The Gulag Lives

Posted on September 20, 2011 | Comments Off on The Gulag Lives

As many as 200,000 people are currently imprisoned in concentration camps in North Korea. That’s about one percent of the population.

May those poor souls find a way out, and soon.

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Posted in International

An Economic Lesson in Comic Strip Form

Posted on September 20, 2011 | Comments Off on An Economic Lesson in Comic Strip Form

Prices aren’t just dollars and cents. Time, effort, hassle, standing in line, and driving across town also count. Click the image to enlarge. Original here.

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Posted in Economics

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Federal Register Near Record Pace

Posted on September 20, 2011 | Comments Off on Federal Register Near Record Pace

This year’s Federal Register is on pace to be 80,190 pages long. That’s an average of 220 pages of fresh proposed rules, final rules, notices, and more every single day.

If this pace keeps up, this year’s Register will make for slightly easier reading than 2010, which set a new record with an 81,405 adjusted page count.

Think about that for a second. 160,000 pages in two years. Even Stephen King couldn’t write that much. Amazing that so many people claim this or that part of the economy is unregulated. With 165,000 pages already in the Code of Federal Regulations and more coming every day, it just ain’t so.

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Posted in regulation

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Regulation Roundup

Posted on September 16, 2011 | Comments Off on Regulation Roundup

Here’s a fresh batch of regulatory bloopers:

  • Flirting is illegal in Haddon, New Jersey. (see § 175-12)
  • It is illegal to play cards on the street in Madison, Iowa.
  • In Haverbill, Massachusetts, it is illegal for women to wrestle.
  • It is a felony for bears to wrestle in Alabama.
  • You may now sit outside year-round in Stratford, CT if you like.
  • Talk about attention to detail. Massachusetts state law requires gift certificates to be valid for at least 7 years.
  • In Florida, it is illegal to release 11 helium balloons per day. 10 is ok, though.
  • Adams County, CO requires all male massage parlor workers to wear white shirts and white pants. Transparent clothing is expressly forbidden.

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Posted in regulation

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CEI Podcast for September 15, 2011: Solyndra

Posted on September 15, 2011 | Comments Off on CEI Podcast for September 15, 2011: Solyndra

 

Have a listen here.

Myron Ebell, Director of CEI’s Center for Energy and Environment, takes a look at the brewing Solyndra scandal. Solyndra is a company that makes solar panels and recently declared bankruptcy. In 2009, the federal government gave Solyndra a $535 million loan even though its own analysts predicted the company would go bankrupt in 2011. The company’s cozy relationship with political figures, including a major political donor with an investment stake, make the loan — and its low interest rate — look rather suspicious.

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Posted in CEI Podcast, Spending, Stimulus, The New Religion

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New Tone

Posted on September 15, 2011 | Comments Off on New Tone

Madison protester: “I have spilled beer on your head. Therefore, your argument is invalid.”

Stay classy.

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Posted in The Partisan Mind

On the Radio – Job Creation

Posted on September 15, 2011 | Comments Off on On the Radio – Job Creation

Just wrapped up a 20-minute interview on Jim Kearney’s Financial Spectrum show on WKXL 1450 in Concord, New Hampshire. We talked about job creation — more specifically, CEI’s 10-point job creation plan. I’ll post or link to an mp3 if I can get one.

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Posted in Economics, Media, regulation

New Math: Lobbying Edition

Posted on September 13, 2011 | Comments Off on New Math: Lobbying Edition

State and local governments across the country are looking for fat to trim from their budgets. One place many are considering cutting is lobbying the federal government. That particular expense has gone up sharply over the last decade:

The trend is clear: Spending on federal lobbying by municipalities and other nonfederal governments soared from $37.2 million in 1999 to $93.3 million in 2009, according to data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics. But that figure dipped slightly in 2010, and this year, it’s seems it will barely crack the $80 million mark.

One lobbying firm that gets a lot of its business from state and local governments would like to get that spending back up. That’s why it is running an ad claiming that “Lobbying is no 4-letter word.”

Correct. “Lobbying” is an 8-letter word.

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Posted in Economics, Public Choice, Spending

There Is Nothing Left to Cut

Posted on September 12, 2011 | Comments Off on There Is Nothing Left to Cut

Politico: CDC to Fight HIV with Comic Books

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Posted in Spending

Regulatory Roundup

Posted on September 9, 2011 | Comments Off on Regulatory Roundup

Here’s another batch of regulatory bloopers:

  • In Little Rock, Arkansas, it is illegal to honk your horn at a restaurant after 9:00 pm.
  • It has been illegal for men to walk dogs in public in Saudi Arabia since 2008.
  • Until 1975, wearing a swimsuit on a Kentucky city street without a police escort meant a fine of up to $25.
  • In New Jersey, you need a license to break eggs at work.
  • In Walnut City, California, cross-dressing is only allowed if you get a permit from the sheriff.
  • §10-1.2 of Honolulu’s city code makes it “unlawful to annoy any bird” in a public park.
  • In Naples, Italy, the law requires pizzas to be round.
  • It is illegal to play bingo while drunk in Kern County, California. Only sober people may play.

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Posted in regulation

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