John Stossel’s skepticism of government and his storytelling approach about free-market economics have made him a rock star in conservative and libertarian circles. He spoke at The Heritage Foundation on Wednesday about his new book, “No, They Can’t: Why Government Fails—But Individuals Succeed.” It is Stossel’s latest attempt to debunk the myths that government can solve America’s problems. He tackles everything from crony capitalism and federal regulations to teachers’ unions and gun control. “Our instinct is to believe in the central planners,” Stossel said in the interview. “It was nuts in the … More
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By Michael F. Cannon
My latest podcast, “IPAB: ObamaCare’s Next Constitutional Hurdle.” Podcast: ObamaCare’s Most Unconstitutional Provision Isn’t the Mandate. It’s IPAB. is a post from Cato @ Liberty – Cato Institute Blog
Podcast: ObamaCare’s Most Unconstitutional Provision Isn’t the Mandate. It’s IPAB. is a post from Cato @ Liberty – Cato Institute Blog
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Sen. John Barrasso earned the nickname “Wyoming’s Doctor” after working for 24 years as an orthopedic surgeon in Casper. Today he represents the state in the U.S. Senate and is one of the leading critics of Obamacare. More than two decades with patients gave Barrasso a firsthand glimpse of government’s involvement in medicine — and that was before President Obama signed his unpopular health care law in 2009. Last week Barrasso visited Heritage to share his concerns about the doctor-patient relationship and other side effects of Obamacare. “It seems every … More
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By Marian L. Tupy
The European politicians love to talk about the “huge” benefits of membership in the European Union. It is certainly true that the “single” market between the EU member states has brought tangible benefits, but those have been declining in importance as technological change made access to services and capital cheaper and easier, and trade liberalization [...]
The Egg on the EU’s Face is a post from Cato @ Liberty – Cato Institute Blog
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The Heritage Foundation recently released a paper titled Red Tape Rising: Obama-Era Regulation at the Three-Year Mark. The paper talks about the regulations that the Obama Administration has put in place that not only effect businesses, but also every citizen. Click here to join us right now for our “Lunch with Heritage” chat. We are joined by Diane Katz, the co-author of the paper, who is taking your questions about the paper, the new regulations, and how the excessive regulatory state affects you. Lunch with Heritage feat. Diane Katz Click … More
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By Ilya Shapiro
This blogpost was coauthored by Cato legal associate Chaim Gordon. On Tuesday, the Institute for Justice brought a lawsuit to stop recent IRS regulations that require independent tax return preparers to pay a yearly registration fee, take a competency exam, complete 15 hours of IRS-approved continuing education every year, and possibly subject themselves to mandatory [...]
Suing the IRS for Fun and Liberty is a post from Cato @ Liberty – Cato Institute Blog
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In this week’s Heritage in Focus, expert James Gattuso discusses the punishing increase in government regulations in 2011. Click here to listen. How far above trend was last year’s increase in the regulatory burden? How can Congress put a stop to agencies that are effectively legislating regulatory rules? And where should conservatives focus the fight to peel back some of the red tape? Click the link above to here James Gattuso answer those questions and more. To get regular updates on Heritage in Focus podcasts, visit our RSS feed or … More
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By Ilya Shapiro
The Massachusetts Uniform Securities Act prohibits general solicitation and advertising by anyone offering unregistered securities, ostensibly for the purpose of furthering state and federal disclosure schemes. Yet this ban on public communications has been applied so broadly that it has undermined those purported disclosure goals. For instance, the ban has prevented individuals who have no [...]
Why Is Massachusetts Trying to Ban Truthful Information About Hedge Funds? is a post from Cato @ Liberty – Cato Institute Blog
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We keep hearing that the economy is in a “jobless recovery.” What’s holding American companies back? Why aren’t they hiring more people? High taxes draw a lot of attention, and rightly so. They depress investment and discourage innovation. But escalating regulatory costs also undermine our economy. And small businesses, which fuel so much economic growth and hire so many people, often wind up particularly hard-hit by them. You don’t have to be a doctrinaire conservative to realize this. The Economist, the London-based news weekly – and a supporter of President … More
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Echoing the findings of The Heritage Foundation’s 2012 Index of Economic Freedom, the latest edition of The Economist sums up well the current status of America’s business environment: The home of laissez-faire is being suffocated by excessive and badly written regulation.… The problem is not the rules that are self-evidently absurd. It is the ones that sound reasonable on their own but impose a huge burden collectively. America is meant to be the home of laissez-faire. Unlike Europeans, whose lives have long been circumscribed by meddling governments and diktats from … More
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