MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'cato'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:56:31 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5169522&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F69TROv4uD_w%2F By Sallie JamesCongressional Quarterly reported on Monday [subscription required] that Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D, Calif.) has called for $20 billion worth of increased lending to U.S. manufacturers through a new targeted program of the Export-Import Bank of the United States (“the Ex-Im Bank”). Sen. Dianne Feinstein called Monday for a new initiative to promote lending to U.S. manufacturers in an effort to spur job creation and shrink the U.S. trade deficit. The California Democrat proposed authorizing the U.S. Export-Import Bank to use $20 billion of unobligated authority to lend directly to domestic manufacturing companies that are competing with foreign competitors subsidized by their own governments… Feinstein said her proposal would not be costly because of the offsetting collect... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5169522 Fri, 26 Aug 2011 22:13:09 +0100 5169522 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158954&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FEHThyrS5C9w%2F By Gene HealyMy Washington Examiner column this week is on Rick Perry’s 2010 book Fed Up! Stylistically, if Conscience of a Conservative is Merle Haggard, Perry’s manifesto is Lee Greenwood. Still, like Goldwater’s book, it contains some fairly radical ideas, coming from a top-tier candidate. As Ezra Klein puts it, the book’s big idea is that “most everything the federal government does is unconstitutional.” And, indeed, most of what it does is unconstitutional — no surprise to those familiar with Cato’s constitutional work. Still, it’s surprising to hear a major national candidate indict the New Deal, call Social Security “a Ponzi scheme,” and identify — correctly, I think — the combination of the 16th and 17th ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158954 Tue, 23 Aug 2011 18:59:10 +0100 5158954 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139684&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FY7qfzaXp3V4%2F By Caleb O. BrownThe mortgage interest income tax deduction is popular among homeowners (read: likely voters) despite its role in distorting housing and related markets, its contribution to the housing bubble and its enabling of additional household debt. Never mind that there isn’t much evidence that the deduction boosts home ownership in the United States. Consider also that the tax break largely benefits affluent homeowners living in expensive urban areas. As Mark Calabria notes in today’s Cato Daily Podcast, it’s well past time for the mortgage interest deduction to be replaced by lower marginal tax rates for all earners. End the Mortgage Interest Deduction is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139684 Thu, 18 Aug 2011 20:26:46 +0100 5139684 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139685&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FT-TKoQ0r31g%2F By Gene HealyFormer Catoite Chris Moody has a fun piece up on the Yahoo News site: “If elected president, Rick Perry could still jog with his gun.” If you haven’t heard the famous anecdote about Perry shooting a coyote during a gubenatorial jog in Austin last year, you can read about it Chapter Two of his book Fed Up! He praises federalism for giving the people of the several states the ability to elect leaders befitting the states’ respective characters: “in Massachusetts, they elect people like “Ted Kennedy, John Kerry, and Barney Frank repeatedly–even after actually knowing about them and what they believe!” He continues: “Texans, on the other hand, elect folks like me. You know the type, the kind of guy who goes jogging in the morni... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139685 Thu, 18 Aug 2011 19:15:30 +0100 5139685 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139702&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FWDjesNvZodg%2F By Jason KuznickiThis month’s Cato Unbound looks at the intersection of education, work, and gender, and asks: Are men in decline? As women have advanced in education, the workplace, and even politics, some fear that the emerging new economy—or perhaps some other factors—are dragging men down. We’ve all heard talk of the Mancession, and it’s well known that men are in the minority now on many college campuses. How long will the trend continue? Lead essayist Kay Hymowitz makes the case for male decline; Jessica Bennett, Amanda Hess, and Myriam Miedzian give reasons to be skeptical. Hymowitz replies to her critics. (Men, alas, were so far in decline that I couldn’t find a single one to write for this issue.) The conversation is just getting started, so be sure to ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139702 Tue, 16 Aug 2011 16:12:36 +0100 5139702 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5103326&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FuHWTMteFnt0%2F By Caleb O. Brown… which makes this video out of date by about 20 minutes, but it’s instructive nonetheless. U.S. Credit Rating Downgraded by S&P is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5103326 Sat, 06 Aug 2011 00:36:50 +0100 5103326 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5103327&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F-BjuA17mNl8%2F By Zachary GravesGet updates from Cato’s foreign policy scholars by following @CatoFP on Twitter. Cato Has a New Foreign Policy Twitter is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5103327 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 18:40:01 +0100 5103327 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069433&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FSnsANkDbsNY%2F By Michael F. CannonThe New York Times Magazine has a lengthy (and not entirely unflattering) feature on James O’Keefe, founder of Project Veritas.  Here’s what the profile says about Project Veritas’s ongoing string of Medicaid-fraud sting videos: It isn’t exactly a secret that some Medicaid money winds up in unqualified hands, but it was surprising to see how willingly minor officials turned a blind eye and, in some cases, even offered advice on how to game the system. Actually, it’s not just minor officials.  And when one understands Medicaid, it’s not surprising either. NYT Magazine: ‘Surprising…How Willingly’ Medicaid Officials Enable Fraud is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069433 Wed, 27 Jul 2011 18:19:07 +0100 5069433 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069436&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FdZtIG8KLKH0%2F By Michael F. CannonOn NPR this morning, I heard White House chief of staff Bill Daley say, “The president cannot usurp the power that’s in the Congress.” What a relief! Also, this: I don’t think the American people would find it appropriate for the president of the United States to defy the laws of the nation and its Constitution, without their belief that that president should be impeached. And this president isn’t going to do anything against the Constitution, against the laws of the United States of America. So if the president were to defy, say, the War Powers Resolution by ridiculously redefining “hostilities,” or if he were to defy the Constitution by signing a law that claims for Congress a power the Constitution does not grant (say, Obama... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069436 Wed, 27 Jul 2011 15:38:22 +0100 5069436 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069445&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F0-ABiphPEf0%2F By Gene HealyMy Washington Examiner column this week looks at the rush to score partisan points over the horrific slaughter in Norway last Friday. In it, I argue that blaming Al Gore for the Unabomber, Sarah Palin for Jared Loughner, or Bruce Bawer for Anders Breivik makes about as much sense as blaming Martin Scorcese and Jodie Foster for the actions of John Hinckley. In general, “invoking the ideological meanderings of psychopaths is a stalking horse for narrowing permissible dissent.” And right on cue, here’s today’s New York Times editorial on Breivik, decrying “inflammatory political rhetoric” about Muslim immigration in Europe: Individuals are responsible for their actions. But they are influenced by public debate and the extent to which that debat... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069445 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 19:01:43 +0100 5069445 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069449&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FBjcOn1sbcrE%2F By Michael F. CannonI’m a few days behind on this, but over at The Corner Yuval Levin has written an important post about how health care entitlements are the real cause of the debt crisis facing the federal government. Using Congressional Budget Office projections, Levin creates this magnificent chart, which I plan to steal over and over again: If Republicans want to conquer the federal debt, they need to embrace health policy like they embrace tax cuts. Health Care Entitlements Are the Real Debt Bomb is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069449 Tue, 26 Jul 2011 16:55:19 +0100 5069449 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028151&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FfZcv4U6Ao18%2F By Michael F. CannonUSA Today’s Kelly Kennedy is going to town on Medicare & Medicaid fraud.  Today, she writes: In California, as English-as-a-second-language Medicare recipients line up for other services, a person will approach them in line and “They’ll say, ‘The government would really like for you to have a wheelchair,’” said Julie Schoen, director of special projects for California’s Senior Medicare Patrol. Then, she said, the scammer will take the Medicare recipient to a “clinic” for an exam. The patient will often receive a wheelchair, but not a motorized wheelchair worth about $3,600 for which Medicare will be billed, Schoen said… “It’s a big problem,” Schoen said. “The scammers really know how to do ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028151 Wed, 13 Jul 2011 14:45:24 +0100 5028151 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028157&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F0mz-qkeeVw4%2F By Gene HealyMy Washington Examiner column this week is on the final flight of the Space Shuttle, and what looks to be the withering away of the manned space program. In 2004, President Bush announced plans for a moonbase and an eventual Mars mission. But last year President Obama effectively cancelled the moonbase, and has exhibited little desire to liberate Mars. That’s good news, I argue: “We are retiring the shuttle in favor of nothing,” Michael Griffin, Bush’s NASA administrator, wailed to the Washington Post recently. Here, as usual, “nothing” gets a bad rap. I’ll be “in favor of nothing” until the advocates of federally funded spaceflight can come up with an argument for it that doesn’t make me spray coffee out my nose. NAS... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028157 Tue, 12 Jul 2011 20:36:37 +0100 5028157 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008133&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FmFnpbYYYuyg%2F By Michael F. CannonOr at least, that’s what The Daily Caller says a Republican pollster says: A year may have passed since Obamacare passed, but conservatives are still angry as hell about it. Expect the legislation to play a large role in the 2012 elections, according to John McLaughlin, who recently conducted a series of focus groups for the research group Resurgent Republic. The group is run by some of the country’s best-known Republicans. “My guess it it’s going to be a big election issue next year,” McLaughlin said in an interview… When it comes to President Obama’s health care law among these voters, the perception of these voters has hardly changed: the intensity remains strong and they still want it repealed, McLaughlin said. ObamaCare‘s overall numbe... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008133 Fri, 08 Jul 2011 14:44:43 +0100 5008133 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008137&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fhi868lAU5aE%2F By Michael F. CannonMatt Yglesias writes: a new rigorous study from Oregon confirms that Medicaid does, indeed, save lives As The Atlantic‘s Megan McArdle writes: “This is exactly what the study does not find.”  Like McArdle, I read the study, and can confirm this.  Or perhaps Yglesias can direct us to the part of the study where he read that…. If Yglesias could see in this rigorous study something that isn’t actually there, does that mean there’s a chance that the motivations he assigns to ObamaCare opponents — they “want to deny life-saving medical care to the poor” — may not comport to reality either? More on Over-Interpreting the Oregon Medicaid Study is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-li... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008137 Fri, 08 Jul 2011 01:52:34 +0100 5008137 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008139&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F6jdRyezxVhw%2F By Michael F. CannonFrom their editorial the other day: There is no doubt that Medicaid… has to be cut substantially in future decades to help curb federal deficits. For cash-strapped states, program cuts may be necessary right now. But in reducing spending, government needs to ensure any changes will not cause undue harm to millions. How would the Times cut Medicaid spending? The magic of central planning! The best route to savings — already embodied in the reform law — is to make the health care system more efficient over all so that costs are reduced for Medicaid, Medicare and private insurers as well. Various pilot programs to reduce costs might be speeded up…. And if government were smart, rather than stupid, that would work. I’ve got a better idea for cutting Me... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008139 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:58:44 +0100 5008139 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008142&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F6usEuUaq3lA%2F By Michael F. CannonColumbia Business School economist Ray Fisman has a piece at Slate.com discussing the first-year results of the Oregon Health Insurance Experiment.  In brief, when Oregon transferred an average of $3,000 from taxpayers to poor people in the form of Medicaid coverage, it did those poor people some good. Fisman’s interpretation of the results is different from mine in mainly two respects.  First, I describe the one-year benefits of Medicaid coverage as modest; he says they’re “enormous.” A more fundamental difference concerns whether expanding Medicaid was a cost-effective use of the taxpayers’ money.  Fisman writes: Given the added expense, did the Medicaid expansion prove to be cost-effective? That is, did the treatment group actually... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008142 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:18:54 +0100 5008142 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4992658&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FyjJ8mYw5q7Y%2F By Gene Healy…that’s what former Cato policy analyst, Reason senior editor and now Huffington Post reporter Radley Balko reports: I’m in Monticello, Mississippi, this morning, where Circuit Court Judge Prentiss Harrell has just signed a plea agreement between Cory Maye and the state. Maye has plead guilty to a reduced charged of manslaughter, and has been resentenced to 10 years in prison, time he has already served. He’ll be sent to Rankin County for processing. He should be released and home with his family in a matter of days. Cory Maye’s is a story about a paramilitary-style drug raid gone grotesquely wrong, a cautionary tale about the human costs of the War on Drugs, and a lesson in how a dedicated investigative reporter can throw a wrench in the ever-grinding wh... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4992658 Fri, 01 Jul 2011 15:42:39 +0100 4992658 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4992663&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FWDPbtvqoKXw%2F By Michael F. CannonObamaCare expands coverage mostly by cramming tens of millions of Americans into Medicaid, about which the Government Accountability Office just released these data: Click here for the full Government Accountability Office report. That’s Not Healthy: the GAO on Medicaid’s Lousy Access to Care is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4992663 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 20:49:38 +0100 4992663 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4992664&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FVJ1uklflLnM%2F By Michael F. CannonFrom the June 2011 Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll (by “health reform” they mean ObamaCare): That’s Not Healthy: KFF Poll Results Not Kind to ObamaCare is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4992664 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 20:48:37 +0100 4992664 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4984424&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FtX8A0d1ktBg%2F By Caleb O. BrownSome smart folks have drawn strongly on the Fraser Institute’s Economic Freedom of the World Annual Report to put together a short video extolling the virtues of economic freedom. Enjoy! The Fraser Institute report is published in the United States by the Cato Institute. Economic Freedom is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4984424 Wed, 29 Jun 2011 15:53:45 +0100 4984424 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975829&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FRiV-GAJmBbo%2F By Michael F. CannonHere we have the spectacle of a former Republican Health and Human Services secretary getting rich by helping states implement ObamaCare. Leavitt Partners (among other consultants) is helping states create the law’s health insurance “Exchanges.” Or the non-ObamaCare-compliant health insurance Exchanges that will by law become ObamaCare-compliant Exchanges.  Via Politico: More than $300 million in exchange grants has already flowed into the states since the Affordable Care Act passed. That number will grow exponentially in the coming months, as states move from the initial steps of passing exchange legislation to the more lucrative task of setting them up. For health consultants and information technology vendors, it’s already shaping up to be a gold mine&#8... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975829 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 15:41:55 +0100 4975829 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975831&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FbzPa0WW5aBI%2F By Michael F. CannonThat’s the subject of my latest Kaiser Health News column: Obamacare passes two milestones this month. It has been exactly two years since the first version of the legislation appeared in Congress. And it has now enjoyed exactly two years of solid public opposition. Yet this month has been harsher than most. It is almost enough to make you feel sorry for ObamaCare.  Almost. For ObamaCare, June Has Been a Very Cold Month is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975831 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 14:29:49 +0100 4975831 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975832&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F95kWXhww15U%2F By Gene HealyMy Washington Examiner column this week is on TSA, the federal agency that’s its own reductio ad absurdum. In the latest TSA atrocity, the agency forced a wheelchair-bound, 95-year-old leukemia patient to remove her adult diaper, for fear she might be wired to explode. “It’s something I couldn’t imagine happening on American soil,” her distraught daughter told the press: “Here is my mother, 95 years old, 105 pounds, barely able to stand, and then this.” My God, what is she on about? Proper procedure was followed! As I point out in the column: in a classic case of “mission creep,” TSA is taking its show on the road and the rails. Remember when, pushing his bullet-train boondoggle in the 2011 State of the Union, President Obama cracked that it would... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975832 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 13:29:46 +0100 4975832 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975837&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FXx6o1w2QaFM%2F Discussion This Wednesday, 4:00 p.m. is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975837 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 16:25:14 +0100 4975837 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975844&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Ft0srfeWOuoo%2F By Randal O'TooleIn Gridlock, I argued that the next great improvement in human mobility will come not from rail transit or high-speed rail but driverless cars. Companies such as GM and Volkswagen have invested heavily in research and development of cars that can drive themselves, and I expected that they would soon begin lobbying state legislatures to change laws to allow such driverless cars on the road. As it turned out, the lobbying was done not by an auto company but by Google, which has tested driverless cars (developed by the same Stanford University engineers who designed Volkswagen’s driverless cars) throughout the state of California. Google decided Nevada would be a good state to start legalizing driverless cars, and last week the Nevada legislature agreed. By coincidence,... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975844 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 13:06:45 +0100 4975844 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952789&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FOk07p3xWv7g%2F By Michael F. CannonRemember how ObamaCare inadvertently kicked members of Congress out of their health insurance plans?  (Just kidding!  The Obama administration ignored that part of the law!) Well, today we learned that ObamaCare also inadvertently gives free health care to millions of middle-class Social Security recipients: President Barack Obama’s health care law would let several million middle-class people get nearly free insurance meant for the poor, a twist government number crunchers say they discovered only after the complex bill was signed. The change would affect early retirees: A married couple could have an annual income of about $64,000 and still get Medicaid, said officials who make long-range cost estimates for the Health and Human Services department. Up to 3 mil... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952789 Tue, 21 Jun 2011 19:26:38 +0100 4952789 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952794&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FII6rtUWA2_4%2F By Gene HealySo for three months now, we’ve been at war in a country that the president’s own secretary of defense admits is “not a vital interest for the United States.” Turns out, it’s also a war that the president’s own attorney general believes to be illegal. That’s what I get from Charlie Savage’s recent reporting on how the White House “forum-shopped” its way to its current position on the War Powers Resolution, to wit, you’re not engaged in “hostilities” if you’re hitting someone but they can’t hit you back. As the WPR’s 60-day deadline approached, the Pentagon’s general counsel and, more importantly, the head of the president’s Office of Legal Counsel, Caroline D. Krass, advi... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952794 Tue, 21 Jun 2011 15:26:01 +0100 4952794 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952812&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FBR5qQ-iEAFA%2F By Michael F. CannonSome quick hits from today’s health care news: As I predicted, the physicians lobby balks at ObamaCare‘s accountable care organization (ACOs) program, saying, obliquely: “Give us more money.” GOP presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty left AHIP members and some reporters confused about how a person can support ACOs but still want to repeal ObamaCare. He and they should have read my column on ACOs. Pawlenty also endorsed a public option when he said his Medicare reform proposal would preserve Parts A, B, and D.  He should have read my papers on a public option and Medicare reform (with Chris Edwards). Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) says he will fight “to the end” to keep low-income Americans dependent on lousy government health care pro... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952812 Fri, 17 Jun 2011 18:21:15 +0100 4952812 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934118&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FMYEXRd0k45I%2F By Michael F. CannonI ask this question in today’s Richmond Times-Dispatch: Virginia Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell…says Obamacare is unconstitutional and therefore illegitimate. Yet he has created a state commission to study whether Virginia should implement an illegitimate law. Since the answer does not appear self-evident to commonwealth officials, let’s walk through the reasons Richmond should refuse to create any new health-care bureaucracies. Didn’t this guy take an oath to support the U.S. Constitution? Why Is Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell Implementing ObamaCare? is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934118 Tue, 14 Jun 2011 20:30:45 +0100 4934118 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911454&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FaBikp1AvwVo%2F By Gene HealyI guess I should blush to admit that my Washington Examiner column this week focuses on “Weinergate.”  But who among us can resist snickering at a scandal this hilarious—who so sober and serious that they could ignore the crotch pic that launched a thousand puns? As I argue in the column, among all the horselaughs to be had, there are also lessons to be learned: There’s nothing wrong with enjoying a good old-fashioned political sex scandal. They’re entertaining, and they may even be edifying — reminding us that self-styled “public servants” are often less responsible, more venal, and just plain dumber than those they seek to rule. Some writers with whom I’m normally simpatico disagree. Doug Mataconis of Outside the Beltwa... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911454 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 13:56:19 +0100 4911454 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911455&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FKqSbv2XRftU%2F By Caleb O. Brown On June 12, 1967, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down bans on interracial marriage in more than a dozen states in the case of Loving v. Virginia. Today, the highest court in the United States may soon take on the issue of marriage equality for gay and lesbian relationships. Attorneys David Boies and Theodore B. Olson are hoping the case of Perry v. Schwarzenegger will further establish marriage as a fundamental right of citizenship. Also featured are John Podesta, President of the Center for American Progress, Cato Institute Chairman Robert A. Levy and Cato Executive Vice President David Boaz. Watch the full event from which many clips were pulled here and Robert A. Levy’s presentation here. The Constitutional Case for Marriage Equality is a post from Cato @ Liberty ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911455 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 12:52:04 +0100 4911455 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911462&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FoNZh6Abkf4E%2F By Jason KuznickiWhen can the executive lawfully kill? The rule of law itself depends on getting the answer right. Clearly that answer can’t be “never,” because then even defensive wars would be impossible. And it can’t be “whenever,” because that would be the very antithesis of lawful government. As F. A. Hayek wrote, “if a law gave the government unlimited power to act as it pleased, all its actions would be legal, but it would certainly not be under the rule of law” (p. 205). The answer must be “sometimes”—but which times are those? In wartime? In peacetime? Against aliens? What about citizens? What role do the courts play? And what about the legislature? In answer to these questions, Cato Unbound lead essayist Ryan Alford draws on the Anglo-American constitutional... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911462 Tue, 07 Jun 2011 15:12:38 +0100 4911462 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893392&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FSupFXbwS5V8%2F By Michael F. CannonThat’s the title of my latest Kaiser Health News column. Excerpts: Obamacare‘s number-one idea for improving health care quality and reducing costs is to promote something called “accountable care organizations” in Medicare. That effort is sinking like a stone, because it – like the rest of this sweeping law – is premised on the fatal conceit that government experts can direct the market better than millions of consumers making their own decisions… The only way to improve quality while reducing costs is to give patients the incentive and the power to say “no” to inefficient providers. The Medicare reforms that passed the House don’t go as far as they should, but they are a good start. For one thing, they would do a... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893392 Fri, 03 Jun 2011 16:47:43 +0100 4893392 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893395&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FViJgaSkD9x8%2F By George Scoville “PBS used to ask, ‘If not PBS, then who?’ The answer now is: HBO, Bravo, Discovery, History, History International, Science, Planet Green, Sundance, Military, C-SPAN 1/2/3 and many more.” “The fiscal problem that is destroying U.S. economic confidence is not the fiscal balance, however. It is the level of government expenditures relative to GDP.” “The Pentagon’s first cyber security strategy… builds on national hysteria about threats to cybersecurity, the latest bogeyman to justify our bloated national security state.” “How ‘secure’ do our homes remain if police, armed with no warrant, can pound on doors at will and, on hearing sounds indicative of things moving, forcibly enter and search for evide... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893395 Fri, 03 Jun 2011 16:07:34 +0100 4893395 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893399&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FAGhq6fZl69g%2F By Michael F. CannonSome tidbits from the health care policy world: Philip Klein is perhaps too kind to the Obama administration’s latest defense of ObamaCare in “Obama solicitor general: If you don’t like mandate, earn less money.” The Obama administration launches a hospital payment reform effort that, rather than promote high-quality, low-cost medical care, will demonstrate once again why Medicare is incapable of such. The physicians lobby, having thrown its support behind ObamaCare with the expectation that Congress would jack up Medicare’s physician price controls, is still begging Congress to do so. The Obama administration launches a lame effort to reduce medical errors in Medicaid, decades after markets devised far more powerful deterrents. That&#82... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893399 Fri, 03 Jun 2011 15:08:34 +0100 4893399 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893409&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FHSX6Xx0svkY%2F By Michael F. CannonIndiana learns just how much flexibility states have when administering federal health care programs. A Medicare pilot program bearing a striking resemblance to ObamaCare‘s “accountable care organization” program turns out to be a flop. Newsflash: Medicare’s Soviet-style price controls get the prices wrong. From This Morning’s Health Care News is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893409 Thu, 02 Jun 2011 15:59:41 +0100 4893409 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893412&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FhYNofFwwjrM%2F By George Scoville Few GOP presidential candidates have proposed specific budget cuts. “Peace is in the interest of Taiwan, China, and the U.S. … But the U.S. should view continuing arms sales to Taipei as perhaps the best means to maintain stability and peace across the Taiwan Strait.” Market liberalization has transformed newly independent states that formerly comprised Yugoslavia. President Obama is simply the new standard-bearer for the bipartisan contempt for constitutional limits on power. Cato chairman Robert A. Levy makes the libertarian case for marriage equality: Thursday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893412 Thu, 02 Jun 2011 15:08:11 +0100 4893412 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4883557&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FWkpgfn881yw%2F By Jim HarperThis weekend, New York Times op-ed columnist Ross Douthat wrote a piece full of common sense thinking about immigration control and the E-Verify federal background check system. “Common sense”—or “what most people think”—is an interesting thing: When generations of direct experience accumulate, common sense becomes one of the soundest guides to action. Think of common law, its source deep in history, molded in tiny increments over hundreds of years. Common law rules against fraud, theft, and violence strike a brilliant balance between harm avoidance and freedom. When most people lack first-hand knowledge of a topic, though, common sense can go quite wrong. Such is the case with ”common sense” in the immigration area, which is not a pro... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4883557 Tue, 31 May 2011 17:28:25 +0100 4883557 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4872059&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FWnb5aAt27lM%2F By Jim HarperThe Patriot Act extension passed by Congress this week did not become the law of the land. It is void and without effect. So may argue some future defendant whose conviction rests on evidence gotten under Patriot Act powers during the extended period Congress sought to establish in the bill it passed this week. President Obama is at a meeting in Europe, so he had the bill signed by auto-pen. Representative Tom Graves (R-GA) has written a letter inquiring of the president whether he was presented the bill and truly intended to sign it. Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution says: Every Bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, shall, before it become a Law, be presented to the President of the United States; If he approve he shall sign it, but ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4872059 Fri, 27 May 2011 19:50:12 +0100 4872059 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4872062&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FUybl8BQy8rI%2F By Caleb O. Brown If Senate leaders believed that expiring portions of the Patriot Act constituted an immediate increase in the risk of terrorism, it’s amazing that they waited until now to even nod toward debating the law’s renewal. A few thoughts from Cato Research Fellow Julian Sanchez on the current Patriot Act debate ripped from today’s podcast: … Democrats have had no interest in pointing out how closely President Obama has followed the playbook written by George (W.) Bush. And of course Republicans are the ones who helped write that playbook, so they don’t have much interest in revisiting it. On Section 215 of the Patriot Act: It seems extremely likely from what we know so far that this business records authority has been transformed into a large-scale ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4872062 Thu, 26 May 2011 21:32:50 +0100 4872062 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4872070&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FygGpOWnMfZM%2F By George Scoville Former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty received an “A” grade from Cato in 2010 (PDF) for his fiscal record in Minnesota, but in terms of national fiscal policy, he hasn’t gone far enough on ethanol subsidies. Regarding North Korea, “the United States should indicate its willingness to rethink its commitment to nonproliferation if the North continues its nuclear program. Maybe it would be better if South Korea and Japan were able to defend themselves than keeping them forever reliant on the United States and keeping America forever entangled.” Why is the federal government involved in state and local transportation issues? “Regulating, restricting, or eliminating [oil futures markets] would not bring prices down or make them more predic... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4872070 Thu, 26 May 2011 14:50:20 +0100 4872070 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862509&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F3XLKKkQF-xs%2F By George Scoville DON’T FORGET: Today at 2:00 p.m. Eastern at Cato, former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty will detail specific spending cuts Congress can make as it tries to rein in the size and scope of the federal government in “Limiting Government: What Washington Can Learn from Minnesota.” Tune in at our live events hub, or watch on Facebook. It’s not low taxes that caused the Greek crisis, but high spending. A new Internal Revenue Service account reporting rule would drive out foreign capital. A defense budget that does not force trade-offs assumes the United States can take on any mission, and that all are necessary. If the Affordable Care Act is so great, why are so many people seeking waivers? Wednesday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institu... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862509 Wed, 25 May 2011 16:00:32 +0100 4862509 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862515&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fhu_TAotJGc0%2F By George Scoville “Vouchers and tax credits differ from one another in important ways, and Pennsylvanians deserve to have their representatives consider them one at a time.” “So, if the Supreme Court’s precedents defer to Congress’ assessments of its powers, but Congress is relying for ‘constitutional authority’ on the Supreme Court’s precedents, then NO ONE is actually looking at the Constitution itself to see if a bill is within Congress’ enumerated powers.” “Carbon dioxide, thought to be a significant cause of the warming of surface temperature since the mid-1970s, is currently the respiration of the world’s economic civilization. Getting rid of it isn’t as simple as banning CFCs and switching to another refrigerant.... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862515 Tue, 24 May 2011 15:23:20 +0100 4862515 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4852843&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F-miUoPAPrsM%2F By George Scoville Please join us this Wednesday, May 25 at 2:00 p.m. Eastern for a Policy Forum with former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty, “Limiting Government: What Washington Can Learn from Minnesota,” with opening remarks from Cato founder and president Edward H. Crane. Governor Pawlenty received an “A” grade on Cato’s biennial “Fiscal Policy Report Card on America’s Governors: 2010,” by Cato director of tax policy studies Chris Edwards. Complimentary registration is required of all attendees by noon Eastern tomorrow, Tuesday, May 24–seating is limited and not guaranteed. If you cannot join us in person, please join us on the web for a live video stream of the event. Washington’s use of tax dollars to strong-arm states into ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4852843 Mon, 23 May 2011 14:23:45 +0100 4852843 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4847943&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FP-3JYByf26g%2F By George Scoville How to identify as a leftist totalitarian. How to reinforce the status quo in the Middle East peace process. How to learn and understand the Founders’ intent for the United States. How to save billions of dollars annually and reduce the deficit: Friday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4847943 Fri, 20 May 2011 17:02:17 +0100 4847943 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841433&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FmYoiRBgTDyI%2F By George Scoville “Consistent bets for higher oil prices in futures markets have not been particularly lucrative.” “The vast, swaying bulk of America’s military has absolutely nothing to do with effectively combating terrorism—including the large land armies that we deploy to Muslim countries in efforts to destroy and then reconstitute their states.” “‘Poking and prodding’ is what good government does to perfect strangers. And that’s what the Obama administration has been doing, with unusual zeal, for the past 2 1/2 years.” The Cato 2011 State Legislative Guide is designed to help state policymakers free their constituents from the burden of overextended government and addresses unfunded pension liabilities, ballooning Medicaid enr... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841433 Thu, 19 May 2011 14:29:22 +0100 4841433 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841437&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FLrWEFtQ-Q3Q%2F By George Scoville Next up for marriage equality: Perry v. Schwarzenegger. Please join us at 12:00 p.m. Eastern today as co-counsels for the plaintiffs Theodore Olson and John Boies join Center for American Progress president John Podesta and Cato chairman Robert A. Levy for a panel discussion on marriage equality, exploring legal and moral questions dating back to the landmark 1967 Loving v. Virginia decision that ended state bans on interracial marriage. If you cannot join us here at Cato, please tune in to watch a live stream of the event. “Republicans have an opportunity for a much more important debate, which will frame the election campaign next year.” In President Obama’s next speech, Cato director of foreign policy studies Christopher Preble hopes “that the ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841437 Wed, 18 May 2011 14:29:53 +0100 4841437 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841441&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fh83wI2sGJyQ%2F By George ScovilleThe free market needs and deserves a moral defense. Cato senior fellow Tom G. Palmer delivers part of that defense, regarding economic profits, in a new video: This is an installment in a series entitled “The Morality of Free Enterprise,” a joint project of the Atlas Economic Research Foundation, where Palmer serves as the vice president of international programs, and the John Templeton Foundation. Palmer is also the director of Cato University; so if you’d like to hear more from him, we hope you’ll register today and join us July 24-29 in historic Annapolis, Maryland for our annual summer seminar on political economy. Students may also apply for a scholarship. The Morality of Profit is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cat... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841441 Tue, 17 May 2011 18:02:35 +0100 4841441 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841442&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FFZ_BziKOzgc%2F By Gene HealyMy DC Examiner column this week focuses on Barack Obama’s transformation into our National Noodge, nudging, shoving, poking and prodding Americans into healthier lifestyles via the powers of the federal government. A year ago, the New York Times got all excited about the “new age of regulation” the administration was busy ushering in. The president had elevated “a new breed of regulators”: folks like regulatory czar Cass Sunstein, who wants to “nudge” Americans toward healthier consumption choices, and CDC head Thomas Frieden, who, as NYC health commissioner, proclaimed ”when anyone dies at an early age from a preventable cause in New York City, it’s my fault.” Today’s column tracks how this killjoy crusade is playing out: Quitti... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841442 Tue, 17 May 2011 17:56:35 +0100 4841442 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841443&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FO4r24SkVpT4%2F By Michael F. CannonAn excerpt from my latest Kaiser Health News column: Mitt Romney’s reversals on abortion, gay marriage, gun control, campaign finance and immigration leave one with the impression that when Mitt Romney is with you, he’s with you. At least until he leaves the room…. Romney once said, “I would be happy to take credit” for ObamaCare. As he should: Romney bears as much responsibility for ObamaCare as any Democrat. Now he wants to repeal it. This absurd attempt to have it both ways is turning Romney into a laughing stock. The longer he drags it out, the more oxygen he will suck out of the effort to repeal ObamaCare. Along the way, I explain why every distinction he tries to draw between RomneyCare and ObamaCare falls flat. Sit Down, Mitt, You... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841443 Tue, 17 May 2011 16:46:08 +0100 4841443 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841445&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FQ7Si-UIh_C4%2F By George Scoville Why are we still in Iraq? Despite the world’s greatest nation-building efforts, things in Bosnia are still getting worse. Vouchers offer parents more choice in education than they currently have, but education tax credits are still better at helping the poor. Although federal courts have already held parts of current National Security Letter statutes unconstitutional, we still have a way to go in restoring civil liberties in the post-9/11 era. While Osama bin Laden has been dispatched, we still have many issues to navigate in our national security strategy. Please join us on Facebook at 12:30 p.m. Eastern today, where Cato legal policy analyst David Rittgers, who served three tours in Afghanistan with Army Special Forces, receiving an Army Commendation Medal with &... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4841445 Tue, 17 May 2011 14:32:32 +0100 4841445 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4828859&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FO3uaghfl2zE%2F By George Scoville It is false to assume that GM’s earnings report means the auto bailout was a success. It is false that, among other things, failing to raise the debt limit means defaulting on our obligations. It is false that Osama bin Laden’s death means torture is a good idea. It is false that international institutions can deliver what they say they can deliver. It is false that oil speculators are to blame for fluctuating oil prices: Monday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4828859 Mon, 16 May 2011 14:01:40 +0100 4828859 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4820816&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fs5F2-yW5J2I%2F By Cato Editors Despite GM’s recent profitability, the auto bailout was a bad idea. A parent fixing a nutritious lunch is a better way to combat childhood obesity than the school taking pictures of what children eat. Spending cuts for an increase in the debt ceiling are a step in the right direction — but they need to be real spending cuts. Please join us Tuesday, May 17, 2011 for a Book Forum on Peddling Protectionism: Smoot-Hawley and the Great Depression, featuring the author Douglas A. Irwin, Professor of Economics, Dartmouth College; with comments by Daniel Griswold, director of Cato’s Herbert A. Stiefel Center for Trade Policy Studies. Complimentary registration is required by noon, eastern, Monday May 16, 2011. We hope you can join us in person, or online. Frid... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4820816 Fri, 13 May 2011 15:24:43 +0100 4820816 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4820826&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F6tT30BHY84k%2F By Cato Editors Is saving 1,315 people 12 minutes a day worth $196.5 million? You don’t need a PLAN when you have Twitter. The EPA, the price of copper, and the car you drive. GM has had a few profitable quarters. The federal government still needs to divest from the auto industry, even if taxpayers take an immediate hit. Thursday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4820826 Thu, 12 May 2011 17:27:52 +0100 4820826 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4813245&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FGSv73gL_4_A%2F By Michael F. CannonDefending ObamaCare in federal court yesterday, the Obama administration’s acting solicitor general, Neal K. Katyal, peddled the widely discredited claim that the uninsured increase your and my health insurance premiums by $1,000: “When people self-finance their health care,” Katyal contended, “that raises the cost of health care overall by $43 billion a year, and that raises the average family’s premiums by $1,000 a year. That will price untold numbers of people out of the market.” That estimate comes from two left-wing groups, Families USA and the Center for American Progress Action Fund. When President Obama himself made this claim, FactCheck.org reported: [Obama] said ”the average family pays a thousand dollars in extra premiums to pay for pe... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4813245 Wed, 11 May 2011 17:47:04 +0100 4813245 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4813247&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FQIAEIqrRJ1s%2F By Cato EditorsOn immigration, the president offers mostly nice words, not much else. The debate about the debt ceiling is important—take the time to get it right. When it comes to defense appropriations, it is worth keeping in mind that restraining ambition is the first step in sensibly trimming military spending. There is no empirical evidence that national standards improve educational outcomes. The tax code is not an appropriate tool for social engineering, despite bipartisan attempts to use it for that purpose. Wednesday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4813247 Wed, 11 May 2011 16:55:42 +0100 4813247 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4813248&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FjvfxlWlE_Rw%2F By Gene HealyOver at the American Conservative, I have a review of Eric Posner and Adrian Vermuele’s new book Executive Unbound: After the Madisonian Republic. Funny enough, the working title for my book on presidential power was “Executive Unbound,” but P&V have a very different take on the dangers of concentrating power in the executive (they coin the term “tyrannophobia,” for irrational fear of executive abuse). From the review’s intro: The New York Times book editors assigned their review to the Straussian political philosopher Harvey Mansfield, the self-styled expert on “manliness” who’s as rabid a supporter of the imperial presidency as you’re likely to find. In the late Bush era, Mansfield wrote a 3,000-word Wall Street Journal op-ed, ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4813248 Wed, 11 May 2011 16:30:24 +0100 4813248 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4813255&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FQDY0pPdVFzs%2F By Michael F. CannonUSA Today reports on a new Obama administration study: On average, uninsured families can pay only about 12% of their hospital bills in full. Families with incomes above 400% of the poverty level, or about $88,000 a year for a family of four, pay about 37% of their hospital bills in full, according to the Department of Health and Human Services study. Oy, where to begin? This is pre-existing conditions all over again.  In the hope of saving ObamaCare from the gallows, the Obama administration is blowing a real but relatively small problem way out of proportion. The best data indicate that the problem of the uninsured not being able to pay their medical bills is real but relatively small.  “Uncompensated care” for the uninsured accounts for just 2.8 percent of he... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4813255 Tue, 10 May 2011 21:59:25 +0100 4813255 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4813261&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FgthDeVoDu5Y%2F By Cato EditorsA new Cato study answers the critics of comprehensive immigration reform. National unity is highly overrated — and not a founding principle of the United States. Yet more wasteful expenditures by HUD. The U.S. needs to limit its role in Afghanistan, and its bilateral relationship with Pakistan. Tuesday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4813261 Tue, 10 May 2011 17:37:31 +0100 4813261 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4803036&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F6pAu_68M63w%2F By David BoazWhat’s harder to get into than Harvard? The Cato Institute summer internship. Harvard just announced that “an all-time low of 6.2 percent of applicants were offered admission to the Harvard College Class of 2015, beating records for the sixth consecutive year.” Harvard’s acceptance rate is slightly lower than the rate at Princeton, Stanford, and Columbia. But not lower than the Cato summer internship rate! Cato’s incoming interns survived an application process more selective than Ivy League universities, with about 4 percent of applicants offered an internship. The process is a little less competitive for Fall and Spring internships, and we encourage students to check out the application deadlines for those upcoming classes. Also note: There are ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4803036 Mon, 09 May 2011 16:36:13 +0100 4803036 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4803039&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FqXpBUf4v2wY%2F By Cato Editors If you are a nonlawyer looking to understand what is going to be argued in the appellate courts regarding the health care legislation in the coming weeks, beginning with the Fourth Circuit in Richmond VA tomorrow, start right here. Just how libertarian is the 2012 Republican field? The U.S., not China, walks the green walk. Please join us Tuesday, May 10, at 4:00 p.m. for a Book Forum on America’s Allies and War: Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq, featuring the author Jason W. Davidson, Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Mary Washington; with comments by Charles Kupchan, Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations and Professor of International Relations, Georgetown University; moderated by Christopher Preble, Director of Foreign Policy Studies... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4803039 Mon, 09 May 2011 15:54:54 +0100 4803039 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4794845&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FLtTVgl6snHg%2F By Michael F. CannonYesterday, I reluctantly dinged House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) and House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) for veering off-message after bravely introducing and winning House passage of badly needed Medicare reforms.  Each said ill-advised things to the media that undermined the long-term goal of Medicare reform.  I even emailed some colleagues, “Why can’t they stay on-message, as they have with ObamaCare?” As if on cue, it appears that House Ways & Means Committee chairman David Camp (R-MI) may have outdone both Cantor and Ryan.  Huffington Post reports that Camp used the word “dead” to describe the effort to repeal ObamaCare. I know, I know, he probably only meant that repeal is dead in this Congress.  Yes, yes,... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4794845 Fri, 06 May 2011 15:19:27 +0100 4794845 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4789205&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FFgLH6AQ1AE0%2F By Michael F. CannonThat’s the title of my latest Kaiser Health News column.  An excerpt: The budget blueprint passed last month by House Republicans… would encourage states to cut their Medicaid rolls. As it should: the evidence shows there are millions of people enrolling in Medicaid who don’t need taxpayer subsidies to obtain coverage, and experience shows that Medicaid cuts will not be as painful as you might think…. The president and the Republicans agree that balancing the federal budget is impossible without restraining Medicaid spending. That will be much easier, Mr. President, if we could stop pretending that every single Medicaid enrollee needs to be there. Read the whole thing here. Yes, Cut Medicaid – It Won’t Be as Painful as You Think is a post f... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4789205 Thu, 05 May 2011 20:06:25 +0100 4789205 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4789212&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FegUkuPSLl0Y%2F By Michael F. CannonThis morning’s tempest-in-a-teapot concerns an internally inconsistent and now-corrected Washington Post story that claimed House Republicans had abandoned the badly needed Medicare reforms contained in the budget plan they passed the other week. The original headline read: “Medicare dropped from GOP budget proposal,” even though the article clearly states, “[House Majority Leader Eric] Cantor [R-VA] said, he would press for all the provisions in the Ryan proposal, including changes to Medicare and Medicaid.”  The Post has since changed the headline to: “Budget talks: Republicans offer to seek common ground with Democrats.” The confusion appears to stem from comments such as these by Cantor and House Budget Committee Paul Ryan... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4789212 Thu, 05 May 2011 14:40:51 +0100 4789212 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4789213&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FQMFyD7iBVog%2F By David BoazLast Thursday must have been Hayek Day. In the morning was the release of the rap video, “Fight of the Century: Keynes vs. Hayek Round Two.” And then in the afternoon a distinguished panel convened in the Cato Institute’s F. A. Hayek Auditorium to discuss Hayek’s great work The Constitution of Liberty, just released in a new definitive edition by the University of Chicago Press. The forum was moderated by Cato fellow in social thought Ronald Hamowy, who edited the new edition. Panelists were Hayek’s intellectual biographer and editor of The Collected Works of F. A. Hayek, Bruce Caldwell; the brilliant legal scholar Richard Epstein; and the hedge-fund billionaire and Open Society Foundations founder George Soros. (Find video and transcript here; ea... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4789213 Thu, 05 May 2011 14:27:31 +0100 4789213 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4789218&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FmFbW55VdKsw%2F By Michael F. CannonOver at The Incidental Economist, Austin Frakt challenges a couple of claims I made on NPR about Medicare reform.  (Here’s how NPR reported my comments in print.) My claims are pretty simple. If Medicare subsidizes enrollees by giving them a fixed amount of money, much like Social Security does, they would be more cost-conscious than they are under the current open-ended subsidy, because enrollees who avoid wasteful spending would themselves get to keep the savings.  Put more plainly, people spend their own money more carefully than they spend other people’s money. Health insurers and health care providers would compete to serve these cost-conscious Medicare enrollees on the basis of both cost and quality.  Prices would fall while quality improves. I&... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4789218 Wed, 04 May 2011 22:07:37 +0100 4789218 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4789223&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fj0oEcTlXCrY%2F By George Scoville Osama bin Laden’s death gives us a chance to end what might have become an era of permanent emergency and perpetual war. The Cold War ended–what are we doing in Korea? Two cheers for President Obama for ending eight (well, three) tax breaks to oil companies. Does Osama bin Laden’s death mean an end to U.S.-Pakistan relations? Please join us next Tuesday, May 10 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern for a Cato Book Forum on America’s Allies and War: Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq, by University of Mary Washington political scientist Jason W. Davidson. Council on Foreign Relations senior fellow and Georgetown University international relations professor Charles Kupchan will join Professor Davidson in a discussion of the book and its themes, particularly U.S. relation... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4789223 Wed, 04 May 2011 14:52:52 +0100 4789223 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4780295&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Frgl-wP5da0Q%2F By George Scoville “Given America’s large-scale, long-term nation-building mission in Afghanistan, another chapter remains unfinished.” “It doesn’t make a lot of sense to refer to a government whose intelligence service assists military efforts by al Qaeda and the Taliban against U.S. troops in Afghanistan as an ‘ally.’” “Terrorists are not superhuman.” “Physicians must either make up for this shortfall by shifting costs to those patients with insurance — meaning those of us with insurance pay more — or treat patients at a loss.” Is America in a libertarian moment? Tuesday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4780295 Tue, 03 May 2011 14:51:15 +0100 4780295 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4775370&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FYvMDTozGfdc%2F By Jason KuznickiIn the 1970s, economists and demographers worried about the “population bomb” — world population was exploding, and many doubted there would be resources enough for everyone. At least two schools of thought emerged. One held that population needed to be curbed through public policy — perhaps coercively. The other school, always a minority view, held that human beings themselves were “the ultimate resource” — a phrase coined by economist Julian Simon. On this view, more people would mean more productivity and more creative minds brought to the task of providing for the species. Since then, conditions have changed dramatically and in ways no one predicted. World population growth slowed at a pace far beyond what anyone thought possible, even in countries that d... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4775370 Mon, 02 May 2011 17:25:55 +0100 4775370 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4775373&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FIn343nt1Z4k%2F By George Scoville Habeas corpus applies to anyone, citizen or not, in custody under American law, no matter what President Bush and President Obama decree. House Republicans’ cuts to the Department of Education, which will spend over $70 billion next year, didn’t even amount to $1 billion. “Regardless of whether Pakistan gets its way, its impudence in pushing Afghanistan to abandon America exposes the real balance of power in the region.” “It doesn’t make a lot of sense to refer to a government whose intelligence service assists military efforts by al Qaeda and the Taliban against U.S. troops in Afghanistan as an ‘ally.’” Here are five ways to cut military spending today without changing our strategic focus: Monday Links is a post f... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4775373 Mon, 02 May 2011 14:29:08 +0100 4775373 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4775375&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F9dVCgzRb50o%2F We examined the role of the Internet in Middle Eastern freedom movements at a Cato on Campus event a few months ago.) Few beyond the kids that made their way to the White House Sunday night believe that bin Laden’s death mean it’s “over” for al Qaeda and terrorism. Indeed, a key question is whether bin Laden’s death will give the U.S. and its allies an upper hand against terrorism, and for how long. In this, the issues are the same as they have always been. As we noted in the introduction to the Cato book, Terrorizing Ourselves: “Terrorists have motivations, there is a strategic logic to their actions, and examining these things can reveal strategies that frustrate and dissipate their efforts.” The killing of bin Laden begs the question: How, and ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4775375 Mon, 02 May 2011 12:23:17 +0100 4775375 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4762746&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F23_CKqjvSp8%2F By Ilya ShapiroA few readers have now asked me about the “libertarian” reaction to yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling that allows companies to use boilerplate contract provisions that require consumers to arbitrate any disputes individually rather than coming together as a class action for arbitration purposes (let alone being able to bring claims into court).  That is, where an individual claim isn’t worth that much money (about $30 in yesterday’s case of AT&T Mobility v. Concepcion), no lawyer will take the case and so only by having a class file collectively, the argument goes, will justice be served. The ruling broke down 5-4 on “conventional” lines, with an opinion by Justice Scalia, joined by the Chief Justice and Justices Kennedy, ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4762746 Thu, 28 Apr 2011 18:28:39 +0100 4762746 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4762748&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fm2ox-QbWvY4%2F By Daniel GriswoldThe U.S. Commerce Department just released its initial snapshot of first-quarter economic growth this morning. The new news is that economic growth slowed to 1.8 percent, a disappointing rate that will do nothing to shrink unemployment. The old news is that the report continues to label rising imports as a “subtraction” from gross domestic product (GDP). According to the prevalent Keynesian view, rising imports depress economic growth by causing domestic demand to “leak” abroad. Every good or service we import is one less that must be provided by U.S. workers, or so the thinking goes. Note the final, highlighted sentence in this passage from today’s report: The increase in real GDP in the first quarter primarily reflected positive contributions from personal con... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4762748 Thu, 28 Apr 2011 15:03:44 +0100 4762748 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4762750&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FoAmWM9B0Sjo%2F By George Scoville Gary Johnson: the anti-Trump. Interventionists to the left. Interventionists to the right. There ain’t no such thing as free… parking. Vermont has a new universal health care proposal on the table. Michael Cannon joined WAMU’s The Diane Rehm Show (Washington, DC) yesterday to discuss the plan with a panel of other experts: Thursday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4762750 Thu, 28 Apr 2011 14:18:33 +0100 4762750 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4758740&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FAL-eC2nmqmc%2F By George Scoville New research suggests that there has been more monetary and macroeconomic instability since the Federal Reserve’s inception than in the decades preceding it. New thinking about the usefulness of government programs will help us from restore fiscal balance and economic well-being in America. New geopolitical circumstances should make us wonder: why are we still a part of NATO? New Deal-era jurisprudence may soon be overturned as challenges to the Affordable Care Act reach the U.S. Supreme Court. New means of funding public roads will increase efficiency by confronting drivers with the costs of using them, and reducing congestion: Reminder: If you’re in the DC area, please join us this Friday at 4:00 p.m. Eastern for a special sneak preview of Free or Equal a... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4758740 Wed, 27 Apr 2011 15:01:48 +0100 4758740 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4753664&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FM-da7bJjngI%2F By Michael F. CannonI’ve been meaning to write about how ObamaCare’s unelected rationing board — innocuously titled the Independent Payment Advisory Board — is yet another example of the Left leading America down the road to serfdom.  (Efforts to limit political speech — innocuously called “campaign finance reform” — are another.) As Friedrich Hayek explained in The Road to Serfdom (1944), when democracies allow government to direct economic activity, the inevitable failures lead to calls for a more authoritarian form of governance: Parliaments come to be regarded as ineffective “talking shops,” unable or incompetent to carry out the tasks for which they have been chosen. The conviction grows that if efficient planning is to be done, the directi... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4753664 Tue, 26 Apr 2011 20:54:12 +0100 4753664 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4753672&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FO98ldZBeOgI%2F By Gene HealyBack in 2002-03, when France opposed going to war in Iraq, conservatives spared no venom for the country some called “Our Oldest Enemy.” In retrospect, though, France was a better friend to us then than she’s been in our ongoing Libyan debacle. As the bombing began last month, the LA Times ran a piece showing that French bellicosity (yes) had been instrumental in dragging the US to war: Earlier in the week, French papers reported that when Sarkozy asked [Secretary of State] Clinton to come out more forcefully in favor of action in Libya, she replied, “There are difficulties” and refused to be drawn out further. “Frankly, we are completely puzzled,” a French diplomat told one of his European counterparts. “We are wondering if Liby... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4753672 Tue, 26 Apr 2011 15:22:21 +0100 4753672 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4747599&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fhwji2Oqv4oo%2F By George Scoville “Sadly, in Egypt’s case, a freely elected civilian government may prove powerless in the face of the deeply entrenched and well-organized military.” “Washington politicians from both parties, and bureaucrats, have for decades successfully decreased our freedom and liberties as they have regulated more and more of our lives, including our retirement.” “The Ryan proposal correctly focuses on achieving debt reduction through spending cuts, but this very gradual debt reduction schedule is a weakness that could lead to its downfall.” “Nearly two years ago Sen. McCain, along with Senators Graham and Lieberman, was supping with Qaddafi in Tripoli, discussing the possibility of Washington providing military aid.” Cato media fello... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4747599 Mon, 25 Apr 2011 15:03:50 +0100 4747599 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4742369&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fmq6NodllV4s%2F By Gene HealySo it turns out that, per CBO’s numbers, the “epic” budget showdown didn’t even produce enough cuts to pay for a week of bombing Libya. On that subject, as I noted last week, the Obama administration’s Office of Legal Counsel recently released its memo arguing that our Libyan adventure is constitutional. And that memo is one sorry piece of work. Over at the Washington Examiner’s “Beltway Confidential” blog, I’ve been commenting on various aspects of the OLC memo, and I thought I’d link to some of that discussion here. Recently, I addressed two of the OLC’s arguments: (1) that what we’re doing in Libya isn’t “war”; and (2) that the 1973 War Powers Resolution gives the president a 60-to-90-day “free ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4742369 Fri, 22 Apr 2011 16:49:34 +0100 4742369 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4734045&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FtrxxuK8nkII%2F By John SamplesThe Obama Administration seeks to mandate disclosure of campaign spending by government contractors. They wish to do so by an executive order.  The draft of the order may be found here. The draft order presents one procedural and several substantive issues. The procedural question concerns consent. Congress and the Federal Election Commission have refused to enact versions of the proposed mandate. The President proposes to do by fiat what Congress refused to do and the FEC has refused to do in implementing Citizens United. The President claims his authority to issue the mandate from the Constitution and the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act. Yet he cites no specific part of either the Constitution or that law so citizens are left to guess why the president ha... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4734045 Thu, 21 Apr 2011 16:18:01 +0100 4734045 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4734046&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FHARaQeQERsI%2F By Caleb O. BrownThe Institute for Humane Studies Learn Liberty project continues to offer clear-headed analysis in video form. The latest effort features Ben Powell of Suffolk University explaining the concept of concentrated benefits and diffuse costs in the context of ongoing budget fights. Cato recently produced two short videos on complementary aspects of the budget fights. For a more detailed treatment of many aspects of public choice, get your free (cheap!) copy of Cato’s excellent book, Government Failure: A Primer in Public Choice. Public Choice and Spending Cuts is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4734046 Thu, 21 Apr 2011 14:07:15 +0100 4734046 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4734047&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FvoPyCqGdCOY%2F By George Scoville Higher deficits and debt mean we must confront entitlements and re-think the way government insurance creates perverse incentives that increase our dependence. Higher gas prices have nothing to do with Wall Street speculators. Higher polemics against limited government aren’t going to restore our fiscal sanity. Higher taxes on soda will have little, if any, effect on our waistlines. Please join us one week from tomorrow, on Friday, April 29 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern for a special sneak preview of Free or Equal, a documentary from Free to Choose Media. In this one-hour film, Cato Senior Fellow Johan Norberg retraces Milton Friedman’s steps from the trailblazing 1980 documentary Free to Choose to see how economic liberalization has transformed societies around the w... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4734047 Thu, 21 Apr 2011 13:44:51 +0100 4734047 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4734056&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fa_GIYYw-QrM%2F By Michael F. CannonReporters at PolitiFact.com have used me as a resource half a dozen times or so when fact-checking something someone said about health care reform. Sometimes we disagree about where the truth lies, but I’ve always been happy to help. That changed recently, and I should let PolitiFact’s reporters know why. At the end of each year, PolitiFact sifts through the many claims its reporters have deemed untrue and selects one to be their Lie of the Year. The Lie of the Year award is easily PolitiFact’s biggest publicity-generator. In 2009, they picked Sarah Palin’s “death panels” claim. In 2010, they picked the claim that the new health care law is a “government takeover” of health care. Looking at those two Lies of the Year together brought a couple of things h... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4734056 Wed, 20 Apr 2011 16:42:57 +0100 4734056 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4734057&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fd627w2ecRJ8%2F By George ScovilleWhen we launched our popular iPhone application last October, we obviously underestimated the number of Android-carrying libertarians in the world. But thanks to Twitter and Facebook, we heard your requests loud and clear. We are very proud and excited to announce the release of Cato Mobile, available for FREE download in the Android Marketplace. Additionally, we updated our iPhone application so you can share your favorite items to Twitter and Facebook right from the palm of your hand, powered by Socialize. These applications are your way of staying up to date, wherever you are, with everything that’s happening at Cato Institute. From handheld access to this blog or op-eds penned in major publications by our experts, to listening to the latest Cato Daily Podcast or... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4734057 Wed, 20 Apr 2011 16:10:17 +0100 4734057 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4734058&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FOTvW8AKCpvs%2F By George Scoville “Collective bargaining gives unions the exclusive right to speak for covered workers, many of whom may disagree with the views of the monopoly union.” “Which two have done more to improve your life — Thomas Edison and Steve Jobs, or Barack Obama and Nancy Pelosi?” “A temporarily frozen debt limit could instead signal U.S. lawmakers’ resolve to get our fiscal house in order. It may even reassure investors about long-term U.S. economic prospects.” “What makes Americans exceptional is our ornery resistance to being bossed around.” Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) spoke recently at a Cato forum on fiscal policy about the CAP Act–here’s an excerpt of his remarks: Wednesday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty -... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4734058 Wed, 20 Apr 2011 15:16:36 +0100 4734058 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4734063&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FOJ5BsPWZczg%2F By George Scoville Please join us this Thursday, April 21 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern for a book forum and debate on “green energy” policy, following the recent release of the Cato book The False Promise of Green Energy. On Thursday, University of Alabama Professor of Law and Business Andrew P. Morriss (one of the book’s authors) and Center for American Progress Vice President for Energy Policy Kate Gordon will debate the merits of the “green” economic agenda, moderated by Cato Institute Senior Fellow Jerry Taylor. Complimentary registration is required of all attendees by noon TOMORROW, Wednesday, April 20. We hope you can join us in person and for the reception following the event–if you cannot attend in person, we hope you’ll tune in online or on Faceb... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4734063 Tue, 19 Apr 2011 14:29:37 +0100 4734063 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4723790&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fqe59_xBEk1A%2F By George Scoville Regulatory privilege is not consistent with competitive markets–that’s why Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac need reform. Thank goodness the U.S. Supreme Court found that education tax credits are not consistent with the fictitious notion of a “tax expenditure.” President Obama’s budget plan is not consistent with either his own deficit commission’s plan or the Constitution. The modern “Executive State” is not consistent with Article II of the Constitution. Cyberbullying laws are not consistent with the First Amendment and our concept of free speech: Monday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4723790 Mon, 18 Apr 2011 14:12:59 +0100 4723790 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4719882&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F8cM-DqmEp10%2F By George Scoville Penalizing millionaires won’t help President Obama get re-elected, but partnering with Republicans on corporate tax reforms and spending cuts would boost the economy — and his prospects. Of course, both Republicans and President Obama will have to stop pretending to cut defense spending if either want the economy to recover. Chasing the energy independence white rabbit isn’t helping much, either. Soaking the rich definitely won’t work. When you look back at the grueling [sic] debate over an underwhelming $38 billion in spending cuts, you realize the fight was never about cutting spending–it was over how much to grow the size and scope of government: Friday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4719882 Fri, 15 Apr 2011 16:57:51 +0100 4719882 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4714716&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FYt3CADRA5Ds%2F By Caleb O. Brown President Obama and Congress have agreed to cut $38 billion in federal spending, right? If you go by so-called “budget authority,” that may be true. But real spending cuts come when you actually cut real spending, not “budget authority.” Outlays in fiscal year 2011 will likely be considerably higher than last year’s outlays. That means the spending cuts advertised by President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner are laughably fraudulent. Learn more at downsizinggovernment.org. Video produced by Caleb O. Brown and Austin Bragg. Obama/Boehner’s Phony Spending Cuts is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4714716 Thu, 14 Apr 2011 22:08:58 +0100 4714716 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4714726&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fnj_4KnPBahk%2F By George Scoville One thing is clear after President Obama’s speech yesterday: He envisions a smaller national debt, but a much bigger government. One percent is better than nothing, but it’s still pretty close to nothing. One thing is clear about climate change: it’s causing a rising tide of red ink in Washington. See the forthcoming book Climate Coup: Global Warming’s Invasion of Our Government and Our Lives and join us for the accompanying book forum, featuring MIT meteorologist Richard Lindzen and American Meteorological Society fellow Bob Ryan, on Wednesday, May 4 at 4:00 p.m. Eastern. Complimentary registration is required of all attendees by 12:00 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday, May 3. If you cannot join us in person, we hope you’ll watch live online. One can... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4714726 Thu, 14 Apr 2011 14:23:25 +0100 4714726 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4709192&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F1d48imqwYoY%2F By George Scoville “Whatever your views on climate change, you ought to find it unsettling that, here and elsewhere, most of the actual ‘law’ in this country is crafted by unelected executive-branch bureaucrats.” “The Framers’ Constitution freed us, to make our own individual choices.” “The world’s dictators are fleeing for their lives, all because of Secretary Clinton’s efforts.” “Total spending jumped by almost $2 trillion during the Bush-Obama spending binge, so a $39 billion cut is almost too small to mention.” The Founders would agree with the idea that “it should be hard to get into wars and easy to leave them“: Wednesday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4709192 Wed, 13 Apr 2011 14:48:36 +0100 4709192 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4704625&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FmHm_xNboeSc%2F By George Scoville A bombing campaign by either Israel or the United States would rally the Iranian people to support an otherwise unpopular and incompetent regime. What else will it take to rally the so-called fiscal hawks to the cause of reducing spending, balancing the budget, and averting national bankruptcy? Senator Franken’s Pay for War Resolution is a superficially a step in the right direction; but when it comes to war, the Senate could probably easily rally a 60-vote supermajority to override any offset requirements. It should be easy to rally around Paul Ryan’s Medicare choice plan, since seniors will lose benefits in the long run anyway. Tax reform proposals are rallying back on both sides of the aisle–will any of them stick? Tuesday Links is a post from Cat... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4704625 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 14:37:23 +0100 4704625 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4704627&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F37Y-u-NanmY%2F By Gene HealyThat’s the topic of my Washington Examiner column this week. In it, I discuss last week’s budget battle and the failure of “policy riders” designed to rein in the Obama EPA’s attempts to regulate greenhouse gases without a congressional vote specifically authorizing it. The Obama team believes it has the authority to implement comprehensive climate change regulation, Congress be damned. Worse still, under current constitutional law–which has little to do with the actual Constitution–they’re probably right. Thanks to overbroad congressional delegation, “the Imperial Presidency Comes in Green, Too.” At home and abroad, the legislative branch sits on the sidelines as the executive state makes the law and wages war, despi... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4704627 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 12:59:32 +0100 4704627 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4704634&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FsBl_kbwv8fI%2F By Daniel GriswoldTomorrow morning the U.S. Commerce Department will release its monthly report on U.S. exports, imports, and the trade balance. That’s a safe bet, barring some unforeseen calamity. An almost equally safe bet is that if the trade deficit in February shrank, it will be hailed as good news for the economy, and if the deficit grew, it will be greeted as bad news. Either way, the consensus will be wrong. As I explain in a Cato study released today, the prevailing creed that “Exports are good, imports are bad,” and therefore a rising trade deficit is a drag on the U.S. economy, is wrong in theory and in practice. The creed is wrong in theory because imports do not “subtract from growth in GDP,” as a simplified version of Keynesianism would lead us to believe. In fact, ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4704634 Mon, 11 Apr 2011 17:26:16 +0100 4704634 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4693268&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F6wmiI_d5htU%2F By George Scoville “Now the United States is a party to a civil war.” The United States v. Comstock decision didn’t really change the course of Necessary and Proper Clause doctrine. Collectivism fails the test of human reality. “For post-Cold War America, military adventures forever beckon — and their lessons are quickly forgotten.” Cato Daily Podcast host Caleb Brown spoke with the junior Senator from Tennessee yesterday about his CAP Act legislation: Friday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4693268 Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:45:02 +0100 4693268 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4684260&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FR4kmVtI45Ts%2F By Michael F. CannonIt's not an easy period for major media organizations, what with all this creative destruction revamping that sector of the economy.  So the Washington Post Co. couldn't help but be pleased when it received a $570,000 bailout from ObamaCare's Early Retiree Reinsurance Program.  That program allows the Obama administration to run up the national debt another $5 billion by doling out cash to corporations that provide retiree health benefits.   The CBS Corporation received more than $720,000.  General Electric, a part owner of NBC Universal, Inc., cleared nearly $37 million. Since The Washington Post, CBS News, NBC News, and MSNBC have now received subsidies (the latter two indirectly) from this very controversial law, their reporters should disclose that fact to thei... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4684260 Thu, 07 Apr 2011 18:05:21 +0100 4684260 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4684263&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FQPvbHPrpY8g%2F By George Scoville DON'T FORGET: Our fiscal policy conference, "The Economic Impact of Government Spending," featuring Senators Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah), former Senator Phil Gramm (R-Tex.), Representative Kevin Brady (R-Tex.), and other distinguished guests, begins at 2:00 p.m. Eastern today. Please join us on the web--you can watch the conference LIVE here. Atlas Shrugged Motors presents the Chevy Volt. The parable of the Good Samaritan teaches us about the moral value of voluntary charity toward the needy--it says nothing about using coercive government programs of the modern welfare state. It is not the role of the Court to rewrite laws for Congress. The failed "war on drugs" has reshaped our budgets, politics, laws, and society--and for what? Thursday Links is a pos... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4684263 Thu, 07 Apr 2011 14:50:14 +0100 4684263 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4684274&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FCEIDqKmv1ug%2F By George Scoville It's time for a little less hubris. It's time for a government shutdown. It's time to stop shooting ourselves in the foot. It's time for an adult conversation on the federal budget, and Chairman Ryan's plan is a good start. It's time to rethink our strategy in Afghanistan: Wednesday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4684274 Wed, 06 Apr 2011 14:46:04 +0100 4684274 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4684278&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FM-AHhGfm6-Y%2F By George Scoville Republicans have a big opportunity to undo Obamacare and reform Medicaid and Medicare all at once. It's a good thing, too, because we're facing a big debt crisis and if we don't change course, federal spending will crest 42% of GDP by 2050. There's also a big elephant in the room in an excessively complicated tax code. One has to wonder if the Republicans intend to put the big sacred cow of defense spending on the table. Unrelated to the budget, education choice proponents scored a big victory in the U.S. Supreme Court yesterday in ACSTO v. Winn, a decision that upheld education tax credits: Tuesday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4684278 Tue, 05 Apr 2011 14:13:52 +0100 4684278 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4676761&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FnQEjtLnxHgw%2F By Jason KuznickiThis month at Cato Unbound we're discussing a practical, everyday issue -- parking! Yes, Cato Unbound is supposed to cover big ideas, deep thoughts, and the like, but parking policy is both important in its own right and also points to what I consider a very interesting problem: Given a theoretical or abstract commitment to free markets, well, how do we get there in the real world? What would a free-market policy look like in this or that issue area? The answer isn't always obvious, and the map isn't the territory. Parking is interesting in this respect and possibly helpful. Parking is all around us, most of us deal with it every day, and the unintended consequences of parking policy are I think maybe easier to see than the unintended consequences in other fields. Parking... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4676761 Mon, 04 Apr 2011 15:00:10 +0100 4676761 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4676762&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fuv0ru12imco%2F By George Scoville "One of the first rules of negotiating is never to threaten to do something unless you are prepared to do it." Policymakers and pundits assume the U.S. is so dominant that we're prepared to fight multiple fronts at once, and that it won't affect our security. Candidates for office should prepare to raise money, not rely on taxpayer subsidies. More market liberalization could help prepare Japan for any other natural disaster. Are Tea Party-backed Republicans prepared to go the distance on spending cuts? Monday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4676762 Mon, 04 Apr 2011 14:42:02 +0100 4676762 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4670094&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F9bK1ZnQsJGQ%2F By Christopher PrebleI have an op-ed in Politico today that explores what I call President Obama's power problem, a common theme in my work (my book is now in a Kindle edition!). Simply stated, when a country has more military power than it needs to defend itself and its core interests, it will expand its definition of "the national interest." This will, in turn, lead it to intervene militarily in places and disputes that have no connection to the country's security. That certainly has been the pattern for the United States for at least the last two decades. The problem is nicely encapsulated in the famous exchange between Madeleine Albright and Colin Powell, which Powell recounted in his memoir. Madeleine Albright, our ambassador to the UN, asked me in frustration “What’s the po... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4670094 Fri, 01 Apr 2011 15:04:31 +0100 4670094 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4670095&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FesbVSDUr5i4%2F By George Scoville They passed the bill, and now we're finding out what's in it. We're finding out that the war in Libya could really be about protecting European interests. In Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand described a world in which government both partly produced and partly subsidized goods; we're finding out she wasn't far off the mark. We're finding out that "American exceptionalism" is a cloak for military adventurism. The longer America fights a war on drugs, the more we find out about how detrimental it is to our fiscal outlook: Friday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4670095 Fri, 01 Apr 2011 14:45:22 +0100 4670095 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4664152&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FgmJwZ_hLORU%2F By George Scoville The Obama Doctrine fails to address the limitations of Washington's attempts to shape foreign conflicts. The 2012 Republican presidential field has thus far failed to produce a small-government conservative. FREE E-BOOK: Government Failure: A Primer on Public Choice is available for reading and download (PDF) for a limited time on our website. Republicans and Democrats are quibbling over a measly $61 billion in spending cuts--that's a failure of leadership. Under the failing status quo, Big Sugar wins, and Joe Taxpayer loses. Ian Vásquez, director of Cato's Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity, joined C-SPAN's Washington Journal to talk about the failure of foreign aid: Thursday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4664152 Thu, 31 Mar 2011 14:36:18 +0100 4664152 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4658363&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FnqJ1fuLjTRo%2F By Michael F. CannonA couple of people have asked me about a comment David Rivkin made at Cato's recent conference on the first anniversary of ObamaCare. Rivkin is representing the 26 states suing to overturn ObamaCare in Florida v. HHS, the case in which a federal judge declared ObamaCare unconstitutional and void. In his most recent ruling in that case, Judge Roger Vinson allowed the Obama administration to keep implementing and enforcing the law, in part because the fact that most of the plaintiff states are also implementing the law "undercut" their request that he stop the Obama administration from doing so.  I (and others) have been urging states to follow the lead of Republican governors Rick Scott (FL), Sean Parnell (AK), and Bobby Jindal (LA) by refusing and returning all Obama ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4658363 Wed, 30 Mar 2011 17:55:00 +0100 4658363 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4658365&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FDOoaNeXsr-o%2F By George Scoville Please join us on Thursday, April 7 at 2:00 p.m. ET for "The Economic Impact of Government Spending," featuring Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN), Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX), former Sen. Phil Gramm, former IMF director of fiscal affairs department Vito Tanzi, and Ohio University economist and AEI adjunct scholar Richard Vedder. We encourage you to attend in person, but if you cannot, you can tune in online at our new live events hub. The last time we saw a green energy economy was in the 13th century. This isn't quite what we meant by "defense spending." For a refresher, see this itemized list of proposed cuts that could save taxpayers $150 billion annually. "Prosperity reigns where taxes are low and right to work prevails." In case you missed it last Friday, che... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4658365 Wed, 30 Mar 2011 15:32:15 +0100 4658365 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4653310&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FySEgFjmU-Kg%2F By John SamplesPresident Obama’s speech last evening offers a chance to assess the implications of the war in Libya. President Obama is not the first president to order attacks on another nation without the authorization of Congress.  This case, however, seems different. Prior to the intervention, the President’s national security advisors had determined that the nation had no vital interest at stake in the Libyan civil war. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has repeated that conclusion after the intervention began. For his part, President Obama emphasized in last night’s speech and before, that the war would preclude a “humanitarian catastrophe.” Why did that rationale win out over the realism of his advisors? President Obama tends to see our nation and the world as divided bet... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4653310 Tue, 29 Mar 2011 16:21:52 +0100 4653310 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4653312&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FBu-siNuvTgo%2F By George Scoville Shifting America's focus away from individual liberty is waging war on the future, not winning it. U.N. "authorization" is the Emperor's new fig leaf for war with Libya. Why are we fighting Mexico's drug war? David Boaz remembers Geraldine Ferraro, who helped advance the war against gender discrimination in politics. Chris Preble eulogizes the Weinberger/Powell doctrine against the backdrop of the Libyan war: Tuesday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4653312 Tue, 29 Mar 2011 15:32:20 +0100 4653312 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4642573&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FXIXBF963LZE%2F By George Scoville A year later, Obamacare makes Pennsylvanians say "no thank you." In a peculiar set of responses to inquiries about Libya, the Obama administration makes "kinetic military action" against the English language. Full or substantial government health insurance makes for an inefficient and expensive health care system. Emotionalism as democratic waves spread across the Middle East makes incoherent foreign policy. As long as big ticket items continue to make the cut, our fiscal house will remain in disarray. If you didn't get a chance to celebrate Earth Hour Cato-style over the weekend, check out this clip of senior fellow Jerry Taylor making the case against "green" subsidies: Monday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4642573 Mon, 28 Mar 2011 14:26:16 +0100 4642573 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4636417&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FRfPRr5HVj74%2F By George Scoville When is an entitlement not an entitlement, but a command? When a federal judge contradicts herself, of course. As the Arab League's influence over its own member states wanes, of course they support the creation of an international no-fly zone over Libya. Of course, there's really no such thing as a "Social Security trust fund." Should the United States and Saudi Arabia remain allies? Of course—but Washington should probably re-think the terms of the partnership. Of course, when George W. Bush was president, you couldn't go anywhere in Washington without seeing an anti-war protest. Where have they all gone? Friday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4636417 Fri, 25 Mar 2011 15:04:37 +0100 4636417 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4631466&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FslZ7eoyDMdE%2F By George Scoville There is a growing gap between Washington policymakers, and the taxpayers and troops who fund and carry out those policies. Why do budget and deficit hawks keep sidestepping growing entitlements? Don't forget to join us on Monday, March 28 at 1pm ET for a live video chat with Julian Sanchez on the growing surveillance state. The individual mandate in Obamacare is another example of the growing congressional power under the Commerce Clause: Thursday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4631466 Thu, 24 Mar 2011 15:05:07 +0100 4631466 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4626790&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FTCL6vV-C3lM%2F By Michael F. CannonOne year ago today, President Barack Obama signed ObamaCare into law. I recap ObamaCare's first year in my latest Kaiser Health News column. Here's some additional news surrounding the law's anniversary. Politico reports that supporters won't have the vast war chest to defend the law that they once said they would: Democrats are under siege as they mark the first anniversary of health care reform Wednesday — and they won't get much help from the star-studded, $125 million support group they were once promised...[N]ine months later, the Health Information Campaign has all but disappeared. Its website hasn't been updated since the end of last year. Its executive director and communications director are gone. There's no sign that it has any money. And neither [former sen... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4626790 Wed, 23 Mar 2011 15:24:00 +0100 4626790 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4626791&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F-y4T3c2Em6M%2F By George Scoville "Since Congress has not declared war on Libya, is American involvement in the Libyan war unconstitutional?" A year later, Obamacare still faces bipartisan opposition. Public sector unions have awakened a sleeping giant. It is irrelevant which way public broadcasting tilts--the problem is that it tilts at all. Cato founder and president Ed Crane made a rare media appearance yesterday, joining talk radio host Neal Boortz to discuss Libya and...well, a bunch of other things: Wednesday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4626791 Wed, 23 Mar 2011 15:01:47 +0100 4626791 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4622228&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FBYJDNP1o0dQ%2F By George Scoville America's involvement in the war in Libya can't be justified on either security or humanitarian grounds. Obamacare can't be fixed, and now is the time to dismantle it. The no-fly zone over Libya can't mean good things for American politics or policy. Bureaucrats can't allocate goods more efficiently than market actors. President Obama can't blame former President Bush for Guantanamo Bay anymore: Tuesday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4622228 Tue, 22 Mar 2011 14:19:38 +0100 4622228 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4615079&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FoRoEQi1C_fQ%2F By Walter OlsonToday was a banner day for my new book on legal academia, Schools for Misrule. It was reviewed at the Wall Street Journal by John McGinnis, professor of law at Northwestern, and at the Weekly Standard by George Leef, director of research at the North Carolina-based John Pope Center for Higher Education Policy. (One or both reviews may be behind subscriber screens.) Both reviews were highly favorable. McGinnis: American law schools wield more social influence than any other part of the American university. In ‘Schools for Misrule,’ Walter Olson offers a fine dissection of these strangely powerful institutions. One of his themes is that law professors serve the interests of the legal profession above all else; they seek to enlarge the scope of the law, creating more work... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4615079 Mon, 21 Mar 2011 18:23:17 +0100 4615079 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4615081&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FMS8NpV5DC1U%2F By George Scoville "The New Health Care Law: What a Difference a Year Makes," featuring a keynote address from constitutional attorney and counsel in Florida v. HHS David Rivkin, and panels including economist and former CBO director Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Cato director of health policy Michael F. Cannon and vice president for legal affairs Roger Pilon, and many more, begins at 1pm Eastern today. Please join us as we stream the event at our new live events hub, or watch on Facebook. If you prefer television, the forum will be broadcast live on C-SPAN 2. "The next time gun-control advocates point to violence in Mexico and call for more restrictions on gun sales or a revived assault-weapons ban, they should consider that the problem may not be with the laws on the books, but with those who enf... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4615081 Mon, 21 Mar 2011 14:46:35 +0100 4615081 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4610798&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FnOK001C_VOY%2F By George Scoville What are Republicans doing to stop ObamaCare? Not much. Conflating the Taliban with al Qaeda isn't helping our foreign policy dialogue. "Sitting in a Volt that would not start at the 2010 Detroit Auto Show, a GM engineer swore to me that the internal combustion engine in the machine only served as a generator, kicking in when the overnight-charged lithium-ion batteries began to run down." The new issue of Regulation looks at price gouging, soda taxes, the Durbin Amendment, and more. Who should decide when we tap into strategic oil reserves: The president? Or market forces?  Friday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4610798 Fri, 18 Mar 2011 14:46:11 +0100 4610798 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4605812&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FjPnfq1s6ZeU%2F By George Scoville "If financial institutions are indeed better than consumers at managing interest risk, then those companies should be able to offer consumers attractive terms for doing so — without the moral hazard of an enormous taxpayer backstop." We should be thankful that the president is spending time on his golf game. After all, he recently reinstated military tribunals at Guantanamo Bay and has continued the use of extra-constitutional prisons in the U.S. after the Bush era. "It’s odd that debate here centers on a no-fly zone, a form of military intervention that shows support for rebels without much helping them." Does Haley Barbour really want to cut defense spending? Or is he just really politically astute?  Thursday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4605812 Thu, 17 Mar 2011 14:31:19 +0100 4605812 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4600514&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FUnI7NNJDtIs%2F By Michael F. CannonIt has been a while since I generated a Pollster.com chart showing support/opposition to ObamaCare among only likely voters, so here goes. Note that a majority of likely voters oppose ObamaCare, and that opposition exceeds support by nearly 20 percentage points.  That's compared to a 10-point spread among all adults. Likely Voters Oppose ObamaCare by Nearly a 20-Point Margin is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4600514 Wed, 16 Mar 2011 21:28:56 +0100 4600514 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4600518&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FPBvdvV7emeY%2F By George Scoville America's unemployment rate has nothing to do with immigration. It's possible to cut waste in government without succumbing to the Washington Monument ploy. Does this anti-obesity crusade make me look fat? (No, the junk science behind it shaping policy does.) Did Wall Street greed create the housing crisis? Or did government subsidies incentivize subprime lending by buying up 40% of new private-label subprime mortgages during the height of the housing boom? Wednesday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4600518 Wed, 16 Mar 2011 15:59:30 +0100 4600518 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4592363&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FEBillfEbNV0%2F By Michael F. CannonMerrill Goozner read my article in the March 21 National Review, in which I argue that states should refuse all ObamaCare funds and refuse to erect an ObamaCare Exchange that would execute the law's many health-insurance regulations. Since ObamaCare provides that the feds will set up and administer an Exchange in states that don't do so themselves, Goozner concludes that I'm actually advocating a federal takeover of health care. Really? Goozner either completely missed the point of my article, which I sort of doubt, or he's trying to be cute.  Let's assume it's the former. As I explain in that article, under ObamaCare the feds will write all the rules governing health insurance, so who administers the Exchanges is well-nigh irrelevant. ObamaCare is a federal takeove... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4592363 Tue, 15 Mar 2011 14:58:46 +0100 4592363 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4592364&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FlnxmyDFTQpw%2F By George Scoville Still think the War on Drugs is a good idea, or that it's working? Decreases in cocaine production in Colombia have been almost fully offset by increases in Peru and Bolivia. Why is nobody talking about the right of Wisconsin taxpayers to not deal with unions? "If you're the rare bird who favors limited government at home and abroad, you can hardly expect good news from a poll of this generation's Tracy Flicks." (Maybe not.) NPR and PBS are using taxpayer dollars to lobby for... more taxpayer dollars. But that's hardly a new game in Washington. Afghanistan: nation-building on crack. Saying no to a no-fly zone over Libya should be a no-brainer: Tuesday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4592364 Tue, 15 Mar 2011 14:47:16 +0100 4592364 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4592369&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F6l3b7Oy1uew%2F By George Scoville How can we have an "adult conversation" on the budget if the White House won't release its budget and deficit projections to the public? A new guide to India's uneven spread of economic freedom could help state-level policymakers there improve the welfare of citizens there. "When the Cato guy tells you someone is corrupting the idea of HSAs, pay attention." Despite having the bully pulpit, and despite touting opinion polls in favor of reform, the Obama administration finds it necessary to use taxpayer funds to tell Googlers what's best for them. Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels has doubled down on the social issues truce--Cato's John Samples talked about this on Friday on the Cato Daily Podcast: Monday Links is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: C... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4592369 Mon, 14 Mar 2011 15:17:19 +0100 4592369 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4570524&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FYk4wY15ki0Y%2F By Michael F. CannonI present you Robert Laszewski's magnificent take on ObamaCare and Wisconsin, Democrats and Republicans. ‘So How Are Democrats and Republicans Different?’ is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4570524 Thu, 10 Mar 2011 19:04:22 +0100 4570524 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4570532&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fn6LNbfhzUOA%2F By Jim HarperYou have to wade through a lot to reach the good news at the end of Time reporter Joel Stein's article about "data mining"---or at least data collection and use---in the online world. There's some fog right there: what he calls "data mining" is actually ordinary one-to-one correlation of bits of information, not mining historical data to generate patterns that are predictive of present-day behavior. (See my data mining paper with Jeff Jonas to learn more.) There is some data mining in and among the online advertising industry's use of the data consumers emit online, of course. Next, get over Stein's introductory language about the "vast amount of data that's being collected both online and off by companies in stealth." That's some kind of stealth if a reporter can write a t... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4570532 Thu, 10 Mar 2011 16:19:15 +0100 4570532 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4560240&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FG7vsD8CWeQw%2F By David BoazThe Wall Street Journal reports Monday: Departing members of the House of Representatives awarded millions of dollars in extra pay to aides as they closed down their offices, according to lawmakers' spending records. The 96 lawmakers paid their employees $6.7 million, or 31%, more in the fourth quarter of 2010 than they did, on average, in the first three quarters of the year.... Because most of the departing members were Democrats, fourth-quarter salary increases in 2010 for Democratic staffers were the largest in the decade LegiStorm has been gathering such data. Republican staffers enjoyed a similar boost when many of their employers left office at the end of 2006. And that last point sounded especially familiar. In 2007, I wrote in The Hill: The year-end spending spree is ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4560240 Mon, 07 Mar 2011 22:58:37 +0100 4560240 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4560244&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FMT4gfCMUQEU%2F By Jason KuznickiThis month, Cato Unbound examines neoconservatism -- perhaps the most puzzling of current ideologies. The lead essay is from Professor C. Bradley Thompson, author of Neoconservatism: An Obituary for an Idea. So what is it? Some say there's no there there -- neoconservatism is a disposition or a mood, no more and no less, and it's got little or no enduring philosophical content. Thompson, however, argues that neoconservatism is a coherent political philosophy, one blending Machiavellian pragmatism with Platonic idealism. Philosophers may apprehend eternal truths, but these truths aren't fit for ordinary folk, and still less are they a good basis for politics. In these realms, we need national unity, national greatness, national strength -- in a word, nationalism. Is this a... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4560244 Mon, 07 Mar 2011 18:56:49 +0100 4560244 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4560247&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FwjlQSaASUQ4%2F By Caleb O. BrownTad recently put $61 billion in spending cuts in perspective. I've added a few bells and whistles to his data. Enjoy. Some Perspective on $61 Billion in Spending Cuts is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4560247 Mon, 07 Mar 2011 17:13:53 +0100 4560247 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4549738&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FamnxoVJRyRA%2F By Michael F. CannonThe latest federal judge to declare ObamaCare constitutional claimed that Congress can regulate "mental activity," like the mental activity of choosing not to purchase health insurance.  Or shoes and ships and sealing wax.  Or my book. National Review editor Rich Lowry has an excellent column explaining why this latest, ahem, legal victory for ObamaCare "delivered a more telling blow against the law in the course of ruling it constitutional than critics have in assailing it as a travesty...It's the most self-undermining defense of the constitutionality of a dubious statute since then–solicitor general Elena Kagan told the Supreme Court that under campaign-finance reform, the government could ban certain pamphlets." I’m Not So Sure I Like Your Mental Activity i... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4549738 Fri, 04 Mar 2011 15:32:51 +0100 4549738 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4549739&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FMAc4ILLmLfc%2F By Michael F. CannonThat's the title of my latest column at National Review Online.  An excerpt: Mitt Romney isn’t the only Republican presidential hopeful with an Obamacare problem: Indiana governor Mitch Daniels, were he to become the GOP’s nominee, could also undermine the repeal campaign that has united the party’s base and independent voters. Among his liabilities: Daniels’s decision to accept Obamacare funds and move forward with implementation is further undermining the repeal effort. Yesterday, federal judge Roger Vinson reversed his initial order forbidding the Obama administration to implement the law. He did so in part because plaintiff states such as Indiana are implementing it, which he said “undercut” their own argument that he should block it. But all is no... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4549739 Fri, 04 Mar 2011 14:54:56 +0100 4549739 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4536047&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FNuFMV6JpFwQ%2F By Walter OlsonYesterday was the publication date for my new book, Schools for Misrule: Legal Academia and an Overlawyered America, and tomorrow afternoon (Thursday, March 3) at 4 p.m. you can catch me in person talking about it at Cato's headquarters or watch online at the above link. Commenting will be the Hon. Douglas Ginsburg, distinguished federal judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, and Cato's Roger Pilon will be moderating. Registration is required for the in-person version and seating not guaranteed. From Cato's description: The ideas that emanate from the nation's law schools in one generation often wind up shaping law and national policy in the next. But as Cato senior fellow Walter Olson argues in this new book, for more than four decades the nation's law sch... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4536047 Wed, 02 Mar 2011 12:58:06 +0100 4536047 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4536049&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F_5nSumydwHM%2F By Michael F. CannonYesterday, the Senate Finance and House Energy & Commerce committees released a joint report on the costs that ObamaCare’s Medicaid mandate will impose on states.  That report, which is based on other reports, likely understates the cost of that unfunded mandate. In “Estimating ObamaCare’s Effect on State Medicaid Expenditure Growth,” Cato senior fellow Jagadeesh Gokhale constructed cost projections for the five largest states -- California, Florida, Illinois, New York, and Texas -- which account for 40 percent of the nation’s population.  Gokhale carefully decomposed and organized micro-data and state-specific administrative data on Medicaid eligibility, enrollments, benefit recipiency, and average benefits per recipient.  Gokhale’s more meticulous a... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4536049 Wed, 02 Mar 2011 12:50:03 +0100 4536049 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4527729&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FRpPLh6yImcg%2F By Michael F. CannonThis weekend I opened The Washington Post to find the editors arguing that Congress should cut federal subsidies to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Institute of Peace, and the National Endowment of the Arts, and George F. Will arguing that Congress should preserve federal subsidies to Teach for America. Weird. One Step Forward, One Step Back is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Cato-at-liberty) Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4527729 Mon, 28 Feb 2011 02:40:33 +0100 4527729 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4522095&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FG6iAbe5Zn8w%2F By Michael F. CannonIn 2006, then-Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney (R) fought for and enacted a health care law now known as RomneyCare -- though the law is so nearly identical to ObamaCare that one could call it ObamaCare 1.0.  Romney is seeking the GOP nomination for president in 2012.  But since 84 percent of Republicans want ObamaCare repealed, the fact that he paved the way for ObamaCare is causing problems for Romney among the party faithful.  The most recent manifestation came in the form of a tongue-lashing from former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee (R), whose book criticizes Romney both for enacting RomneyCare and for refusing to admit it was mistake.  In a recent interview, Huckabee said: The position he should take is to say: "Look, the reason Obamacare won't work is bec... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4522095 Fri, 25 Feb 2011 15:16:59 +0100 4522095 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4507261&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Ftwq6vyeVFIM%2F By Michael F. CannonThe Washington Post reports: Practically every week, a Republican governor or lawmaker announces a new effort to kill the health-care law or undercut its implementation. Unfortunately, many of those same governors are still implementing the law when they should be outright refusing to do so. In my Kaiser Health News column today, I offer two reasons why (at least) Republican governors should stop implementing ObamaCare: Swearing an oath to support the Constitution also obligates governors to use lawful means to prevent its unlawful abuse. Governors who believe ObamaCare to be unconstitutional are as duty-bound to stop implementing the law as they are to challenge it in court... It is the height of fiscal irresponsibility to be making new spending commitments (1) when... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4507261 Tue, 22 Feb 2011 15:30:35 +0100 4507261 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4498272&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FXv_roFu59iU%2F By David BoazAs Scott Walker in Wisconsin and other governors try to rein in the soaring costs of government employee pay and pensions, the Cato study "Vallejo Con Dios: Why Public Sector Unionism Is a Bad Deal for Taxpayers and Representative Government" takes on new relevance. Here's the executive summary: High rates of unionization in the public sector have led to very high labor costs in the form of generous collective bargaining contracts. Now state and local governments are under increasing financial pressure, as a worsening national economy has led to decreased revenues for states and municipalities—many of which remain locked into the generous contracts negotiated in more flush times. Thus, as businesses retrench, governments find themselves in a financial straitjacket. In addit... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4498272 Sat, 19 Feb 2011 15:51:36 +0100 4498272 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4495181&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FsL1_FYAgPiw%2F By Michael F. CannonEarlier this month, President Obama's HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius took to the Washington Post's op-ed page to reassure everybody that ObamaCare "puts states in the driver's seat" and "gives states incredible freedom to tailor reforms to their needs."  One grows weary of exposing the brazen falsehoods this administration incessantly and unconscionably peddles about its corrupt, unconstitutional, and irredeemable health care law.  But here I go again: the very idea that ObamaCare puts states in the driver's seat is nonsense. States already had the power to enact all the taxes, mandates, and price controls that ObamaCare expects them to implement — and to make what few choices ObamaCare leaves them.  If you want to know what Incredible Freedom really means, look... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4495181 Fri, 18 Feb 2011 16:14:00 +0100 4495181 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4495185&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FmQfaF0TzY5g%2F By Roger PilonToday POLITICO Arena asks: Should Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker be commended or criticized for his proposal to change certain collective bargaining agreements for public sector employees, adding that Republicans won’t be “bullied” by protesters? My response: In November the government-union cabal that has driven Wisconsin, like other states, to the brink of bankruptcy was thrown out of office in a landslide election. So what are the union thugs now occupying the capitol and the state's Democratic senators who've fled the state complaining about? The lack of democracy. That so many are "teachers," waving signs likening Gov. Walker to Hitler and Stalin, gives rise only to sympathy for the children of Wisconsin. In fact, if ever there were an argument for separating scho... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4495185 Fri, 18 Feb 2011 14:16:27 +0100 4495185 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4489642&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FaI0K1Bjrkxs%2F By Walter OlsonThe first copies of my new book Schools for Misrule: Legal Academia and an Overlawyered America are here from the printer, and I'll be touring the country to promote it in coming weeks. Some highlights: February 21. Bloomington, Ind. Indiana University Law School, sponsored by Federalist Society chapter. February 22. Urbana-Champaign, Ill. University of Illinois School of Law, sponsored by Federalist Society chapter. Commenting will be Prof. Larry Ribstein. March 3. Washington, D.C. Cato Institute Policy Forum. Commenting on the book will be the Hon. Douglas Ginsburg, U.S. Court of Appeals, and moderating will be Cato legal director Roger Pilon. March 10. University of Minnesota, sponsored by Federalist Society chapter. Commenting will be Profs. Brad Clary and Oren Gross, a... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4489642 Thu, 17 Feb 2011 16:14:44 +0100 4489642 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4489644&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FLmalmxDrURo%2F By Michael F. CannonIn yesterday's Providence Journal, my colleague Ilya Shapiro and I argue that, since a federal court has voided ObamaCare as unconstitutional, the Obama administration should immediately cease all efforts to implement ObamaCare: Federal courts do not issue advisory opinions. The parties to any lawsuit are bound by any resulting judgment. At minimum, then, the government lacks authority to implement ObamaCare where the case was decided, in the Northern District of Florida, and the 26 state plaintiffs need take no action to do so. Likewise, members of the National Federation of Independent Business, another plaintiff in the case, may now be entitled to the same protection from Obamacare’s requirements. Moreover, it is not unreasonable to argue that Vinson’s ruling app... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4489644 Thu, 17 Feb 2011 14:45:22 +0100 4489644 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4489649&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fw5pRyeEeLFg%2F By John SamplesThe Harris Poll finds that most Americans favor cuts in foreign  economic  aid, foreign  military  aid, spending by  the  regulatory agencies generally, space  programs, subsidies  to  business, and federal  welfare  spending. All good stuff. On the other hand, a significant plurality opposes cuts in defense spending. Fewer than one in four favor cuts in federal education spending or health care. 11 percent favor cutting Social Security payments. Over one-third favor spending more on education, health care, and Social Security. How seriously should we take these results? Simple observation of Congress suggests that most Americans are not willing to pay more taxes. The Obama administration found that in focus groups Democrats were not willing to raise taxes on anyo... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4489649 Wed, 16 Feb 2011 20:51:16 +0100 4489649 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4464475&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FtwqUOtomRdY%2F By Jim HarperIf you haven't been following the intrigue around Wikileaks and the security companies hoping to help the government fight it, this stuff is not to be missed. Recommended: "How One Man Tracked Down Anonymous—And Paid a Heavy Price," on Ars Technica. "A Disturbing Threat Against One of Our Own," on Salon. The latter story links to a document purporting to show that a government contractor called Palantir Technologies suggested unnamed ways that Glenn Greenwald (author of this excellent Cato study) might be made to choose "professional preservation" over his sympathetic reporting about Wikileaks. A later page talks of "proactive strategies" including: "Use social media to profile and identify risky behavior of employees." Wikileaks has no employees. I take this to mean that ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4464475 Fri, 11 Feb 2011 21:59:37 +0100 4464475 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4464483&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F8TFeNGGT_zw%2F By Michael F. CannonIt's good news for residents of Washington, D.C., that Wal-Mart is planning on opening four stores in the District. Yet Washington Post columnist Robert McCartney reports today on one curious source of opposition: "There'll probably be a lot of shoplifting going on. They'll need a lot of security," Terriea Sutton, 35, said. Brenda Speaks, a Ward 4 ANC commissioner, actually urged blocking construction of the planned store in her ward at Georgia and Missouri avenues NW partly because of that risk. Addressing a small, anti-Wal-Mart rally at City Hall on Monday, Speaks said young people would get criminal records when they couldn't resist the temptation to steal. Of course, that's a rationale for banning all stores, not just Wal-Mart. Perhaps we should isolate these you... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4464483 Fri, 11 Feb 2011 13:29:50 +0100 4464483 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4459943&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FNc9YdlUADS8%2F By Michael F. CannonWashington Post blogger Ezra Klein asks of Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-Wisc.) Medicare voucher proposal (co-authored with former Congressional Budget Office director Alice Rivlin): Why are the cost savings in his bill possible, while the cost savings in the Affordable Care Act aren't?...when it comes to the ACA, Ryan firmly believes that seniors will quickly and successfully force Congress to reverse any reforms that degrade their Medicare experience. That's a fair enough concern, of course. What's confusing is why it isn't doubly devastating when applied to Ryan-Rivlin. Set aside that Klein violates Cannon's First Rule of Economic Literacy: Never say costs when you mean spending.  And that he uses the word "affordable" to describe ObamaCare. There are two reasons why the M... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4459943 Thu, 10 Feb 2011 17:21:21 +0100 4459943 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4445775&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FFtl1ksAqnmc%2F By David Boaz"Cat groomers, tattoo artists, tree trimmers and about a dozen other specialists across the country . . .  are clamoring for more rules governing small businesses," reports the Wall Street Journal in a front-page story today. "They're asking to become state-licensed professionals, which would mean anyone wanting to be, say, a music therapist or a locksmith, would have to pay fees, apply for a license and in some cases, take classes and pass exams." And despite all the talk about deregulation and encouraging entrepreneurship, "The most recent study, from 2008, found 23% of U.S. workers were required to obtain state licenses, up from just 5% in 1950," according to Morris Kleiner of the University of Minnesota. The Cato Institute has been taking on this issue for decades. In 198... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4445775 Mon, 07 Feb 2011 21:25:47 +0100 4445775 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4445781&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F4cufxDvt22I%2F By Patrick J. MichaelsThe Current Wisdom is a series of monthly posts in which Senior Fellow Patrick J. Michaels reviews interesting items on global warming in the scientific literature that may not have received the media attention that they deserved, or have been misinterpreted in the popular press. The Current Wisdom only comments on science appearing in the refereed, peer-reviewed literature, or that has been peer-screened prior to presentation at a scientific congress. *********** It seems like everyone, from exalted climate scientists to late-night amateur tweeters, can get a bit over-excited about short-term fluctuations, reading into them deep cosmic and political meaning, when they are likely the statistical hiccups of our mathematically surly atmosphere. There’s been some major... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4445781 Mon, 07 Feb 2011 19:28:32 +0100 4445781 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4445782&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FFl4guIqoS4g%2F By Jason KuznickiIf you follow the news, you might never guess that we're living in a remarkably peaceful era. But we are. The long-term trends say that war is on the decline—combat fatalities, too. If we value world peace, we shouldn't be complaining. We should be figuring out why these things are happening—and asking how we can keep them going. Peace, of course, doesn't often make the news. There's nothing dramatic to report. Peace doesn't explode. It doesn't kill people. It makes for lousy TV. I'm hoping, however, that peace makes a good topic at Cato Unbound. This month's lead essay is by Andrew Mack, director of the Human Security Report Project at Simon Fraser University. If we live in a more secure world, he asks, why is it? Please join us throughout the month for an em... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4445782 Mon, 07 Feb 2011 18:49:54 +0100 4445782 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4419116&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FD44QxtB3MLQ%2F By Daniel IkensonFree trade is about much more than increasing opportunities to export. But most people wouldn’t know that from listening to President Obama or other “pro-trade” politicians or media or business community advocates. The most common message purveyed by those advocating particular trade agreements or even free trade generally is that more trade equals more exports equals more economic growth equals more jobs. Sure, that may be a salient point—particularly in an environment where policymakers are looking to grow the economy and create jobs. But it is only one argument in the comprehensive case for free trade—an argument, by the way, that renders free trade advocacy more difficult when made in the absence of the other arguments. In a Cato Free Trade Bulletin r... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4419116 Mon, 31 Jan 2011 16:31:39 +0100 4419116 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4399511&cid=t_246024_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FRHFAqiVb69Y%2F By Michael F. CannonThe following chart shows that ObamaCare‘s unfavorables reached 50 percent in the latest Kaiser Family Foundation poll.  That’s higher than at any point since KFF started tracking ObamaCare’s unfavorables in January 2010.  The KFF poll also found that opposition is much more intense than support; 19 percent view the law very favorably, while 34 percent view the law very unfavorably.  Despite the availability of the these nuggets, KFF’S press release chose to deemphasize the surge: “Americans Remain Divided Over Health Reform With An Uptick In Public Opposition As GOP Ramped Up Repeal Campaign.” Even more entertaining was this chart, which purports to show that Americans oppose defunding ObamaCare by nearly 2-to-1. Dig a little d... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4399511 Tue, 25 Jan 2011 17:07:52 +0100 4399511