Fellow in Regulatory Studies Ryan Young looks at the IRS’ proposal to save you time by doing your taxes for you. Because you would be liable for any of the IRS’ mistakes, you would still have to check over your return. This negates much of the time savings. It could also cost employers as much as $5 billion in increased reporting requirements. Then there is the conflict of interest between your collector also being your tax preparer.
Comments Off on CEI Podcast — December 28, 2010: IRS as Tax Preparer?
Posted in CEI Podcast, Economics, Taxation
Tagged irs, michelle minton, paye, regulation, return-free income tax, Ryan Young, tax, tax policy, taxes
CEI Policy Analyst Alex Nowrasteh goes over the good and the bad of the DREAM Act, which recently stalled in the Senate. The bill would have offered permanent residency to undocumented immigrants under age 16 if they meet several requirements over the next 6 years, such as graduating from high school, staying in good moral standing, and speaking English. Alex then offers some ideas for the next attempt at liberalizing America’s Byzantine immigration system.
Comments Off on CEI Podcast – December 21, 2010: What’s Next for Immigration Reform?
Posted in CEI Podcast, Immigration
Tagged alex nowrasteh, dream act, Immigration, immigration reform, immigreat
Michelle Minton, CEI’s Director of Insurance Studies, takes a whirlwind tour of alcohol regulations across the country. From Pennsylvania to Texas to Colorado, there are regulations at every turn. They do everything from raise revenue to tell people what products they can buy at what times, to shelter politically favored companies from pesky competition. In this way, alcohol is like most other sectors of the economy.
Comments Off on CEI Podcast – December 15, 2010: Alcohol Regulations Across the Country
Posted in CEI Podcast, Nanny State, regulation
Tagged alcohol, alcohol regulation, blue laws, cei podcast, michelle minton, prohibition, regulation
CEI Research Associate Brian McGraw talks about the federal government’s multi-billion dollar subsidies for ethanol, which is now dismissed even by environmental groups as an inferior alternative to gasoline. He also explains what lies in ethanol’s near future. Brian was also recently interviewed on RTV’s Thom Hartmann Show, which you can watch here.
Comments Off on CEI Podcast – December 8, 2010: What’s Driving Ethanol Subsidies
Posted in CEI Podcast, The New Religion
Tagged brian mcgraw, ethanol subsidies, thom hartmann
CEI Senior Fellow Greg Conko looks at the major provisions of the food safety bill that the Senate is voting on today. The bill would set in stone ever-evolving best practices. Changes to plant inspection and food recall policies are a mix of ineffectiveness and perverse incentives that could raise food prices. Overall, the FDA is too blunt an instrument to be effective on this sensitive issue.
Comments Off on CEI Podcast – November 30, 2010: Food Safety, Washington-Style
Posted in CEI Podcast, regulation
Tagged fda, food safety, food safety bill, Greg Conko, inspections, recall, safety legislation, usda
Baylen Linnekin, author of the recent CEI On Point “Extreme Refreshment Crackdown: The FDA’s Misguided Campaign Against Alcohol Energy Drinks” and contributor to the food regulation blog Crispy on the Outside, looks at the recent push to ban alcoholic drinks that contain caffeine.
Baylen believes that regulators are over-reacting. Alcohol energy drinks typically contain no more caffeine than a cup of coffee, and their appeal to underage drinkers is overstated.
Comments Off on CEI Podcast — November 23, 2010: The Crusade against Alcohol Energy Drinks
Posted in CEI Podcast, Nanny State
Tagged alcohol, alcohol energy drinks, alcohol policy, baylen linnekin, cei, cei podcast, crispy on the outside, four loko, four loko ban, joose, Nanny State, podcast
Associate Director of Technology Studies Ryan Radia gives his take on a Supreme Court case concerning California’s ban of violent video game sales to minors. Keeping such things away from children is traditionally a job for parents.
The case has implications that reach far beyond video games. Because censorship is such a subjective thing, allowing it could have a chilling effect on forms of expression from art to music to film. The First Amendment specifically prohibits the government from sanitizing culture. That is up to the people themselves.
Comments Off on CEI Podcast — November 15, 2010: Free Speech and Video Games
Posted in CEI Podcast, Free Speech, Technology
Tagged california, censorship, Free Speech, freedom of speech, ryan radia, scotus, supreme court, video games, violent video games
This week I switch from host to guest. Have a listen here.
Fellow in Regulatory Studies Ryan Young explains how an IRS proposal for mandatory certification of tax preparers would hurt consumers and taxpayers. It is one more example of how regulation can hurt competition. Large tax preparation firms would benefit at the expense of individuals and smaller firms who can’t afford the added regulatory burden.
Comments Off on CEI Podcast – November 11, 2010: Taxing New IRS Regulations
Posted in CEI Podcast, Economics, Media Appearances, regulation, Taxation
Tagged competing in washington, competition, h&r block, irs, marc scribner, ptin, regulation, Ryan Young, tax law, tax preparation, taxes
Myron Ebell, the Director of CEI’s Center for Energy and Environment, talks about the 2010 midterm election, what will happen in the lame-duck session, and the implications of two years of divided government.
Comments Off on CEI Podcast – November 4, 2010: Election Dissection
Posted in CEI Podcast, Elections, Political Animals
CEI’s Senior Fellow in Environmental Policy Ben Lieberman explains how new energy regulations affect every room in your house, from the basement to the bathroom to the kitchen and beyond.
Comments Off on New CEI Podcast – October 25, 2010: Regulating Every Room
Posted in CEI Podcast, regulation, The New Religion
Tagged ben lieberman, cei, cei podcast, energy efficency, regulation, saving energy, tradeoffs
Inertia Wins! 