Featured Posts
National Review
President Reagan’s argument that these regulations are unnecessary and harmful to consumers has proven to be prescient.
They’re the regulations that literally hit home, and rarely in a good way. The Department of Energy sets energy efficiency standards for just…
Blog
No free lunch: Price controls won’t make groceries more affordable
When Americans go to the grocery store, they expect to find food and drinks. Lately, many are encountering something else: sticker shock. According to…
News Release
CEI celebrates important free market leaders and anniversaries: Our Words
Today, in celebration of the 250th anniversary of Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations and the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s 42nd birthday, CEI is proud to…
Search Posts
Minneapolis Star Tribune
LETTER: The Minimum Wage: It’s a Job Killer and a Job Repressor
A Dec. 30 letter by a former career Labor Department bureaucrat claimed the haves have had it in for the have-nots for decades because the…
CEI Planet
CEI Planet: November – December 2009
To view this issue of the CEI Planet, please click here to download the PDF file. Below are selected articles from the November-December 2009 issue: …
Newsletter
Cell Phones and Cancer, Political Anniversaries and the Regulation of the Day
A new study finds no link between cell phone use and brain cancer. News outlets assemble their 2009 “year in review” features. The state of…
Newsletter
Fewer Hurricanes, Union Lobbying and the Individual Mandate
Financial losses from natural catastrophes decline significantly from 2008. Labor unions continue to lobby for the mis-named Employee Free Choice Act. Health care legislation may…
Washington Examiner
Seven Quotes about Communism
The 1989 fall of the Berlin Wall was widely remembered this past November, the 20th anniversary of one of the most momentous events in the…
The Economist
Letter to the Editor in the Economist
SIR – Public-sector unions have entrenched their privileges through a combination of political dynamics that have proven extremely difficult to overcome. For example,…
Newsletter
China in Copenhagen, Cash for Fannie and Freddie and the Pandemic that Wasn’t There
Officials debate the role of China as a “spoiler” in recent UN climate change negotiations. The Treasury Department announces the availability of “an unlimited amount…
The Economist
No Government in the Bedroom
Three cheers for the judge in Los Angeles who dismissed the petition to mandate condom use in adult films. While the spread of sexually…
The Economist
Comprehensive Redux
The Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America’s Security and Prosperity Act (CIR ASAP) was introduced last week by Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez, Illinois…
Newsletter
Immigration, Smoking Bans and Sarbanes-Oxley
Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) introduces comprehensive immigration reform legislation. The Colorado Supreme Court upholds a ban on smoking in stage performances. The battle over the…
News Release
FTC Suit Against Intel Misguided and Uninformed
Today the Federal Trade Commission filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against Intel Corporation. The suit, which accuses Intel of violating Section 5 of…
E-Commerce Times
Microsoft Agrees to Help Europeans Pick a Browser
E-Commerce Times discusses the European Commissions antitrust case against Microsoft with Wayne Crews. "Microsoft never had any power to prevent choice at all," Wayne…
Newsletter
Wall Street Meets the White House, EPA Rules on Greenhouse Gases and Health Care Divided
President Obama hosts a White House summit with Wall Street banking leaders The Environmental Protection Agency publishes its final rule designating greenhouse gases as a…
News Release
Comprehensive Immigration Bill Helps H-1Bs, But Hurts All Employers
Comprehensive Immigration Reform Bill a Mixed Bag Bill Helps H-1Bs, But Hurts All Employers Washington, D.C., December 15, 2009—The Competitive Enterprise Institute obtained an…
Newsletter
Climategate in Copenhagen, Antitrust for Health Care and Swine Flu Takes a Dive
The “Climategate” science scandal looms over global warming negotiations in Copenhagen, Denmark. Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) lobby to end the long-standing…
NCPA
Michigan’s Auto Insurers Make Only a Small Profit
NCPA
Big PhRMA Payoff: Hidden Tax on Pedialyte, Prenatal Vitamins, and Pain Relievers
Newsletter
Re-importing Drugs, TARP for Small Business and Palin on ClimateGate
The Senate health care debate stalls on the question of whether to permit the re-importation of drugs from countries with price controls. President Obama announces…
Newsletter
EPA Power Grab, Antitrust for Insurance and an Immigration Stimulus
The Environmental Protection Agency finds that greenhouse gases endanger human health and welfare. The Senate may vote to repeal health insurance companies’ longstanding exemption from…
NCPA
Rebuttal: Michigan’s Auto Insurers Make Only a Small Profit
About the Nov. 30 article "Industry balks at bills aimed at auto insurance reform": Before we listen to politicians who claim greedy…
NCPA
Immigration Limits Don’t Protect Us
Patrick J. Buchanan’s "Halting immigration would be an instant stimulus package" (Dec. 9) blithely ignores economic reality when he states that a moratorium on…
Overlawyered
Brass banned in childrens’ toys
Overlawyered
Did Deregulation Cause the Great Recession?
In a December 3 article in Politico ("J-O-Bs should come before GDP"), Rep. Phil Hare argues that "reckless deregulation" is one of the causes…
Public Radio
Did Deregulation Cause the Recession?
Washington Examiner
Feds Should Free up Airwaves to Spur Wireless Growth
Every time you make a cell phone call, send a text message, or visit a website on your smartphone, you are using the airwaves. Collectively…
Newsletter
Sarbanes-Oxley in Court, Swine Flu Peaks and Trade Deficits in Perspective
The U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments challenging the legitimacy of the Sarbanes-Oxley corporate accounting law. Swine flu infections have peaked and are declining, according to…
Wall Street Journal
The Supreme Case Against Sarbanes-Oxley
Overlawyered
FDA Raw Oyster Ban
Newsletter
Credit Card Fees, Immigration Reform and Heading off an EPA Power Grab
The U.S. looks to Australia’s experience with regulating credit cards fees. Former CNN anchor Lou Dobbs softens his longtime anti-immigration stance. Environmental groups petition the…
The Wall Street Journal
Sarbanes-Oxley on Trial
Congress wants to wallop business with even more regulation in the wake of the financial panic, but perhaps the Members should pause on Monday and…
The Wall Street Journal
Supreme Court Set to Review Scope of Peek-a-boo Power
The Wall Street Journal
Supreme Court Set to Review Scope of Peek-a-boo Power
News Release
Supreme Court To Hear Pivotal Sarbanes-Oxley Case Monday, Dec.7
Washington, D.C., December 4, 2009—On Monday, December 7th, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear argument in Free Enterprise Fund v. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, a…
Study
Payment Card Networks Under Assault
How Capping Interchange Fees Will Hurt Consumers, Charities, Community Banks, and Credit Unions…
Southern Shift News
30 Million Small Businesses: The Army President Obama has yet to Deploy
Southern Shift News
Letter to the Editor: Retailers Want to Shift Their Costs onto Consumers
It’s a real pity that The Examiner’s Nov. 27 lead story – billed with the screaming front-page headline "Credit cards show no pity" –…
Letters
Federal Reserve Transparency Working Group Sends Letter to the Senate
Dear Members of the U.S. Senate: In the last two years, the Federal Reserve Board has lent several trillion dollars to banks…
Southern Shift News
Let Immigrants Power America’s Scientific Prowess
The melee surrounding President Barack Obama’s Nobel Peace Prize distracted everyone from another potential Nobel controversy. Of the eight American citizens who received Nobel…
NH Insider
Taxpayers Face $20 Million Cost to Enforce Bad Law
Heartland
Stimulus Funding for In-Flight Broadband
Study
Organization Man
How Andrew Stern Plans to Transform the Union Movement…
The American Spectator
SEIU as Driving Force Behind the Employee Free Choice Act
The American Spectator
Beyond Card Check
Mortgage Magazine
Banks, Credit Companies Get Brief Reprieve From Crushing Federal Regulation Of Internet Gambling
Baltimore Sun
Time to Raise the Alcohol Tax
The Cato Institute
Vallejo Con Dios
Full Study Available In PDF Study Co-Authored by: Don Bellante and David Denholm Rates of unionization in the United States today are…
Newsletter
Senate Health Care, Rising Deficits and Food Safety on Thanksgiving
The Senate advances prepares for a floor debate on health care legislation after Thanksgiving. The rising federal budget deficit and national debt raise concerns about…
The Cato Institute
More Cowbell
How do you turn a company from a small Internet start-up into a billion-dollar-a-year business? We wish we knew, but we can tentatively say…
Newsletter
Health Care in the Senate, Hacking Climate Research and a Union Power Grab
The Senate advances Democrat-sponsored health care legislation in a party-line vote. Hacked emails from a leading climate change research center reveal questionable practices and methods.
The Cato Institute
Effort To Curb Financial Giants May Worry Markets Even More
The Cato Institute
Effort To Curb Financial Giants May Worry Markets Even More
Newsletter
FDA’s Tobacco Powers, Credit Card Fees and Cult-like Union Behavior
Anti-tobacco activists observe the “Great American Smokeout.” The Government Accountability Office finds that controlling credit card processing fees could hurt consumers. Union officials are accused…
The Cato Institute
The UAW’s Shell Game
The United Autoworkers (UAW) and GM are asking the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) for a chance to play the old shell game. In back…
News Release
Government Watchdog Finds Credit Card Price Controls Hurt Consumers
Today, the Government Accountability Office released its widely anticipated report on interchange fees—the fees that retailers pay to credit and debit card issuers for processing…
Newsletter
VAT, Health Care and Imaginary Stimulus Jobs
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi suggests adopting a European-style “value added tax” or VAT. Critics question why the Senate leadership isn’t moving faster on health care…
Newsletter
Bailout Transparency, Climate Politics and Mortgage Foreclosures
Rep. Carolyn Maloney introduces a bill to make public details of the bank bailout. Critics accuse President Obama of failing the world on climate change.
The Cato Institute
Health Care is Not a Right
President Obama argues that his party’s health care reform proposals are about “bending the price curve” However, the Democrats’ health care agenda is really…
Investors' Business Daily
VAT Would Be One Big Tub of Trouble
Ask a man on the street what VAT means. After giving you a strange look, he'll probably give an answer along the lines of "a…
Newsletter
Intel Reaches a Deal, Mandatory Purchase Health Care and Union Feuds
Chip makers Intel and AMD reach a deal over antitrust and patent disputes. Democrat-sponsored health care legislation continues to include a “mandatory purchase” requirement for…
Washington Examiner
Andrew Cuomo Should Leave Intel Alone
New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced on November 4 that he is suing Intel for antitrust violations. Cuomo’s lawsuit is a mistake. He…
Investors.com
The Coming Climate Dictatorship
Investors.com
Union Pension Bailout Bill Would Burden Employers and Taxpayers
The Street
Currency Cure: Deregulation
The Street references Wayne Crews's study on the size of the federal regulatory state. According to a report by the Competitive Enterprise Institute,…
The Street
Government Can’t Marshal Doctors Who Aren’t There
Herbert Pardes omits the cheapest and best solution to the shortage of physicians: increasing the legal immigration of foreign doctors. The H-1B…
Cigar Magazine
Congress, Tobacco, And a President Who Lights Up
It’s called the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act but, outside of its title, the word “family” appears nowhere in the bill. It was…
Opposing Views
Should We Be Worried About Cell Phones and Cancer
CNN reports: “Last summer, Dr. Ronald Herberman, then director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, issued a warning to about 3,000 faculty and…
Newsletter
Health Care, Alcohol Regulation and Flu Stats
VIDEO: 20TH Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall The House of Representatives narrowly passes Democratic-sponsored health care legislation. Bob McDonnell wins election to…
Forbes
Sued for Success
Computer chip maker Intel is back in court. On Wednesday, New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against…
Newsletter
Intel v. Antitrust, U.S. Chamber Caves on Energy and Accounting for Unfunded Mandates
New York attorney general Andrew Cuomo files an antitrust lawsuit against Intel. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce caves into to special interest pressure on energy…
American Spectator
Yes, Virginia Foxx
Jaws dropped when the government announced recently that the national debt would increase by $14,000,000,000,000 over the next decade. Right now, roughly every third dollar…
The Guardian
Intel Struggles Against Rising Tide of Accusations
The Guardian discusses the case against Intel with Wayne Crews. Calling Cuomo's case a "baseless attack", CEI official Wayne Crews suggested that Intel's dominance…
The Guardian
The Four Horseman of Cap-and-Trade Defeatism: There’s Only One “Certainty”
There’s a rumor making the rounds among those whose goose is intended to be cooked by passage of the pending "cap-and-trade" energy rationing legislation.
News Release
Think Tank Blasts Cuomo’s Witch Hunt Against Intel
Washington, D.C., November 4, 2009—Today New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against Intel Corporation. The suit, which accuses…
PC World
NY Intel Antitrust Lawsuit Gets Mixed Reviews
PC World discusses the antitrust lawsuit against Intel with Wayne Crews. "Let's remember what abusive monopoly power is supposed to mean: reduced quantity…
Newsletter
Cybersecurity, Tariffs and Union Elections
The Department of Homeland Security opens a new operations center to battle cyber attacks. The federal government continues to add tariffs to inexpensive consumer goods…
PC World
1 Year Later-Obama’s Legacy of Lies and Broken Promises
It’s been a year since the president was elected, and he’s already piled up an impressive list of lies and broken promises.
PC World
Wall Street Journal: House Health Care Plan “Worst Bill Ever”
The Wall Street Journal calls the House version of President Obama’s health care plan “the worst bill ever,” noting that it will lead to…
CEI Planet
CEI Planet: September – October 2009
To view this issue of the CEI Planet, please click here to download the PDF file. Below are selected articles from the September-October 2009 issue: …
Heartland Institute
‘Amazon Taxes’ Fad Harmful to States, Consumers, Business
Tax revenues have been plunging during the current recession, and states have been scrambling for ways to bolster their depleted coffers by looking online. While…
Letters
Statement of Marlo Lewis on S. 1733, the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act
Full Testimony Available in PDF Increasingly, proponents of cap-and-trade legislation argue that climate change is a major threat to U.S.
Letters
Iain Murray’s Testimony at the Legislative Hearing on the Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act
Murray will testify in the Senate today, Oct. 29th, at 1 o'clock this afternoon.
Heartland Institute
Mr. Franken’s Arbitration Amendment
Kathleen Parker rightly criticized Sen. Al Franken’s amendment banning defense contractors from enforcing arbitration clauses [“The ‘rape supporter’ ploy,” op-ed, Oct. 25]. Although the…
Comment
Submitted Testimony of Christopher C. Horner to the House Select Comittee on Energy Independence on “Astroturfing”
Mr. Chairman, thank you for inviting me to testify today, and I would like to thank the Members of this Committee for allowing me to…
Orange County Register
Let the State Choose Your TV?
There are many things to consider when choosing a television to buy. Some consumers care about color contrast. Others want high resolution. And still others…
Orange County Register
GOP Should Grow the Party, Grow the Economy, Shrink the State
Republicans have been getting a lot of advice lately. Democrats have urged them to join the state expansionist party, to agree that markets have…
Newsletter
Pay Cuts for Wall Street, Required Window Glazing and the New Public Option
The White House “pay czar” plans to cut paychecks for top bank executives by 50%. Environmental regulators in California move to require all cars sold…
Newsletter
Web Giants Battle over Networks, Obama on Climate and New Financial Regulations
Google and AT&T battle over web rules. President Obama won’t talk climate change at UN negotiations in Copenhagen. The House Financial Services Committee votes to…
Orange County Register
Look Ahead to Fantastic Media Opportunities
Sir, Leonard Downie (“American journalism needs public support”, October 21) interestingly documented the rise of new and the demise of old journalism in a…
Investor's Business Daily
The Administration’s Flu Fear-Mongering
‘In keeping with the administration’s proactive approach” to swine flu, the White House has announced that President Obama has declared the disease “a national emergency.”…
Investor's Business Daily
Sure, Just What We Need: Yet Another Regulatory Government Agency
YOUR Oct. 15 editorial “To fix financial system, protect consumers first’’ claims that a Consumer Financial Protection Agency would prevent a “recurrence’’ of…
Investor's Business Daily
Hazardous to Your Health
As U.S. lawmakers mull over whether to restructure the nation’s health-care system via a “public option,” even the biggest advocates of government intervention should…
Newsletter
Telecom Regulation, Maritime Recycling and the Economics Nobel
The Federal Communications Commission moves to regulate telecom networks in the name of “net neutrality.” Italian police investigate illegal disposal of “toxic” shipwrecks. Experts continue…
Newsletter
Health Care Competition, Financial Regulations in Court and Net Neutrality
The House Judiciary Committee votes to strip antitrust protections from health insurance companies who share risk information. Prominent officials and scholars endorse CEI’s Supreme Court…
News Release
Repeal of Insurance Antitrust Exemption Threatens Competition
Repeal of Insurance Antitrust Exemption Threatens Competition Patients Brace for Higher Prices, Raw Deal Washington, D.C., October 21, 2009—The House Judiciary Committee voted on…
Investors' Business Daily
Memo to Spitzer: It’s Not Your Money
Disgraced former New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer went on a rant last week. Hurling half-truths and red herring arguments in an article for Slate, he…
Newsletter
Teacher Unions, Obama’s Climate Czar and Public Choice
Director Bob Bowden exposes corruption and waste in public schools in the new film The Cartel. Critics object to the potentially sweeping powers of President…
Investors' Business Daily
Obamacare May Be Unconstitutional
Newsletter
Big Screen Ban, U.S. Chamber Politics and Silencing Science
California poised to ban the sale of big-screen televisions. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce launches a new initiative to defend free enterprise and create jobs.
Newsletter
Health Care, Climate Change and Nobel Economics
The Senate Finance Committee approves major new health care legislation. Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) write an op-ed for the New York…
Investors' Business Daily
Not So Peachy Advice
Recently featured on Good Morning America, the Environmental Working Group identified a “dirty dozen” list for the most contaminated produce that includes: peaches, apples,…
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
Ryan Young
Senior Economist and Director of Publications
- Antitrust
- Business and Government
- Regulatory Reform