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Cato Institute
The Fate of ‘Never Needed’ Regulations
Parking lots and parking garages have served for decades as venues for clandestine meetings in the movies and often in reality. In the early 1970s,…
Issues & Insights
Reviving Community Banking By Lifting Barriers To New Banks
Americans have far fewer banks to choose from than they once did. The American banking industry has consolidated, with the number of U.S. banks falling…
Blog
Yes, women had access to credit before 1974
March is Women’s History Month, a time to acknowledge and celebrate many “firsts” for women in public life. One of those “firsts” is the ability…
Search Posts
Op-Eds
Obama Administration = Waste, Corruption, Corporate Welfare
Rapidly-rising Medicare spending already threatens “to crush the federal budget,” and much Medicare spending is wasteful, yet the Obama Administration claims it…
Newsletter
Broadband Stimulus, Fiat Takes Over Chrysler and the UN’s World Oceans Day
Business and advocacy groups flood the Federal Communications Commission with comments on the agency’s proposed national broadband plan. Italian automaker Fiat…
News Release
Bank Chairman to Speak Out on Banking Crisis and Capitalism at CEI 25th Anniversary Gala
This Thursday evening John Allison, Chairman of BB&T Bank, will deliver the keynote address at the Competitive Enterprise Institute’s 25th Anniversary Gala. Allison will…
News Release
CEI Hails Supreme Court’s Freezing of Chrysler Bankruptcy
CEI Hails Supreme Court’s Freezing of Chrysler Bankruptcy Chrysler, GM bankruptcies on Collision Course with Constitution Washington, D.C., June 8, 2009— Statement of John…
News Release
Crushing, Hidden Tax of Federal Regulation Soars
Crushing, Hidden Tax of Federal Regulation Soars Lawmakers Fail to Scrutinize the "10,000 Commandments" of Federal Regulations Washington, D.C. June 3, 2009 – Federal…
News Release
CEI Praises Appeals Court for Halting Chrysler Bankruptcy
Kudos to the judges on the Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals for putting a stay on the Obama administration’s nationalization scheme for the bankruptcy…
Newsletter
Chrysler’s Future, GMO Foods and the New Black Panter Party
A federal bankruptcy judge clears the way for Chrysler’s sale to Italian automaker Fiat. The government of Zimbabwe bans the sale of genetically modified foods,…
News Release
Obama Should Respect Role of Bankruptcy Court, Judge Should Put Brakes on Government Motors
Washington, D.C. June 1, 2009—Statement by John Berlau, Director of CEI’s Center for Investors and Entrepreneurs: Last week, in nominating Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the…
Newsletter
Cybersecurity, Credit Cards and Hurricane Insurance
President Obama is expected to announce the appointment of a new cybersecurity czar. Credit card holders prepare for the changes recently passed by Congress. Congress…
Newsletter
Ethanol, Mortgages and General Motors
Efforts to subsidize ethanol production as a remedy to global warming hit resistance. The mortgage industry struggles to improve disclosure guarantees. Legal observers critique the…
Study
Ten Thousand Commandments 2009
Wayne Crews' annual accounting of the hidden taxes of regulation.
Op-Eds
Someone Has to Pay the Piper
As the cliché goes, the piper must be paid. And when the government decides that some folks are paying the piper too much,…
Newsletter
The Credit Card Bill of Rights, Chrysler’s Bankruptcy and Carbon Trading
President Obama signs the credit card “bill of rights” into law. A federal bankruptcy judge prepares to rule on Chrysler’s financial future. Carbon trading is…
Newsletter
Energy Rationing, Credit Cards and Car-Sharing in Maryland
The energy rationing bill sponsored by Reps. Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Ed Markey (D-MA) is approved by the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
News Release
New Credit Card Law Limits Consumer Choice, Leads to Less Credit, Higher Rates
Today President Obama signed a major new law regulating the credit card industry, a move that will likely hurt consumers. John Berlau, Director of CEI’s…
Newsletter
Unemployment Numbers, Mileage Rules and Computer Recycling
Unemployment reaches its highest level since 1983. President Obama announces an increase in auto mileage requirements for new cars. Computer giant Dell announces it will…
Op-Eds
I’m All Right, Barack: The Perils of a Nationalized Car Maker
President Obama’s takeover of General Motors is a disaster in the making. Not only is it bad for GM, it also sets terrible legal…
Op-Eds
Supreme Court To Hear Sarbanes-Oxley Challenge
A major government abuse of power is about to get much-needed scrutiny, thanks to the Supreme Court, which this week decided to hear…
Letters
Lehrer Response Letter to Federal Insurance Regulation Not a Panacea
Full Document Available in PDF To: Congressional Staff and Members From: Eli…
News Release
Supreme Court to Hear Challenge to Sarbanes-Oxley Accounting Board
The Supreme Court today announced it would hear a case brought by the Competitive Enterprise Institute and the Free Enterprise Fund challenging the constitutionality of…
Newsletter
Cap and Trade, Freddie Mac’s Losses and Hulu’s Success Story
Democrats push “cap and trade” global warming regulation in the House of Representatives. Housing giant Freddie Mac reports a $10 billion loss for the first…
Newsletter
Europe Investigates Intel, Obama Explodes the Deficit and Minnesota Jumps on the Banned Wagon
European antitrust officials prepare to rule in an investigation of Intel’s microchip marketing practices. The White House estimates that the deficit will explode to $1.8…
Newsletter
Chrysler’s Bankruptcy, Small Businesses Fight Back and New York’s War on Bottled Water
Financial analysts size up what Chrysler’s entrance into Chapter 11 bankruptcy means for customers and employees. Small business owners band together to oppose new union…
Newsletter
The War on Cockroaches, Consumer Credit Shrinks and the Future of Internet Gambling
New York State officials move to limit sale of anti-insect “bug bombs” to consumers. Economists chart a record drop in consumer credit. Rep. Barney Frank…
Op-Eds
Banks Aren’t Bridges
The logic of the recent bank stress tests seems unassailable — bridges may fail, so may banks. But bridges are physical constructs. Centuries of…
Newsletter
Chrysler’s Future, Chevron in Ecuador and Flex-Fuel Cars on the Road
A bankruptcy judge approves Chrysler’s request to start spending $4.5 billion in government loans. Ecuador sues Chevron for $27 billion over alleged environmental damage from…
Newsletter
Consumer Credit, Social Security and Swine Flu
The House of Representatives votes to limit credit card fees and interest rates. President Obama endorses raising Social Security taxes. Vice President Biden advises Americans…
Newsletter
Credit Card Rules, Obama’s First 100 Days and the Auto Bailout
The House of Representatives is expected to vote today on new regulations for credit card companies. Political observers judge the progress of Obama’s first 100…
News Release
“Credit Card Bill of Rights” Passed Today by the U.S. House of Representatives
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RealClear Markets
Fix Social Security, Ease the Credit Crisis
Remember the looming Social Security crisis? If you don’t, you’re not alone. The credit crisis and economic downturn have monopolized public attention to…
Financial Times
Fed’s policies contradict each other
Sir, Henry Kaufman frets that “libertarian dogma led the Fed astray” (April 28). Congress, not free-market ideology, is the real culprit. One reason…
Newsletter
Cybersecurity, Chrysler in Bankruptcy and Union Finances
A congressional investigation of security breaches at the Pentagon targets popular file sharing programs like LimeWire. After extensive bailout efforts, Chrysler moves to file for…
Financial Times
GM vs. GGP: Bankruptcy the Way It Ought to Be
On the surface, given the economic turmoil we’ve had, there was nothing that remarkable about the bankruptcy of shopping mall owner General…
Newsletter
Freddie Mac, Solar Energy and an Insurance Debate
The suicide of Freddie Mac’s Chief Financial Officer raises further questions about the company and the federal bailout program. Texas is poised to increase the…
Newsletter
Online Privacy, Credit Cards and Organ Donation
Members of the House Technology & Internet Subcommittee hear testimony on alleged abuses of consumer privacy by internet marketers. President Obama meets with credit card…
News Release
Statement on Obama Meeting with Credit Card Execs
Statement from John Berlau, Director of CEI’s Center for Investors on President Obama’s White House meeting with Credit Card Executives. Instead of meeting…
Newsletter
Bailout Power Grab, Abuse of Power in New York and Rising Sea Level Panic
White House economic advisers plan to convert government holdings in bailed out banks to common stock, increasing direct government control. New York State insurance chief…
Newsletter
Hemispheric Diplomacy, Greenhouse Gases and Anti-Tax Protests
President Obama attends the Summit of the Americas with other leaders from North and South America. The Environmental Protection Agency declares greenhouse gases to be…
Newsletter
CO2, Microsoft’s Antitrust Overseers and Anti-Tax Activists
The Environmental Protection Agency prepares to release a document that could require the federal government to regulate emissions of carbon dioxide. The Justice Department extends…
Financial Times
1,000,000 Tea Bags Find a Home
After park officials turned away Tea Party protesters' 1 million tea bags, the press conference was moved to the Competitive Enterprise Institute. We were happy…
News Release
April 15th Tax Burden Worsened by Hidden Taxes
April 15th Tax Burden Worsened by Hidden Taxes Americans Hit by Excessive Federal Regulations, Threatened by New Energy Rationing Washington, D.C., April 14,…
Newsletter
Somali Pirates, GM Executives and FDA Regulators
The U.S. military considers attacking Somali pirate bases. Treasury officials instruct General Motors to plan for bankruptcy. The Food and Drug Administration reconsiders its ban…
Newsletter
Banning Bottled Water, Remembering Jack Dreyfus and Greenhouse Gas Legislation
Activists campaign for college campuses to ban sales of bottled water. Legendary investor Jack Dreyfus passes away at age 95. Reps. Henry Waxman (D-CA) and…
Financial Times
Geithner promises repeat of Bush’s regulatory mistakes
Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner’s testimony before Congress last weekrightly angered a lot of conservatives, small-government leftists, libertariansand other friends of the free market. And Geithner’s…
Letters
Letter to Senators Dodd and Shelby, and Congressmen Frank and Bachus regarding National Regulatory Modernization
Full Document Available in PDF This letter written to Senators Dodd and Shelby, and…
Financial Times
Government’s Mistakes Have Deepened This Recession
Steven Gjerstad and Vernon Smith suggest one unexplored aspect of our financial crisis: the role of egalitarian policies. To see this, note…
Newsletter
Modified Mortgages, Unions Losses and Hurricane Insurance
The White House pushes mortgage companies to “modify” more home loans, while the number of defaults continues to rise. Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-AR) announces she…
Financial Times
Hoover’s Deficit Spending
William Hettinger [letters, April 3] rewrote history by falsely claiming that “President Herbert Hoover’s response” to the 1929 stockmarket crash “was to balance the…
Financial Times
The Late Jack Dreyfus Really Roared
Jack Dreyfus, the mutual fund pioneer who died March 27at 95, was known as "the Lion of Wall Street." And for decades, the…
Newsletter
G20 Stimulus, A Plan for Carbon Dioxide and Mark-to-Market Reforms
World leaders pledge to spend an additional $1 trillion to stimulate the global economy. Global warming activists call for policies to lower the concentration of…
News Release
Statement on the Progress of the London G20 Summit
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News Release
Statement on the Expected Vote to Relax Mark-to-Market, or “Fair Value,” Accounting Mandates
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Spectator
Obama’s Inauspicious Start
Newsletter
Countering Earth Hour, Mismanagement at Freddie Mac and Good News for Coal
Lights go out around the world in observance of “Earth Hour”. Regulators push mortgage giant Freddie Mac to…
Newsletter
A Reverse Tea Party, Geithner’s Insurance Plan and Trade War with Mexico
Environmental activists pour bottled water into Boston Harbor to protest “water privatization.” Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner proposes a vast expansion of federal regulation of financial…
Spectator
Geithner’s Power Grab: Not All Bad
Testifying before the House of Representatives today, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner asked for vast new powers to oversee banks, investment houses, hedge funds, and…
Spectator
Time to put an end to AIG’s misery
Sometimes, it seems like AIG’s crisis couldn’t get any worse. After all, what was once the world’s largest insurance company has already consumed…
News Release
CEI Analysis of Geithner Insurance Proposals
Testifying before Congress today, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will propose broad new federal oversight for a variety of financial services, including insurance. Analysts at the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a…
Newsletter
Carbon Tariffs, Union Organizing and Geithner’s Toxic Plan
The House Ways and Means Committee holds a hearing on the impact of global warming on international trade. Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) announces that he…
Spectator
Taxpayers Getting Hosed By The Collapse Of AIG’s Insurance Business
News Release
Collapse of Insurance, AIG Could Lead to Tax Hikes
The collapse of state-regulated insurance subsidiaries could result in a significant tax hike for nearly all Americans, warns an insurance policy expert with the Competitive…
Newsletter
Toxic Assets, NIMBYs and Fish Pedicures
Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner unveils a plan to sell off “toxic assets” as part of the federal bank bailout. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce launches…
Newsletter
Obama’s Debt, Wall Street Bonuses and the Economy vs. the Environment
A new congressional report estimates that President Obama’s spending proposals will produce over $9 trillion in debt. Debate continues over the plan to tax some…
News Release
CEI Statement on Latest Geithner Bailout Plan
CEI Comments on Latest Geithner Bailout Plan…
Spectator
Herbert Obama: Obama’s protectionism and tax increases compared to Herbert Hoover’s
Newsletter
Celebrating Human Achievement, Taxing AIG Bonuses and Cap and Trade in the Senate
Environmental activists encourage cities to celebrate “Earth Hour” by turning off lights for an hour on March 28th. The House of Representatives approves a 90%…
Newsletter
Beach House Bailout, Voting Rights and Trade War with Mexico
Congress to likely consider a controversial plan for taxpayers to subsidize disaster insurance in risk-prone states. Attorney General Eric Holder keeps quiet about the recent…
Newsletter
Turning Down Stimulus Dollars, Legal Malpractice and a “Socialist” President
A group of governors turn down federal stimulus funding for their states, citing the strings attached by Congress. The Supreme Court rules that drug maker…
Spectator
Obama and Dodd Hypocritical on AIG Bonuses
In response to public outrage, Obama is belatedly criticizing the millions of dollars in bonuses that AIG, which is being bailed by taxpayers…
Spectator
Obama and Dodd Hypocritical on AIG Bonuses
In response to public outrage, Obama is belatedly criticizing the millions of dollars in bonuses that AIG, which is being bailed by taxpayers…
Newsletter
Liar Loans, Rising Sea Levels and Gambling Online
Democrats in Congress quarrel over new bankruptcy rules for homeowners. Newspaper headlines claim that sea levels are rising twice as fast as before. Finance Committee…
Spectator
Bailouts for Liars, Illegal Aliens and Unjust Bonuses
The inept managers of the insurance giant AIG, which is being bailed out by taxpayers at a cost of over $170 billion, are using…
Newsletter
Obama’s Greenhouse Gas Plan, Accounting Rules for Economic Recovery and Science v. Politics
The Obama administration plans to dramatically lower greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. The House Financial Services Committee holds a hearing on the economic…
Newsletter
Stocks Rise, Fossil Felonies and Reforming Online Gambling
Stock values make their biggest one-day gains since last November. Congress considers a land management bill that could punish paleontologists and rock collectors with arrest…
Newsletter
A Fundamentally Weak Economy, Alternative Energy Mandates and Where Soros is Putting His Money
The White House budget director describes the U.S. economy as “fundamentally…weak.” Maryland’s governor proposes legislation to require greater use of alternative energy sources.
Spectator
Greening America – At What Cost?
Iain Murray explores the disasterously high costs of de-carbonizing America.
Newsletter
$75 Billion for Bad Mortgages, Card Check in Congress and Lowering Global Warming Expectations
The White House unveils the details of its $75 billion mortgage “rescue” spending package. Democrats in Congress push for changes in labor organizing rules. President…
Spectator
Speak out against ‘fishing expedition’
Sir, Kudos to former ambassador Faith Whittlesey for her valid points about the Obama administration exerting “raw Goliath power” and breaching a bilateral tax agreement…
Spectator
The Mortgage Entitlement Bailout: Even Worse Than You Think
Newsletter
Beer Taxes, the Beige Book and Drug Safety Before the Supreme Court
Oregon becomes one of the states seeking to raise new revenue by increasing taxes on beer. The Federal Reserve releases its…
Newsletter
Genachowski for FCC, Obama Meets with Gordon Brown and the Threat of a Carbon Tax
President Obama nominates technology advisor Julius Genachowski to head the Federal Communications Commission. British Prime Minister Gordon Brown visits the White House to discuss international…
News Release
Obama Foreclosure Plan Hurts Middle-Class Investors, Retirees
Contact: Cord Blomquist 202-615-0600 Obama Foreclosure Plan Hurts Middle-Class Investors, Retirees Washington, D.C. , March…
Spectator
A Tax to Weaken America
President Obama said last Thursday that he would not cut spending “on investments that will make America stronger.” He really meant that…
Newsletter
Obama’s Housing Plan, Privacy on Facebook and Fairness Doctrine 2.0
President Obama announces a $75 billion mortgage “rescue” plan. Changes to the terms of service on Facebook raise a ruckus among privacy activists. The White…
Study
The Truth About Online Gambling
Michelle Minton explores why government shouldn't treat gambling as if we lived in the Old West.
Study
Poker as a Game of Skill
Full document available in pdf It’s two minutes before the cards are…
Newsletter
Bottled Water Wars, Stimulus Disaster and Offshore Oil
Activists urge local governments to enact policies opposing the sale of bottled water. The Dow Jones Industrial Average drops dramatically as President Obama signs a…
News Release
Statement on Obama Foreclosure Avoidance Plan
Statement on Obama Foreclosure Avoidance Plan by John Berlau, Director of CEI’s Center for Investors and Entrepreneurs The new $75 billion foreclosure avoidance…
Newsletter
Stimulus Signing, Washington the Entrepreneur and California Emissions
President Obama prepares to sign the $787 billion federal stimulus package into law. Americans across the country celebrate the birthday of George Washington. The Environmental…
Spectator
Don’t Let Judges Tear Up Mortgage Contracts
The nation faces a foreclosure crisis of historic proportions, and there is an understandable desire on the part of the federal government to “do something”…
Newsletter
Stimulus Upon Us, Lethal Wildfires Down Under and Satellite Radio Takes a Hit
Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress reach a deal to spend $789 billion in taxpayer money on “economic stimulus.” The death toll from wildfires in…
Op-Eds
Don’t Punish the Shareholders, Too
In justifying a change of policy on negotiating corporate penalties, the new chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Mary Schapiro, stressed the…
Newsletter
Senate Stimulus, Geithner’s Banking Plan and a Florida Insurance Bailout
The Senate passes an $838 billion economic stimulus package. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner announces a new plan to revitalize troubled U.S. banks. Florida officials look…
Study
Let Credit Unions Lend More
Eli Lehrer makes the case for expanding credit union business lending, which would unlock otherwise idle capital and thereby help create jobs.
News Release
Public Interest Groups Unite to Oppose Stimulus
Competitive Enterprise Institute Senior Fellow Iain Murray will join representatives from the Council for Citizens Against Government Waste (CCAGW), the National Taxpayers Union and several other…
Newsletter
Stocks Drop, Thrift Stores Threatened and Spending Tobacco Money
Stock values drop as investors await the passage of an economic stimulus bill and the new rules and restrictions that it will come with. New…
News Release
Senate Approves Stimulus, Steps off Economic Cliff
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Newsletter
Stimulus Showdown, New SEC Rules and Obama’s Labor Pains
Aides on Capitol Hill prepare for negotiations between House and Senate versions of the economic stimulus bill. New Securities and Exchange Commission chair Mary Schapiro…
News Release
SEC Decision on Corporate Penalties Could Harm Investors
SEC Decision on Corporate Penalties Could Harm Investors Watchdog Group Urges Chairman Schapiro to Reconsider…
Newsletter
Stimulus Trade Wars, Smart Grids and Bank Nationalization
Lawmakers propose applying a “buy American” restriction to projects funded by the economic stimulus package. Energy companies lobby for subsidies for a national “smart” electrical…