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Forbes
Shutdowns Aren’t The Problem, They’re The Solution
Federal shutdowns—along with the debt limit like that the Republicans sought to extend in the American Relief Act (ARA)—may represent the last remaining…
Blog
Time to downsize presidential power
Over at InsideSources, I have a syndicated column arguing that the presidency has grown too powerful. The best parting gift President Biden could give…
The American Spectator
Regulations’ Enormous Costs and DOGE’s Enormous Upside
The American Spectator cited CEI’s Ten Thousand Commandments Wayne Crews, author of the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s “Ten Thousand Commandments” study, produced a price tag that…
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Op-Eds
The Ideas Marketplace — Sans Market?
WASHINGTON—The Jack Abramoff scandal has many individual players, but it’s also added fuel to an older and broader theme—the quest to purge politics of money.
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. E-COMMERCE AOL proceeds with plans to charge a “postage” fee for mass senders of email.
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. BUSINESS Civil rights leader Andrew Young joins the steering committee of the group Working Families for…
Letters
ESA Coalition Letter to Senator James M. Inhofe
Full Document Available in PDF…
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. INTERNET A federal court ruling on copyright could undermine Google’s Book Search program.
Op-Eds
Making a Meth of the PATRIOT Act
If you thought al Qaeda or Iraqi insurgents were the major threats facing America, Rep. Charlie Dent (R-Pa.) says you’re wrong. According to Dent,…
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. SUPREME COURT The nation’s highest court hears a constitutional challenge to the Clean Water…
Op-Eds
In the Interests of Stakeholders… and Steakholders
There was good news last month on both sides of our northern border: In response to confirmation of an isolated case of bovine…
News Release
Will Congress Open the Market for Online Television?
<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags” />Washington, D.C., February 15, 2006—The future of video content online could begin today in the Senate…
Op-Eds
The top ten reasons to cut corporate welfare
<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” />The federal budget is too big. It's way too big. George W. Bush has called for total…
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. BIOTECHNOLOGY The World Trade Organization rules against European restrictions on genetically modified foods. CEI…
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. GLOBAL WARMING Evangelical leaders come out in favor of mandated carbon dioxide emission cuts. …
News Release
Free Enterprise Fund and Competitive Enterprise Institute to Announce Constitutional Legal Challenge to Sarbanes-Oxley
WHAT: Sarbanes-Oxley was rushed into law in 2002 with good intentions following unprecedented corporate scandals. Yet, elements of Sarbanes-Oxley now serve as classic examples…
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. TELECOMMUNICATIONS A Verizon Communications executive blasts Google for freeloading on Verizon infrastructure as Congress prepares to debate…
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. STATE OF THE UNION President Bush calls for more federal spending on alternative energy sources,…
The American Spectator
What Are Op-Eds For?
Ever since the Cato Institute fired syndicated columnist Doug Bandow over the revelation that disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff had asked and paid him to…
Study
An Assessment of Montreal COP/MOP 1
Full Document Available in PDF The December 2005 Montreal “COP-MOP” Kyoto…
Op-Eds
Pot Calling Kettle Black?
<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” /> In senior editor Dave Astor's article on syndicated columnists and their sources of…
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. HEALTH & SAFETY The Food and Drug Administration approves fat-blocking drug Xenical for over-the-counter sales.
Op-Eds
Open Federalism
The businessman puts the cash in an envelope. He leaves it on the agreed upon restaurant table. Another man, a government bureaucrat, walks over…
Op-Eds
What Does It Mean to Be a (Canadian) Conservative?
In yesterday’s Canadian election, the new Conservative Party swept into power for the first time since 1993. Paul Martin and the Liberals, it turns…
Op-Eds
Why Cable ‘A La Carte’ Won’t Roll
Americans love channel surfing, and many spend their evenings flipping through the vast ocean of inexpensive programming available through cable television packages. But…
Op-Eds
Our Miserly Uncle
Although it may be heresy for a libertarian or a conservative to say, I really like living in Washington. I try to be grateful every…
Op-Eds
Sarbanes-Oxley vs. the Free Press
Back in June, when New York Times reporter Judith Miller was about to go to jail on contempt charges for refusing to testify…
Op-Eds
A Boon for U.S. Consumers
Although Wal-Mart has been America's largest retailer since 1990, the company has only recently begun expanding into California, and the reaction from many quarters has…
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. ECONOMICS Offical plans for rebuilding New Orleans draw harsh criticism from local homeowners. CEI Expert Available…
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. TECHNOLOGY Frequently-fined radio host Howard Stern makes his much-anticipated move to satellite broadcasting next…
Products
The Tale of a Medical Device
Senator Hillary Clinton traveled 6,000 miles to dramatize the need for faster medical device approvals. Hard to believe, isn’t it? In fact, Sen. Clinton…
Products
Let a Thousand ISPs Bloom: A Hands-Off Approach to Global Tech Development
Simply uttering the phrase “Internet governance” is enough to make some people cringe with visions of Big Brother. But Internet governance is not—and shouldn’t be—some…
Products
Millennium Challenged? New Approach to Foreign Aid Threatens to Become More of the Same
Standing alongside U2 lead singer Bono in March 2002, President Bush announced the formation of a “new compact for global development, defined by new accountability.”…
Products
The CEI Planet – November – December 2005
Full Document Available in PDF Europe’s Global REACH: Chemical Regulations…
Op-Eds
Russia’s Godfather Saga
“Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer,” was the lesson taught to Michael Corleone by his father Vito in the Godfather movies.
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. ENERGY Russia and Ukraine settle a dispute over natural gas that threatened European energy supplies. CEI…
Op-Eds
Cruel and Unusual: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
On January 9, two employees of the group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) will appear in court to answer felony…
Op-Eds
Ominous Prospects for Aging
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal described “a growing backlash against the pharmaceutical industry that is already affecting the development and…
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. ENERGY The price of oil dipped slightly yesterday, heading towards an end-of-year close of about $60 a…
Study
MSA Opposition Brief
Full Document Available in PDF…
Op-Eds
CEOs Should Mind Their Own Business
President Coolidge once said the business of America is business. He might have added that the business of business is to pursue profits,…
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. BIOTECHNOLOGY Researchers in Iran announce the impending birth of that nation’s first generation of…
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. FINANCE Government agencies target mortgage brokers for alleged “predatory lending” practices CEI Expert Available for…
Op-Eds
Caveat Emptor: No, Really
One of the oldest maxims in commerce is caveat emptor: let the buyer beware. Sadly, this is often interpreted as a condemnation of businessmen, a…
News Release
Vote Yes on ANWR Now
Contact: Richard Morrison, 202.331.2273 Washington, D.C., December 20, 2005—As gas prices remain above two dollars a gallon and most Americans are looking at sky-high…
Op-Eds
Black Gold: Syriana soars on substance, sinks on politics.
Syriana opens with a throng of Arab men quarreling over the right to board a bus. The camera peers at the scene through…
Op-Eds
Lives for Votes
December 15, 2005 — With his record, a call from state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer is enough to give even innocent defendants…
Op-Eds
Good Drugs, Bad Rap
These are turbulent times for the pharmaceutical industry and for its regulator, the FDA. Lately, both have focused increasingly on issues of safety.
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. BUSINESS The PBS documentary series Frontline asks “Is Wal-Mart Good for America?” CEI…
Op-Eds
The Long REACH of the EU
The European Union's Council of Ministers is expected to vote soon on the proposed chemicals regulation called REACH, an acronym for Registration, Evaluation, and…
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. REGULATORY COSTS President Bush speaks about controlling the costs imposed on business by regulatory expenses. CEI…
Op-Eds
Who Is Watching the Watchdog?
<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” /> Today in the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, outspoken hedge fund manager…
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. HEALTH & SAFETY The SEC changes rules that would have hindered efforts to fight avian flu.
Op-Eds
Corporate Social Concerns: Are They Good Citizenship, Or a Rip-Off for Investors?
Fred Smith debates CSR in The Wall Street Journal…
Op-Eds
Who’s afraid of big business?
Everybody agrees, it seems, that big business has too much influence in Washington. Most people are confused, however, as to what big business is doing…
Op-Eds
A Windfall of Bad Ideas
In the third-quarter of 2005, the major U.S. oil companies—ExxonMobil, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, BP America, and Shell Oil Company—collectively earned almost $26 billion in profits, an…
Op-Eds
Privatizing the Inner City
In June the Supreme Court said that <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags” />New London, Conn. could force Susette Kelo and a…
Op-Eds
Dubai The Model?
Westerners who travel to the Middle East often pass through Dubai and sigh deeply. “If only the rest of the Muslim Middle East were as…
Op-Eds
Why the Top-Down Approach Has Failed
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa — Another World AIDS Day has arrived (Dec. 1) and with it more HIV cases than ever before—over 40 million. The World…
News Release
Misspending, Abuses Marks Tobacco Settlement Anniversary
<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” /> Contact: Christine Hall, 202.331.2258 Washington, D.C., November 28,…
Op-Eds
An analog armageddon?
Hollywood movies are replete with bad guys nefariously plotting to control the world, but these days, music and movie industry associations are looking awfully…
News Release
Misspending, Abuses Marks Tobacco Settlement Anniversary
Christine Hall, 202.331.2258 Washington, D.C., November 28, 2005—Seven years ago this month, the states signed the biggest settlement deal in history with major tobacco…
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. RETAIL In preparation for day-after-Thanksgiving shopping crowds, Wal-Mart promises to match any competitor’s advertised price on…
News Release
Wal-Mart Critics Reading from an Old Script
Contact: Richard Morrison , 202.331.2273 Washington , D.C. , November 18, 2005—The success of retail giant Wal-Mart has generated criticism of its…
News Release
European Vote on Chemicals Policy to Have Repercussions on U.S. Businesses
<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags” />Washington, D.C., November 17, 2005—The European Parliament today voted to implement a massive new chemical regulations…
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. ENERGY The Senate Finance Committee approves a $5 billion windfall profits tax on the nation’s…
Op-Eds
Do-It-Yourself Legislation
The aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita have proved a massive breeding ground for what former OECD Chief Economist David Henderson has termed…
Op-Eds
The UN’s War Against Innovation
The leadership of the United Nations is truly the gang that can't shoot straight. Even if the recent incidents of corruption and profiteering—exemplified…
Op-Eds
Making Sense of Drug Safety
Have you ever tried to read the official FDA-approved labeling for a drug? It's tough going even for physicians who are trying to…
Op-Eds
Pass the Whale Oil: Will Politicians Leave New England in the Dark?
One of the greatest features of our federal system is the ability of each state to act as a “laboratory of democracy”, to…
Letters
Letter Urging Congress to Introduce Video Competition
The Honorable Bill Frist Majority Leader United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 November 14, 2005 Dear Majority Leader Frist: Earlier this year, Sen. John Ensign…
News Release
CEI to Host Congressional Seminar on Windfall Profits Taxes
UPDATE: Download a written transcript of the event, complete with PowerPoint slides, here (PDF format). Listen to a…
Study
Breaking Patents
The integrity of patents affects the future health of people the world over. Unfortunately, one of the world’s rising economic players is leading the charge…
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. HEALTH AND SAFETY The European Union debates whether to proceed with a vote on a new program…
News Release
FCC Initiates Process to Increase Video Competition
Contact: <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” /> Richard Morrison, 202.331.2273 …
News Release
Supreme Court Nominee Alito Good News
Washington, D.C., October 31, 2005—The President's nomination of Third Circuit Judge Sam Alito to serve on the Supreme Court is good news.<?xml:namespace prefix…
News Release
Telecom Scores Merger Success — With Strings Attached
Washington, D.C., October 31, 2005—The Competitive Enterprise Institute welcomes the Federal Communications Commission’s decision approving the two major telecommunications mergers. Unfortunately, the conditions…
News Release
CEI to Co-sponsor CSR Reconsidered 2005
The CSR Reconsidered conference was a success. Human Events covered the conference and wrote about it here. ‘Wolves in CSR Clothing’ is…
Op-Eds
UNESCO to U.S.: Drop Dead!
Last Thursday, the United States was sucker-punched by an international organization. A majority of countries belonging to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and…
News Release
Bill Banning Bogus Gun Lawsuits Should Pass Constitutional Test
Contact:Christine Hall, 202.331.2273 Washington, D.C., October 20, 2005—The House passed a bill today banning lawsuits aimed at holding gun makers liable for…
News Release
New Study Provides Outline for Telecom Reform
<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags” />Washington, D.C., October 18, 2005—The rules that govern the telecommunications industry in the United States have…
News Release
Supreme Court Turns Away Justice Department Demand in Tobacco Lawsuit
<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags” />Washington, D.C., October 17, 2005— The Supreme Court today rightly rejected the Justice Department’s attempt to…
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. GLOBAL WARMING Global warming is being blamed for new data that says 2005 will be the hottest…
Ideas in Action
LordD have MerCIe Vpon Vs
In some places in London, you can find scratched on old walls the imprecation, LorD haVe MerCIe Vpon Vs. The curious arrangement of the capital…
Products
CEI Planet: September – October 2005
Full Document Available in PDF No Regulation Without Representation…
Letters
Letter to Congress Regarding Digital TV Transition and Cable Multicasting
The undersigned organizations would like to express their strong opposition to proposals toextend “must carry” rules for cable operators to include the multiple streams of…
News Release
New Warren T. Brookes Journalism Fellow to Join CEI
<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office” /> Washington, D.C., October 12, 2005— The Competitive Enterprise Institute is pleased to announce…
Products
Batman’s Lessons
Given the enormous amounts of money advocates of bigger government throw about these days, many market liberals long to find our own “George Soros.”…
Products
Challenge to the State Attorney General-Tobacco Cartel
On August 2, 2005 the Competitive Enterprise Institute launched a legal challenge to the multi-state tobacco settlement of 1998. Nearly seven years after the settlement was…
Products
No Regulation Without Representation
The exact cost of the federal regulatory state may never be fully known. As with taxes, firms generally pass along to consumers some of their…
Products
Testimony to the Subcommittee on Regulatory Affairs of the House Government Reform Committee, July 27, 2005
Chairwoman [Candice] Miller [R-Mich]. Ranking Member [Stephen] Lynch [D-Mass] and Members of the Subcommittee, thank you inviting me to comment on congressional regulatory reform initiatives. …
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. LEGAL & CONSTITUTIONAL Investors Business Daily quotes Special Projects Counsel Hans Bader on the prospects of…
Op-Eds
Lord of War Fires a Dud
News Release
Federal Judge Dismisses Greenhouse Gas Lawsuit
<?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags” />Washington, D.C., September 15, 2005—A federal judge today dismissed a lawsuit brought by several states and…
News Release
Senate Judiciary Hearings on Judge John Roberts: Chance for Grandstanding or Serious Debate?
Washington, DC, September 13, 2005—As questioning begins today in the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings for the nomination of D.C. Circuit Court Judge John…
Op-Eds
Big Tobacco Market Share Is Big Concern for States
In defending its settlement with Big Tobacco, the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) argues that “the states are not 'partners with the…
Op-Eds
Gouging? No Such Thing
For various reasons, I took a lot of trips to the local hardware store on Sunday. On my route there were two gas…
News Release
Katrina’s Aftermath: What Will it Take to Rebuild ‘The Big Easy’?
Washington, D.C., September 7, 2005— As the relief effort continues in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = “urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags” />New Orleans, questions about how…
Op-Eds
Questioning the Authority of Scientific Journals
A Tufts University School of Medicine reporter has realized that a pretty large amount of scientific findings are, well, wrong. This work…
Newsletter
The Competitive Enterprise Institute Daily Update
Issues in the News 1. AUTOMOBILITY Forbes reports on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s plan to update its fuel economy…
Op-Eds
Suffocating Small Companies
The Washington Times is on target in pointing out the Sarbanes-Oxley Act’s strangulation of small public companies in even more layers of red tape (“Relief…
Op-Eds
Jared Diamond and the Terrible Too’s
Full article available in pdf format Fred Smith's review essay of Jared Diamond's Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed in…
News Release
Government-Tobacco Cartel Challenged In Court
Washington, D.C., August 2, 2005—The Competitive Enterprise Institute on Tuesday filed a constitutional challenge to the 1998 tobacco settlement. The suit alleges…
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