CEI Daily Update

Issues in the News

1. ECONOMY

President Bush’s economic stimulus package gets mixed reviews.

CEI Expert Available to Comment: Vice President for Policy Wayne Crews on what a real stimulus package would look like:

“Genuine stimulus would consist of the liberalization of the economy from excessive regulations, interventions, and spending, and from political inflation of the money supply. It would maintain the conditions—legal order and stable institutions—within which wealth can be created, while recognizing that governments themselves do not create wealth. ”

2. LEGAL

The Supreme Court rules in cases on retirement investments and corporate fraud.

CEI Expert Available to Comment: Center for Entrepreneurship Director John Berlau on why the verdicts are good for investors:

“I'm pleased that in both LaRue and Stoneridge, the Court interpreted federal law correctly to allow legitimate lawsuits for clear breaches of fiduciary duties, but discourage frivolous suits that would drive up costs for the majority of investors.”

3. HEALTH

Compact fluorescent lightbulbs (CFLs) spark health concerns over the mercury they contain.

CEI Expert Available to Comment: Adjunct Analyst Steve Milloy on the special concerns associated with disposing of fluorescent lights:

“CFLs and all other fluorescent lightbulbs require special clean-up and disposal procedures because they contain small amounts of mercury, which is neurotoxic at sufficiently high exposures. For example, you’re not supposed to vacuum breakage or toss used bulbs in household trash. Despite these clean-up and disposal hassles, environmental groups, bulb makers and retailers relentlessly have promoted CFL use as a strategy for reducing electricity consumption and the power plant emissions allegedly causing global warming .”

Blog feature : For more news and analysis, updated throughout the day, visit CEI’s blog, Open Market.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

To contact a CEI expert for comment or interviews, please call the CEI communications department at 202-331-2273 or email to [email protected].