat treasury secretary, Tim Geithner, is trumpeting the fact that General Motors has paid back a small fraction of what taxpayers…
Wired
“Financial Deform: So-Called U.S. bank Reform Does Little But Hurt Taxpayers”
The CEO of Goldman Sachs, the Wall Street firm the SEC has accused of fraud, has endorsed the so-called financial “reform” bill…
Wired
GM Named in Deceptive Advertising Complaint Filed with FTC
News Release
General Motors Deceptive Advertising Challenged by Watchdog Group in FTC Filing
Washington, D.C., May 4, 2010 –The Competitive Enterprise Institute today filed a formal complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, arguing that General Motors misleadingly…
Cafe Hayek
Some Immigration Links
CEI Planet
CEI Planet: March – April 2010
To view this issue of the CEI Planet, please click here to download the PDF file. Below are selected articles from the March-April…
Cafe Hayek
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau – be careful what you wish for
Newsletter
Anti-Immigration Backlash, Renewable Energy and Chris Horner’s “Power Grab”
California lawmakers call for economic sanctions against Arizona in retaliation for its new immigration law Documents show that Assistant Secretary of Energy Cathy Zoi has…
Comment
CEI Comments on EPA Biopesticides Registration for Biotech Plum
Full Document Available in PDF The Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) appreciates…
Cafe Hayek
Seeing Red
On Monday in the Washington Times, Service Employee International Union (SEIU) Secretary-Treasurer Anna Burger—a protégée of outgoing SEIU President Andrew Stern—defended her and…
Cafe Hayek
Conservatives, Disaster Awaits If We Don’t Embrace Immigration Reform
SB 1070, Arizona’s new and strict immigration enforcement law has torn a hole right through the center of American political discourse. Sold as an…
Cafe Hayek
Union Election May Signal a Shift in Strategy
Cafe Hayek
General Motors Still Losing Billions (Letter to the Editor)
The Washington Times was right to criticize the Obama administration for its misleading hype about General Motors repaying $6.7 billion of the $50…
Newsletter
Financial Regulation, Mandatory Voting, and Class Action Lawsuits
The Senate votes on Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd's financial regulation bill. The town of Ridgeway, Colorado votes on whether to make voting mandatory for…
Cafe Hayek
ObamaCare vastly expands IRS red tape
“Billions of more documents” will be have to be filled out by small businesses for the IRS so that a “spendthrift Congress can shake…
Cafe Hayek
Republicans Can Win the Immigration Reform Battle
Arizona’s new strict anti-immigration law SB 1070 is the most recent and loudest salvo in the immigration debate. President Obama and the Democratic leadership…
News Release
‘Grave Concerns’ Persist on Stalled Senate Financial Reg Bill
Washington, D.C., April 28, 2010—For the third time in three days, Senate Republicans joined by Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) have defeated an effort to ram…
Newsletter
Illegal Immigration, SEC Porn and Financial Reform
Arizona’s new immigration bill has brought immigration reform to the forefront of national debate. The blogosphere is abuzz with the news that employees of the…
Cafe Hayek
Enough with SEC Porn; What about Obama’s Financial Lies?
There are plenty of problems with the financial “reform” bill, but the media aren’t interested in that. They’re much more interested in revelations that…
Cafe Hayek
Economists: Stimulus Didn’t Contribute to Economic Rebound
“The recovery is picking up steam as employers boost payrolls, but economists think the government’s stimulus package and jobs bill had little to…
Reason
Legalize it (Immigration Edition)
Reason
America’s Choice: Arizona or Amnesty
Reason
CCAF files Bluetooth appeal brief
Forbes
FTC Should Green-Light Google-AdMob Deal
Google competes in many markets, but its most pressing threat comes not from a rival but from antitrust authorities. The Federal Trade Commission is reportedly…
American Spectator
Fixing America’s Immigration Black Market
From Arizona to the U.S. Senate, immigration is at the forefront of the national debate. Much of the concern revolves around this fact: There is…
Newsletter
Financial Regulation, Online Gambling and Chewing Tobacco
The Senate is set to vote on Senate Banking Committer Chairman Chris Dodd's bill to extend financial regulation. A new study estimates that the ban…
Letters
Dodd Bill: Bailouts, Taxes, and Overregulation
As Congress prepares to vote on debating Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd’s Restoring American Financial Stability Act — and speculation is rampant as to…
American Spectator
Dodd Financial Bill Attacks Main Street
As Congress prepares to vote on debating Sen. Chris Dodd’s “Restoring American Financial Stability Act,” a broad spectrum of conservative and free-market groups expressed…
American Spectator
Andy Stern’s Debts
Purple may be the official color of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), but Andy Stern is leaving the union deep in the red.
American Spectator
Wall Street Shuffle: Their ‘Huge Playground’ is Safe
Those of you worrying on Wall Street, please do not be distracted by the president’s apparent assault. He’s still got your back. With the…
American Spectator
Beware the Financial Trojan Horse
The Obama administration and Congressional leaders are pushing a Trojan-horse financial “reform” bill that would enrich the wealthy and powerful investment bank Goldman Sachs,…
News Release
Gov. Brewer Signs Arizona Immigration Enforcement Bill
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Newsletter
Wall Street Reform, GM Tomatoes and Chemical Regulation
Obama is gives a speech today in New York on the need to reform Wall Street. The Wall Street Journal reports on the debate over…
American Spectator
The FDA Should Get Real
What happens when one of the most powerful regulatory bodies in the country orders a business to violate the agency’s own rules? If they…
American Spectator
Examiner Right to Oppose Unending Bank Bailouts (Letter to the Editor)
The Examiner was right to oppose the Trojan horse financial “reform” bill that would enrich Goldman Sachs, the Wall Street firm that makes big…
American Spectator
On Earth Day, you say VAT, I say Cap-and-Trade: Obama’s Other Source of Tax Billions
As we celebrate the 40th anniversary of calling Lenin’s birthday “Earth Day” — true story — the increasingly fashionable talking point in Washington is…
Newsletter
Cap and Trade, Private Roads and the Supreme Court on Obscenity
National Journal asks what the cost will be if Congress fails to pass cap-and-trade legislation. The private sector acquires an increasingly large role in transit…
American Spectator
Wall Street Bill Targets Nevada Incorporations
Over the past year, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has made pointed efforts to show Nevadans his advocacy on their behalf. In defending new…
Newsletter
Salt Police, Pensions and Union Contracts
The FDA is launching a new initiative to limit the amount of salt in processed food. The White House task force on the middle class…
American Spectator
Financial Reform
American Spectator
Mark-to-Market Accounting Rules
Newsletter
Stevens’ Legal Legacy, Goldman Sachs and Internet Gambling
Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens is retiring. The SEC is charging Goldman Sachs with securities fraud. Opponents of internet gambling are circulating a memo…
American Spectator
The Obama-Dodd-Frank-Everthing’s-A-Bank-Bill
Liberal pundit Michael Kinsley once defined a political gaffe as an instance of a politician accidentally telling the truth. House Financial Services Committee Chairman…
Newsletter
Tax Day, Open Skies and Toyota’s Legal Tactics
Tax Day inspires out an array of protests and demonstrations. The U.S. and EU signed an “Open Skies” agreement last month, which purportedly allows airlines…
American Spectator
Goldman Sachs Fraud Charges
Newsletter
The Cost of Government, Carbon Taxes and Sugar Subsidies
Today is Tax Day, the day when Americans think most about how much the government is costing them. James Hansen writes in The Huffington Post,…
American Spectator
Fly the Free Skies
When the United States and European Union first signed their Open Skies aviation agreement in 2007, the U.S. airlines got the better of the…
News Release
Report Reveals Crushing, Hidden Tax of ‘10,000 Commandments’ of Federal Regulation
Washington, D.C. April 15, 2010 – Federal regulations cost a whopping $1.187 trillion last year in compliance burdens on Americans. That’s the finding of…
Study
Ten Thousand Commandments 2010
Full Document Available in PDF President Barack Obama’s federal budget for fiscal year (FY) 2011 proposes $3.83 trillion in discretionary, entitlement, and…
AOL News
The Huge, Hidden Tax You Pay for Government
Taxpayers rushing to fill out and file their form 1040 today may think their obligation to the federal government is complete. But it's really just…
Fox News
The Hidden Tax That’s More Than $1 Trillion
Last year, Americans paid $989 billion in income taxes. Add to that sales taxes, property taxes, excise taxes, and other taxes, and the total tax…
Newsletter
Unions, New Taxes and GM Crops
Andy Stern is leaving his post as head of the Service Employees International Union. The Obama Administration may soon propose a Value Added Tax (VAT).
Daily Caller
VAT Chance
After running up more than $3 trillion in debt in just two years, the federal government is looking for new ways to raise money. Promised…
Newsletter
Liquor Licensing, Off-label Drugs and Fannie & Freddie
A new proposal in New York to set up a “medallion” system of liquor-licensing will serve as a compromise between wine retailers and grocery store…
Daily Caller
Short-Sighted Ban Endangers Food Supply
This week, the Senate may vote on an amendment to the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act that could undermine the integrity of the U.S.
Daily Caller
Fix America’s Immigration System by Focusing on Security
America’s immigration bureaucracies are rife with waste and inefficiency. Yet taxpayer dollars are not the only thing they put at risk. The nation’s security…
Newsletter
Pub Restrictions, Tax Freedom Day and Turmoil in Kyrgyzstan
UK regulators are punishing pub owners for promoting happy hour specials and drinking games. April 9th is Tax Freedom Day, statistically the day Americans have…
Daily Caller
Amnesty Isn’t the Problem, it’s our Immigration Limits
With the passing of health care reform, immigration is in the news again — and for good reason. Even with a recession, financial crisis,…
Spectator
Coal Workers Are Heroes
American Spectator discusses the West Virginia coal mining tragedy with Iain Murray. The coal mining tragedy in West Virginia shows that we should…
Spectator
Fannie, Freddie Finally the Focus of Crisis Commission
The congressionally chartered Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, after several months, finally is visiting the role of the government-sponsored enterprises Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac…
Washington Times
Famishing Feds
Washington Times
The Other Individual Mandate
In the continuing debate over the recently signed health care bill, the flash point is the individual mandate—the requirement that nearly all American adults…
Wall Street Journal
A Community Activist With No Regrets
Wall Street Journal
I Got People Too
Like John, I "got people" too. Here is a summary of points made in response to the question by my Competitive Enteprise Institute colleague,…
Wall Street Journal
Dem-Packed NLRB May Rush Through Pro-Union Rulings
Study
Power Grab: How Obama’s Green Policies Will Steal Your Freedom and Bankrupt America
Horner's new book coming out Monday, April 19, from Regnery Publishing.
Newsletter
State Pensions, Cesar Chavez, and Wine Deliveries
Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell is trying to boost the state economy by reforming state employee pension plans. President Obama declares March 31th “Cesar Chavez Day”…
Wall Street Journal
National ID Card could be the cornerstone of comprehensive immigration reform
Wall Street Journal
Realistic Immigration Laws are Needed (Letter to the Editor)
Rep. Lamar Smith’s "Adhere to rule of law on immigration policy" (Nation, March 24) argues that conservative principles demand a respect for the rule…
Newsletter
Big Labor, Stimulus Money, and the Census
Washingtonian magazine interviews union president Andy Stern. The Mercatus Center publishes a study on how the $800 billion stimulus package was distributed. Daily Kos reports…
Staff & Scholars
Clyde Wayne Crews
Fred L. Smith Fellow in Regulatory Studies
- Business and Government
- Consumer Freedom
- Deregulation
Richard Morrison
Senior Fellow
- Antitrust
- Business and Government
- Capitalism and Free Enterprise
Fred L. Smith, Jr.
Founder; Chairman Emeritus
- Automobiles and Roads
- Aviation
- Business and Government
Ryan Young
Senior Economist
- Antitrust
- Business and Government
- Regulatory Reform