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 'international'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 01:47:37 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5182323&cid=t_92172_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FvMmVEzuXRy0%2F Top of the morning to you. And yet another shiny day is unfolding over the Pharmalot corporate campus, where the short people and the official mascots appear to be snoozing indefinitely. This rare treat gives us more time this morning to brew those mandatory cups of stimulation and poke around for interesting items. So here they are. Meanwhile, we will get back to conducting our own version of R&D. So keep us in mind if you hear something interesting. Have a great day… Sanofi Strikes Deal To Make Generic Lipitor (Reuters) FDA And Drugmakers Agree On 6 Percent PDUFA Fee Hike (Wall Street Journal) XOMA CEO Resigns (Reuters) Baxter Sues Teva To Enforce Propofol Liability (Bloomberg News) Death Rate Rises In Clinical Trials In India (The Tribune) Contract Pharmaceuticals To Lay Off ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5182323 Thu, 01 Sep 2011 12:08:48 +0100 5182323 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174591&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Foy-GGWfyv7U%2F By Daniel GriswoldWe haven’t heard politicians complain much lately about “tax breaks for U.S. companies that ship jobs overseas,” perhaps because the next federal election is still more than a year away. An article in the Financial Times today shows why that charge rings pretty hollow anytime in the election cycle. In an interview with CEO Doug Oberhelman of Caterpillar Inc., the FT notes that the Peoria, Ill.-based maker of earth-moving equipment has been thriving even though the domestic U.S. economy has been stuck in low gear. Like many U.S. multinational companies, Caterpillar has been expanding its sales and profits by selling its products in rapidly growing emerging markets while spreading its production facilities around the world. Here’s the key passage for those politicia... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174591 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 21:03:03 +0100 5174591 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174594&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FKTSYkgJ3EdA%2F By Steve H. HankeChristine Lagarde, the new managing director of the International Monetary Fund and former French finance minister, is confused, again.  In her speech before the central bankers assembled in Jackson Hole, Wyoming this weekend, Ms. Lagarde asserted that the way forward for Europe was to recapitalize Europe’s “weak” banks.  This, she claimed, would cut the “chains of contagion” and promote growth. Nothing could be further from the truth.  Even the IMF, in its July 2011 Article IV consultations with Mexico, realized that mandating higher capital-asset ratios (recapitalization) for banks, would take some steam out of Mexico’s money supply growth and jeopardize Mexico’s economic recovery. It is rather easy to see why higher capital-... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174594 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 16:21:06 +0100 5174594 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5174595&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FEHOVxW4xrnU%2F By David BoazThe Wall Street Journal covers a single day in Mexico’s drug war, a day on which 25 people died in separate incidents. The summary paragraphs tell a story of failure: Since President Felipe Calderón took office in December 2006, declaring war on traffickers, roughly 43,000 people have been killed in drug-related homicides here, according to government figures and newspaper estimates. The pace of killings is escalating. More than half the dead, 22,000, were killed in the past 18 months, a rate of one every 35 minutes…. Mexico’s murder rate has more than doubled, to 22 deaths per 100,000 residents in 2010, in just four years, a period that parallels the drug war. Before that, it had been falling steadily. In the U.S. the murder rate is about 5 per 100,000. Thi... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5174595 Mon, 29 Aug 2011 15:54:17 +0100 5174595 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158948&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FXEZiNWNBQiA%2F By Tom G. Palmer John Mackey, co-founder and co-CEO of a substantial wealth-creating business enterprise, explains the moral significance of business.  A longer interview with Mackey, along with other thinkers, can be found in The Morality of Capitalism, available here.  (The book is being distributed by the Atlas Network and Students for Liberty.) The Morality of Business Enterprise 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=5158948 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 17:03:33 +0100 5158948 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5158951&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F5WSEaqdYhE0%2F By Walter OlsonRecent decades have seen the rise of a new “antiquities law” in which museums and private collectors have come under legal pressures to hand over (“repatriate”) ancient artifacts and archaeological finds to governments, Indian tribes and other officially constituted bodies, even when those artifacts have been in legitimate collector hands for 100 or more years with no hint of force or fraud. Some advocates frankly advance the view that government should entirely ban the private ownership of antiquities or limit it to authorized nonprofit institutions. The latest victim of the trend are numismatists, as the 1983 Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act authorizes the federal government to restrict importation of some ancient coins based on th... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5158951 Wed, 24 Aug 2011 12:46:11 +0100 5158951 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5140143&cid=t_92172_134_f&fid=35179&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscottsdiabetes.com%2F2011%2F08%2Fthe-us-says-meh-well-think-about-it-ncd-alliance%2F “Noncommunicable Disease Alliance Fights to Retain Goals” – a quick and clear post about the upcoming NCD Alliance Summit and the dangers we face as major players hesitate to step up to the plate. More Links about this:—————————-Interview with NCDA Chair Ann KeelingPost on DiabetesMine.comInternational Diabetes Federation The US Says “Meh, we’ll THINK about it…” NCD Alliance! is a post from: Scott's Diabetes (Source: Scott's Diabetes Blog) Scott's Diabetes Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5140143 Fri, 19 Aug 2011 05:00:13 +0100 5140143 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139687&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FahmbTP6407g%2F By David BoazThe news out of Russia the past few years has been depressing for believers in liberal democracy. Twenty years ago, it was sometimes said that Russia had put political reform before economic reform, and China had started with economic reform. Many people, following the analysis of Fareed Zakaria in The Future of Freedom: Illiberal Democracy at Home and Abroad, thought that China’s path was more likely to lead to the development of a middle class, civil society, and eventually democratic capitalism. And that may yet be the case. But today, on the 20th anniversary of the attempted communist coup in Russia and Boris Yeltsin‘s victory for democracy, Masha Lipman has some interesting things to say in the Washington Post about the state of freedom in Russia. She says the... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139687 Thu, 18 Aug 2011 18:07:06 +0100 5139687 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139691&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F1dhOJfaLKH8%2F By Daniel J. MitchellAdvocates of limited government love to fantasize. But because we’re strange people, we don’t have ordinary fantasies about supermodels or playing pro baseball. We daydream about a libertarian nirvana, where the rights of individuals are protected, guided by a moral order based on freedom and responsibility, and the leviathan state is forever constrained. Ayn Rand created a fictional version of this free society in Atlas Shrugged and called it Galt’s Gulch. But some advocates of liberty want to turn fiction into reality. Here are some excerpts from a Yahoo story about the efforts of a libertarian entrepreneur. Pay Pal founder and early Facebook investor Peter Thiel has given $1.25 million to an initiative to create floating libertarian countries in international ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139691 Wed, 17 Aug 2011 15:51:34 +0100 5139691 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5130732&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FXALQztZQe-g%2F By Daniel GriswoldForty years ago today, President Richard Nixon shocked the country and the world, not with an escalation of the Vietnam War or a political scandal, but with an edict on the economy that reverberates to this day. In a surprise televised speech on Sunday evening, August 15, 1971, the president announced that he would immediately impose wage and price controls, slap a 10 percent duty on imports, and suspend the international convertibility of the U.S. dollar into gold. All were to be temporary measures, of course, to promote jobs, dampen inflation, and combat “international money speculators” betting against the dollar. (You can read the entire speech here.) What came to be known in the international finance world as the Nixon Shock is worth remembering four decades late... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5130732 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 14:05:17 +0100 5130732 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5130854&cid=t_92172_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FNeilVerselsHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2FHqt9RLF2pmE%2F You may have heard about the kidnapping of American economic development specialist Warren Weinstein in Pakistan this weekend. There is no healthcare story here, but something more personal. Warren is a longtime friend of the family who has worked overseas with my uncle, so this hits close to home. My uncle spoke with Warren’s wife today, and she and her family, obviously, are shaken. Despite news reports saying Warren was planning on coming back to his home in Maryland home as soon as Monday, I’m told he decided just before the kidnapping to stay for three more weeks. He was just in the states last month to celebrate his 70th birthday. Because the gunmen tied up but did not kill Warren’s security guards, my uncle is reasonably confident this is the work of criminals seek... Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5130854 Mon, 15 Aug 2011 03:26:41 +0100 5130854 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118996&cid=t_92172_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FequA6vD2My8%2F For nearly 11 years, Linda Logdberg, a biologist at the Fernbank Science Center in Atlanta, toiled as a writer for a variety of medical communications firms. Often, she never saw the finished product. There were slide kits, monographs, executive summaries, video and audio scripts, and continuing medical education programs. Although ghostwriting was a small, but real, part of her duties, she generally saw herself as a highly paid technician and did not question its ethics, she writes in PLoS Medicine. But as time went on, the would-be academic adopted a different view. At first, though, Logdberg enjoyed the work. “First, I believed that I was helping people: sick people need drugs, and physicians need to know about those drugs to prescribe them appropriately. Second, I had young chil... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118996 Wed, 10 Aug 2011 14:35:44 +0100 5118996 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107891&cid=t_92172_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FGVab88opJB4%2F The ongoing controversy over ghostwriting appears to be accelerating amid ongoing disclosures that various papers - and in one case, a book - were allegedly written or largely crafted by paid editors who were not credited. The issue has even generated debate about the definition of ghostwriting, but meanwhile, has embroiled various drugmakers, universities and high-profile academics in scandal. To find a solution, a growing number of proposals are popping up (read this). One pair of academics - Jonathan Leo, a professor at the DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine at Lincoln Memorial University, and Jeff Lacasse a professor at the Center for Applied Behavioral Health Policy at Arizona State University - have just published a paper in Society in which they suggest that all authors should b... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107891 Tue, 09 Aug 2011 13:42:15 +0100 5107891 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096202&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhhpblog.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fblog%2Fwordpress%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2011%2F07%2FSzymanski-OCD.flv When I leave for work in the morning, I go through my precommute checklist. Train pass, check. Wallet, check. Coffee mug, check. Smart phone, check. Keys to the house, check. Only when I’m sure that I have everything I need do I open the door and head outside. Sometimes I worry that this morning routine is becoming too much of a ritual. Is it possible that I have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD for short)? Probably not. The fact that I am able to get out the door every morning means that my daily ritual isn’t interfering with my ability to function, says Dr. Jeff Szymanski, a clinical instructor in psychology at Harvard Medical School. You have OCD when obsessions and compulsive behavior (more…) *This blog post was originally published at Harvard Health Blog* (Source... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096202 Fri, 05 Aug 2011 12:00:48 +0100 5096202 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096217&cid=t_92172_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2Fz_hroKVr_D8%2F Sick of your patients waiting in the ED for life saving treatment as a result of interminable ICU / CCU bed-block? Worry no more...move to Indonesia (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096217 Wed, 03 Aug 2011 06:10:43 +0100 5096217 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5096396&cid=t_92172_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FNeilVerselsHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2FBMZN5rweIRY%2F I really would not want to live in Sarnia, Ontario. And not because it’s a hardscrabble Rust Belt town directly across the border from the equally hardscrabble—and very depressing—Port Huron, Mich. I wouldn’t want to live there because it might as well be the capital of physician resistance to technology. According to a story in Canadian Healthcare Technology’s Technology For Doctors, fully half of the 150 physicians in town will choose to retire rather than adopt EMRs. At least that’s what Dr. Kunwar Singh, president of the Lambton County Medical Society, predicts. (Needless to say, Singh is a “veteran” physician, someone who’s been in practice for 42 years.) The government of Ontario, which runs the single-payer health system in Canada’... Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5096396 Wed, 03 Aug 2011 02:55:11 +0100 5096396 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5069441&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F-ptqhNzL54Q%2F By Daniel J. MitchellI testified before the House Ways & Means Committee yesterday. As always, my trip inside the belly of the beast was an interesting adventure. The tax-writing committee was holding a hearing on the value-added tax. I was on a panel with five other witnesses, and all of the other people testifying were sympathetic to a VAT. But since I had truth on my side, that made it a fair fight (though it did cross my mind that it’s not a good sign when a Republican-controlled committee stacks the witnesses in favor of a European-style tax system). I made two points. First, a VAT is less destructive than the current income tax. As such, if we somehow repealed the 16th Amendment and replaced it with something ironclad that would prevent the income tax from ever again haunti... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5069441 Wed, 27 Jul 2011 12:35:13 +0100 5069441 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5062229&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FmXnBTt772QY%2F Does it matter what political agenda motivated Anders Behring Breivik, who is allegedly responsible for two attacks in Norway that killed some 93 people? In some sense, no. He’s a mass murderer, and he deserves society’s severest punishment (which in Norway is apparently 21 years in prison, or approximately three months for each murder). But as with each such attack, there’s been a rush to blame some ideological faction or other. As usual these days, some writers didn’t bother waiting for evidence before assuming that the perpetrator was Islamic and rushing into print with condemnation of people who would make cuts in a U.S. defense budget as large as the rest of the world combined or begin to wind down the Afghan war after 10 years (!). But surely NPR takes the cak... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5062229 Sun, 24 Jul 2011 20:48:34 +0100 5062229 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5050521&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FJA4uHq64LKQ%2F El Universo, the newspaper with the largest circulation and the paper that publishes my weekly column, ran a mostly blank front page today that features only this quote from Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged: When you see that trading is done, not by consent, but by compulsion–when you see that in order to produce, you need to obtain permission from men who produce nothing–when you see that money is flowing to those who deal, not in goods, but in favors–when you see that men get richer by graft and by pull than by work, and your laws don’t protect you against them, but protect them against you–when you see corruption being rewarded and honesty becoming a self-sacrifice–you may know that your society is doomed. This quote is from Francisco D’Anconia’s speec... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5050521 Thu, 21 Jul 2011 19:12:09 +0100 5050521 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5036310&cid=t_92172_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FNeilVerselsHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2FwDSUut5dc7o%2F From HL7 International‘s Chuck Jaffe, M.D., at the AMDIS conference in Ojai, Calif., this morning: Related posts:Podcast: Dr. David Kibbe on personal health information, medical homes, value in healthcare and more Podcast: Dr. Bill Bria on CMIOs and medical informatics Friday funny (Source: Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog) Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5036310 Fri, 15 Jul 2011 16:26:53 +0100 5036310 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028977&cid=t_92172_134_f&fid=35179&url=http%3A%2F%2Fscottsdiabetes.com%2F2011%2F07%2Fscrambled-brain%2F The Johnson family returned from the 2011 Friends for Life conference late on Sunday. My brain is frantically trying to process all of the magic that I experienced, and I’ve been crazy busy catching up on home stuff. I feel like I need a good solid week of quiet time just to pull myself together. As I work through everything, I’d like you to take a look at Kerri’s recent blog post about the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). At the 2011 Roche Summit, just weeks before the Friends for Life conference, we met with both Isabella Platon, Head of Communication for IDF, and Jean Claude Mbanya, President of the IDF. I hope you get a sense of how much impact they had on us and that you start to pay more attention to them.  One easy place to start is with their “O is ... Scott's Diabetes Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028977 Wed, 13 Jul 2011 13:43:02 +0100 5028977 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5028537&cid=t_92172_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FNeilVerselsHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2FEz9y6jiX7Dc%2F I’m getting ready to head west for, among other things, the annual AMDIS Physician-Computer Connection in Ojai, Calif., a high-level gathering of chief medical information officers. After years of fighting for a seat at the table, CMIOs now are being held up as a model, at least overseas. Specifically, my friends at E-Health Insider in the UK have embarked on a mission to have every NHS hospital hire a chief clinical information officer, the British equivalent of the CMIO. Read more about the British perspective on the American CMIO here. Related posts:Google’s health plans, and more on CMIOs Podcast: Dr. Bill Bria on CMIOs and medical informatics England learns from America (Source: Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog) Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5028537 Sun, 10 Jul 2011 15:55:11 +0100 5028537 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008135&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FE2fY8CBciNM%2F By Daniel J. MitchellIt’s hard to imagine how we would get through life without necessities like bacon and duct tape. But have you ever thought about how the free market gives you so much for so little? Here’s a video that should be mandatory viewing in Washington. Too bad politicians didn’t watch it before imposing government-run health care. And since we’re contemplating the big-picture issue of whether markets are better than statism, here’s some very sobering polling data from EurActiv: A recent survey has found deep pessimism among European Commission staff on a wide range of issues, including the course of European integration over the past decade and the likelihood of success of the EU’s strategy for economic growth. Some 63% partially or totally agreed that “the Euro... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008135 Fri, 08 Jul 2011 13:05:32 +0100 5008135 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008661&cid=t_92172_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FYKkX3nU_2rg%2F Hired someone new and exciting? Promoted a rising star? Finally solved that hard-to-fill spot? Share the news with us and we’ll share with it others. That’s right. Send us your announcements and we’ll find a home for them. Don’t be shy. Everyone wants to know who is coming and going, especially with all the layoffs. Despite the downsizing, there is movement. Here are some of the latest changes. Recognize anyone? And here is our regular feature. Send us a photo and we will spotlight a different person each week. This time around, we note that MTI, which provides marketing systems to drugmakers and biotechs, hired Michael Kelly as senior vp of business development. Previously, he was vp for solutions business development and marketing at Cadient Group, where he was responsible for sa... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008661 Fri, 08 Jul 2011 12:26:18 +0100 5008661 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008138&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FB2KdU9Tg7-o%2F By Daniel IkensonIn hailing this week’s ruling by a World Trade Organization dispute settlement panel that certain Chinese government restrictions on raw material exports violate China’s WTO commitments, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk made the point that such restrictions hurt U.S. manufacturers who rely on those imported raw materials. Today’s panel report represents a significant victory for manufacturers and workers in the United States and the rest of the world. The panel’s findings are also an important confirmation of fundamental principles underlying the global trading system. All WTO Members – whether developed or developing – need non-discriminatory access to raw material supplies in order to grow and thrive. And, simultaneously, by artificially increasing domestic... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008138 Thu, 07 Jul 2011 17:18:28 +0100 5008138 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008150&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F_vcTnYTqXTY%2F By Ian VasquezTwo good op-eds take a critical look at the so-called Beijing Consensus that purports to be an alternative to liberalism because of China’s economic success under authoritarian rule with its mix of interventionist and market-oriented policies. The key to China’s impressive progress in the past few decades has of course been its move from extreme poverty and a highly repressed economy toward economic freedom. In today’s Wall Street Journal, Liu Junning, a champion of liberal democracy in China, reminds readers of that fact and of “The Ancient Roots of Chinese Liberalism” (as noted in an earlier post by David Boaz). Writing in an Indian daily, Cato senior fellow Deepak Lal explains that state capitalism has not been the source of Chinese growth and warns against “Ch... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008150 Wed, 06 Jul 2011 18:54:23 +0100 5008150 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008152&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FO0LDr-urCMY%2F By David BoazThe Asian edition of the Wall Street Journal has just published essays by two Chinese liberal scholars who have spoken and written for the Cato Institute. Mao Yushi created quite a storm in China with his article on the website of Caixin magazine criticizing Mao Zedong (no relation). He received threatening phone calls and warning visits. Nevertheless, he has now published a version of the essay in English, translated by my former colleague Jude Blanchette, now working in China for the Atlas Economic Research Foundation. It’s still pretty tough: Mao Zedong was once a god. With the uncovering of more and more documents and information, he is gradually returning to human form. Some still view Chairman Mao as a god, however, and view any critical discussion of him as blasph... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008152 Wed, 06 Jul 2011 17:27:06 +0100 5008152 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5008155&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FZM20phiwWic%2F By Daniel J. MitchellI’m not a big fan of the rating agencies. I’ve warned in TV interviews that they generally wait too long before downgrading profligate governments. So when the rating agencies finally catch up to everyone else and lower their outlook for failing welfare states such as Greece and Portugal, one would think that this would be seen as a useful – albeit late – warning sign. But European politicians are not very happy about this development. At the risk of mixing metaphors, they want everyone to keep their heads buried in the sand and to continue complimenting the emperor on his new clothes. Here are some excerpts from a BBC report. The European Commission has strongly criticised international credit ratings agencies following the downgrade of Portugal by Moody�... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5008155 Wed, 06 Jul 2011 14:29:15 +0100 5008155 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4997644&cid=t_92172_113_f&fid=34625&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FNeilVerselsHealthcareItBlog%2F%7E3%2FYMB32ntLg5o%2F For the Fourth of July, how about a little story of an American conquering France, with a health IT spin? Smith College in Amherst, Mass., is still an all-female school, so, needless to say, I did not go there. But a graduate I  know showed me the most recent issue of the alumnae magazine, Smith Alumnae Quarterly. There, on the cover of the Summer 2011 edition is a familiar face, Paris-based health IT consultant Denise Silber, a 1974 graduate. You may recall, I did a podcast with Silber in 2007. We talked about health IT initiatives in Europe in general and in France in particular, and compared progress there to that in the U.S. Since that time, though, Silber has founded the European chapter of the health 2.0 movement. I also learned through the Smith article that Silber in April was adm... Neil Versel's Healthcare IT Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4997644 Tue, 05 Jul 2011 03:23:29 +0100 4997644 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4992654&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F2f2OvaNvszk%2F By David BoazOur friend Alberto Mingardi of the Bruno Leoni Institute in Italy writes about the Greek crisis: In a way, the most surprising element of the Greek disaster is that taxpayers in other European countries aren’t outraged at being called to rescue an economy that has been marching towards disaster for so long. The legitimate fear of contagion affecting other European countries is now being used to persuade the electorates outside Greece that: first, Greece has not manufactured its own fate, but is rather the victim of “locust-like” speculators and, second, a Greek bailout would be an indictment of the European social model, that is, the welfare state. Where European public opinion is collapsing under its contradictions is in the attempt to reconcile the idea of the EU as th... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4992654 Fri, 01 Jul 2011 19:53:28 +0100 4992654 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4984417&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F5JSxrOs2SHo%2F By Gabriela Calderon de BurgosIt is traditional for a Latin American nationalist to criticize people who take their money out of their country and invest it somewhere else. President Rafael Correa has done it several times. In 2009 he forced private banks to repatriate part of their assets. What is unusual is finding evidence that he who preaches does not necessarily practice what he preaches. Last week, Ecuadorians were surprised to hear the news—with our tax authority (Servicio de Rentas Internas–SRI) and then the presidency as a source—that Correa had transferred $330,000 to his bank account in Germany. The President then clarified (“…don’t be stupid, the money was sent to Belgium not Germany”) [in Spanish] that the money was transferred to pay for an apartment fo... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4984417 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 16:06:47 +0100 4984417 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4984688&cid=t_92172_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F00EJHTbmsSw%2F Three years after the FDA linked the Heparin scandal to contaminated supplies from China, the House Energy and Commerce Committee is expanding a probe into the episode and wrote 10 drugmakers, manufacturer reps and ingredients suppliers for documents, because the agency has indicated they have info about the Chinese heparin industry and supply chains. The move comes after the committee has twice lashed out at the FDA for failing to find those responsible for the scandal, which was linked to 81 deaths in 2007 and 2008 and traced to heparin sold by Baxter International (back story). The fatalities provoked harsh criticism of the FDA for not conducting greater oversight of foreign facilities - particularly those in China that make medicines or supply active pharmaceutical ingredients. Baxter... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4984688 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 11:55:31 +0100 4984688 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4984424&cid=t_92172_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=4975830&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F5wSlBN3174w%2F By Daniel J. MitchellIt appears that American taxpayers are about to subsidize another Greek bailout (via the Keystone Cops at the IMF). This is way beyond economically foolish. It is also morally offensive. To turn Winston Churchill’s famous quote upside down, “Never have so many paid so much to subsidize such an undeserving few.” Let’s start with a few facts: Greece’s GDP is roughly equal to the GDP of Maryland. Greece’s population is roughly equal to the population of Ohio. Despite that small size, in both terms of population and economic output, Greece already has received a bailout of about $150 billion (actual amount fluctuates with the exchange rate). Don’t forget the indirect bailout resulting from purchases of Greek government bonds by the European Central Bank. No... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975830 Tue, 28 Jun 2011 15:11:00 +0100 4975830 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4975835&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fix6HLAliazk%2F By Juan Carlos HidalgoRumors abounded this weekend about Hugo Chávez’s apparent critical health condition. The Nuevo Herald reported that the Venezuelan president could be suffering from prostate cancer. On June 9, while visiting Cuba, Chávez fell ill and was treated for a “pelvic abscess.” Since then, the loquacious caudillo, who for over a decade has flooded Venezuelan airwaves with endless TV addresses, has been conspicuously out of sight. All we have is a picture released to the media showing a frail Hugo Chávez holding onto Fidel Castro (aged 84) and his brother Raúl (aged 80). Speculation increased on Saturday after Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s Foreign Relations Minister, said that Chávez was waging a “great battle for his health” while admitting that he wasn’t... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4975835 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 17:39:49 +0100 4975835 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4968469&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FxIDAon37R1c%2F By Juan Carlos HidalgoI never thought I would say this, but Evo Morales is right (this time). The Bolivian president asked the nation’s Congress to pass a law that would take his country out of the United Nations Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs. The bill already passed the lower chamber of Congress and is likely to be approved by the Senate where Morales enjoys a two-thirds majority. Bolivia is withdrawing from the UN Convention over the country’s failed efforts to have the coca leaf removed from the list of international illicit drugs. Chewing coca leaf is an ancestral and common practice in Bolivia and neighboring Andean countries. It helps people cope with fatigue and high altitude (I’ve tried it myself during a visit to the province of Jujuy in Argentina). The Bolivian amend... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4968469 Thu, 23 Jun 2011 17:59:30 +0100 4968469 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4997537&cid=t_92172_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2FFLVaN6eQC5w%2F At LITFL we are constantly trying to find interesting and enigmatic individuals with a passion for emergency medicine to share their experiences. We have a particular passion of International Emergency Medicine and are proud to introduce Dr Bishan Rajapakse. (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4997537 Wed, 22 Jun 2011 09:03:33 +0100 4997537 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952804&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F04p9GU35RGM%2F By Daniel J. MitchellOne of the tax increases buried in Obamacare was an onerous and intrusive “1099″ scheme that would have required businesses to collect tax identification numbers for just about any vendor and then send paperwork to the IRS whenever they did more than $600 of business. Send one of your sales people to New York for a couple of nights? They would have to get the tax ID for the hotel and submit a form to the IRS. Buy a printer for the office? The printer company would need to provide a tax ID and the purchaser would have to submit a form to the IRS. o Have a retirement dinner for somebody in the accounting department? Get the restaurant’s tax ID and submit another form to the IRS. This system was seen as a nightmare, even leading to rather amusing cartoons mocking ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952804 Mon, 20 Jun 2011 15:55:16 +0100 4952804 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952853&cid=t_92172_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2FOl21m5-oQ7s%2F Introducing The African Journal of Emergency Medicine (AfJEM), the official journal of the African Federation for Emergency Medicine. (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952853 Sun, 19 Jun 2011 00:00:28 +0100 4952853 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4952855&cid=t_92172_88_f&fid=38129&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Flifeinthefastlane%2FWZHV%2F%7E3%2FlsVr9tmLC6U%2F LITFL's first 'Postcard from the Edge', a series highlighting the emerging field of International Emergency Medicine, features Australian IEM trailblazer Associate Professor Chris Curry. (Source: Life in the Fast Lane) Life in the Fast Lane blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4952855 Fri, 17 Jun 2011 08:26:44 +0100 4952855 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934100&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FdI0BNiY-7_I%2F By Daniel GriswoldInternational Business Machines Inc. is celebrating its 100th anniversary as a company today. In this time of economic worry and uncertainty, it’s worth taking a moment to consider a few policy lessons we might glean from its longevity. Unlike government agencies and programs, private-sector companies competing in a free market come and go. In an essay posted on the IBM web site, company officials noted: Of the top 25 industrial corporations in the United States in 1900, only two remained on that list at the start of the 1960s. And of the top 25 companies on the Fortune 500 in 1961, only six remain there today. How did IBM not only survive but thrive during a century that took us from horses and buggies to FaceBook and iPhones? In a word, adaptability. IBM’s managemen... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934100 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 18:33:44 +0100 4934100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934107&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F9OkYj3oryb8%2F By Daniel J. MitchellI’ve explained before that one of the most damning pieces of evidence against Obamanomics is that the economy is suffering from sub-par growth, something that is particularly damning since normally one expects to see faster-than-average growth following an economic downturn. In a recent presentation, Robert Lucas of the University of Chicago included a couple of graphs that illustrate this phenomenon. This first chart shows the history of U.S. economic growth over the past 140 years. As you can see, the growth rate was remarkably constant over time, and there were always periods of rapid growth following economic downturns. Lucas, who won the Nobel Prize in economics in 1995, then looks at the data for the recent downturn and recovery. As you can see, we have been s... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934107 Thu, 16 Jun 2011 12:43:32 +0100 4934107 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934113&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FBwNYJ3ZXGhg%2F By Andrew J. Coulson In the video clip above, President Obama blames America’s current unemployment problem on… automation. ATMs and airport kiosks are singled out. These words could only be uttered by someone who knows very little about economics or the history of human progress. In fact, they could only be uttered by someone who has never reflected on this question before in his  life. Because if you reflect for one moment, you come up with this glaringly obvious counterfactual: we use a lot more  labor-saving technology today than in previous generations, and yet we also employ far more people. Therefore, increased automation does not lead to decreased national employment. If you do more than just think for a second — if you read an economic history book, for instanc... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4934113 Wed, 15 Jun 2011 12:45:21 +0100 4934113 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4934118&cid=t_92172_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=4921751&cid=t_92172_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FSl0FiwryeeY%2F An Illinois jury has awarded $625,000 to the estate of a man who was given a dosage of the heparin blood thinner that contained a contaminated ingredient, The Chicago Tribune writes. The verdict is the first against Baxter International and its supplier, Scientific Protein Laboratories, among hundreds of such lawsuits. Three years ago, the FDA determined the heparin contained fake ingredients from China. The heparin scandal, you may recall, focused a harsh light on the pharmaceutical supply chain, notably poorly supervised manufacturing in China and the inability of the FDA to perform sufficient oversight. The episode led to Congressional hearings and significant pressure on the agency to upgrade its supervision (see here, here and here). Attorneys for the estate of Steven Johansen of Oak ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4921751 Fri, 10 Jun 2011 12:41:17 +0100 4921751 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4911456&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FyajqIONqHiE%2F By Ian VasquezThe last 10 years have probably been the best decade in Peruvian history in terms of economic growth and social progress. As I’ve described before, Peru has become an increasingly successful market democracy. Growth averaged a yearly 5.5 percent since 2001 and the poverty rate fell from 54 to 30 percent in the same period. And yet, Peruvians elected leftist Ollanta Humala as president on Sunday in a contentious, polarizing and very tight race. Humala narrowly beat Keiko Fujimori, daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori, now serving a 25-year prison term for corruption and human rights abuses conducted during 10 years in power (1990-2000) that also saw the defeat of the Shining Path guerrillas and the liberalization of the Peruvian economy. Fujimori had trouble condemn... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4911456 Wed, 08 Jun 2011 02:13:06 +0100 4911456 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5036364&cid=t_92172_118_f&fid=34850&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FHealthBusinessBlog%2F%7E3%2FJtTL59_HsdQ%2F The Journal of Infection Control reports that many patients’ mobile phones contain pathogenic bacteria, at least at the one hospital in Turkey where the study was conducted. About 40 percent of the phones carried by patients, companions and visitors were affected compared to 20 percent of health care workers. The report points out that even if mobile phones don’t pose a risk to the operation of medical equipment –which is often used as a reason to ban the phones– there could be even more serious dangers from the bacteria. The researchers discuss different ways to reduce bacterial colonization of phones such as education, hand washing, alcoholic wipes and banning cell phones in certain areas. I found it a little curious that the researchers didn’t seem to have ... Health Business Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5036364 Thu, 02 Jun 2011 20:48:32 +0100 5036364 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4893417&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FD9pbEbw8h1s%2F By Sallie JamesHeartening news from the Appropriations Committee yesterday: they voted to cut aid to farmers generally, and to make significant changes to an egregious cotton program. But first, some background.  You’ll recall the embarrassing deal made by the Obama administration last year to head off Brazil’s right to impede American exports in retaliation for WTO-illegal cotton support. The United States is, in other words, now sending almost $150m worth of “technical assistance” and “capacity building” funds to Brazil, just so we can continue to subsidize American cotton growers without penalty (so much for U.S. promotion of the rule of law in international commercial relations). Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI) tried to end that deal earlier this year, but... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4893417 Thu, 02 Jun 2011 13:46:05 +0100 4893417 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4883555&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FKW1EQMnEyew%2F By Daniel J. MitchellWay back in February of 2010, I wrote that a Greek bailout would be a failure. Not surprisingly, the bureaucrats at the International Monetary Fund and the political elite from other European nations ignored my advice and gave tens of billions of dollars to Greece’s corrupt politicians. The bailout happened in part because politicians and international bureaucrats (when they’re not getting arrested for molesting hotel maids) have a compulsion to squander other people’s money. But it also should be noted that the Greek bailout was a way of indirectly bailing out the big European banks that recklessly lent money to a profligate government (as explained here). At the risk of sounding smug, let’s look at my four predictions from February 2010 and se... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4883555 Tue, 31 May 2011 20:19:10 +0100 4883555 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4872474&cid=t_92172_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FMoVgSI0BISg%2F Yesterday, Pfizer reached an outsourcing deal with two large clinical research organizations - Parexel International and Icon. The move comes not long after the big drugmaker announced plans to close or shift various R&D operations and slash 3,500 jobs in order to save $1.5 billion (see here). Such deals, of course, are not new as large drugmakers finetune the cost of capital. This also poses challenges for CROs, however. Parexel is cutting some of its Phase One capacity and eliminating jobs (back story). We spent a few minutes yesterday chatting with Parexel ceo Josef von Rickenbach about these developments. And here’s what he had to say… On the Pfizer deal: It basically entails clinical development work and associated tasks around the world. It’s pretty much across... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4872474 Fri, 27 May 2011 12:16:39 +0100 4872474 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862510&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FYucnq5cUyoY%2F By Jim HarperIf you haven’t seen it already, be sure to give a read to Friedman Prize winner Hernando de Soto‘s recent piece in Business Week, “The Destruction of Economic Facts.” It’s a fascinating perspective on the economic and financial turmoil that is wracking the United States and the world. As de Soto perceives more easily from working in developing economies, an important input into functioning markets is good information—about property, ownership, debts, and so on. The “destruction of economic facts” is one of the roots of instability and uncertainty in Europe and the United States: “In a few short decades the West undercut 150 years of legal reforms that made the global economy possible.” The law and markets are informat... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862510 Wed, 25 May 2011 15:42:19 +0100 4862510 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862516&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FOPScn72xeE0%2F By Daniel J. MitchellOne of the biggest threats against global prosperity is the anti-tax competition project of a Paris-based international bureaucracy known as the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The OECD, acting at the behest of the European welfare states that dominate its membership, wants the power to tell nations (including the United States!) what is acceptable tax policy. I’ve previously explained why the OECD is a problematic institution – especially since American taxpayers are forced to squander about $100 million per year to support the parasitic bureaucracy. For all intents and purposes, high-tax nations want to create a global tax cartel, sort of an “OPEC for politicians.” This issue is increasingly important since politicians f... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862516 Tue, 24 May 2011 13:06:06 +0100 4862516 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4847938&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FZwzZiYZdhbw%2F In this study Swami Aiyar takes on another bad idea: creating an IMF currency to rival the dollar. The IMF—A Reading List 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=4847938 Fri, 20 May 2011 21:08:23 +0100 4847938 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4841444&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FkShohBnGGMw%2F By Ian VasquezA new World Bank working paper by Jean-Pierre Chauffour (author of the Cato book, The Power of Freedom: Uniting Human Rights and Development) finds that freedom is the root cause of development. In contrast to economic, political and civil freedoms, Chauffour finds that “beyond core functions of government. . . the expansion of the state to provide for various entitlements, including so-called economic, social and cultural rights, may not make people richer in the long run and may even make them poorer.” Freedom vs. Entitlements 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=4841444 Tue, 17 May 2011 16:03:28 +0100 4841444 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4828848&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FhQfoDeV9Yjo%2F By Juan Carlos HidalgoTwo years ago in a Cato study I documented El Salvador’s remarkable liberalization process and the significant progress in economic and social indicators that resulted from those free market reforms. I also warned then about how those achievements were threatened by the likely victory of the former Marxist guerrilla group, FMLN, in the presidential election of 2009. Even though Mauricio Funes, the then FMLN candidate now turned president, has proven to be a relatively moderate figure when compared to his radical left-wing party, El Salvador is reversing many of the gains of the past decade. Mary O’Grady’s column in the Wall Street Journal today, which describes how “the wheels came off” of the “once thriving Salvadoran economy,” is a reminder to all coun... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4828848 Mon, 16 May 2011 21:05:05 +0100 4828848 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4828815&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F05%2Fglobal-fund-will-not-suppress.html Some good news to discuss, for a change....We previously discussed losses from corruption reported by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, and by the Health Alliance International here.  At the time, we noted that some experts in health care corruption praised the Global Fund for being transparent about the effects of corruption.However, last week there was concern that some elements within the Global Fund thought that the best response to losses due to corruption would be hiding them.  As reported by the AP (via CBS):  A global health fund championed by celebrities and world leaders is considering scaling back its groundbreaking philosophy of full transparency about how it spends billions of dollars in health care in poor countries. Its d... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4828815 Mon, 16 May 2011 19:40:00 +0100 4828815 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4828859&cid=t_92172_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=4828864&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FC_T35AjTnB8%2F By David BoazThe Washington Post splashes a story about “anarchists” in Greece across the front page today. The print headline is “Into the arms of anarchy,” and a photo-essay online is titled “In Greece, austerity kindles the flames of anarchy.” And what do these anarchists demand? Well, reporter Anthony Faiola doesn’t find out much about what they’re for, but they seem to be against, you know, what the establishment is doing, man: The protests are an emblem of social discontent spreading across Europe in response to a new age of austerity. At a time when the United States is just beginning to consider deep spending cuts, countries such as Greece are coping with a fallout that has extended well beyond ordinary civil disobedience. Perhaps mos... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4828864 Sat, 14 May 2011 20:52:40 +0100 4828864 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4828934&cid=t_92172_99_f&fid=35342&url=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.vcu.edu%2Fcbuttery%2F2011%2F05%2Fearly-treatment-with-antiretroviral-therapy-prevents-hiv-transmission.html A UNC-led research study showed the study, which spans nine countries, involved more than 1,700 couples, in which one partner was HIV-positive and the other was not. Each couple was randomly assigned to one of two study groups. In the first group, the partner with HIV began receiving antiretroviral drugs as soon as they enrolled in the study; in the second group, the infected partner started antiretroviral treatment once their CD4+ count — a key measure of immune system health — fell to between 200 and 250 cells/mm3.  However, data gathered so far clearly revealed the benefits of early treatment, prompting health officials to release the results now. (Source: Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG) Dr. Buttery's Public Health BLOG blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4828934 Sat, 14 May 2011 14:44:07 +0100 4828934 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4820813&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FLKDab3HSOFg%2F By Daniel J. MitchellI got a few cranky emails after my post suggesting the United States should copy the Baltic nations and implement genuine spending cuts. These emailers were upset that I favorably commented on the fiscal discipline of Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia while failing to reveal that these nations were suffering from high unemployment. From the tone of this correspondence, my new friends obviously think this is a “gotcha” moment. The gist of their messages is that the economic downturn that hit the Baltic nations is proof that the free-market model has failed, and that I somehow was guilty of a cover-up. That’s certainly a strange interpretation, especially since I specifically noted that the three nations had suffered from an economic downturn. There’... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4820813 Fri, 13 May 2011 18:10:47 +0100 4820813 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4820818&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F1WL3c37JQT8%2F By Daniel IkensonMedia are reporting this morning that the Treasury has decided to hold off on selling any of its remaining 500 million shares of General Motors stock until at least July. The Obama administration had hoped to divest as soon as possible  after May 22, but GM’s stock price hasn’t been cooperating. As much as the president doesn’t want the odor of nationalization following him on the campaign trail, the administration is equally concerned about having to explain why it took a $10 billion to $20 billion direct loss by divesting when it did. By deferring sales until July, the administration presumably is hoping for a stock price boost from second quarter earnings. But that is unlikely for several reasons, which I explained in the Daily Caller yesterday. Here’s the gi... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4820818 Fri, 13 May 2011 15:10:42 +0100 4820818 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4813243&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F1TVdBl_bmyM%2F By Sallie JamesMy friend Gawain Kripke at Oxfam posted a very good blog entry yesterday on the proposed cuts to agriculture subsidies. In it, Gawain elaborates on a point that I made briefly in a previous post about Rep. Paul Ryan’s 2012 budget plan: that cutting so-called direct payments—those that flow to farmers regardless of how much or even whether they produce—is only part of the picture. Here’s Gawain’s main point: Most farm subsidies are price-dependent, meaning they are bigger if prices are low and smaller if prices are high. Prices are hitting historic highs for many commodities, which means the bulk of these subsidies are not paying out very much money. Over time, the price-dependent subsidies have been the bulk of farm subsidies. They also distort agric... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4813243 Wed, 11 May 2011 20:01:49 +0100 4813243 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4813257&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FDshkMs2NBsU%2F By Daniel J. MitchellAll the talk of spending cuts in Washington is fictitious. Even the House Republican Study Committee budget allows spending to increase, on average, by 1.7 percent each year for the next decade. The Ryan budget, which critics deride for its “savage” cuts, allows spending to rise by an average of 2.8 percent each year. And Obama’s budget allows spending to climb, on average, by 4.7 percent each year—which is more than twice the projected rate of inflation. Too bad American policymakers can’t copy the Baltic nations of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. Like the United States, these nations got in fiscal trouble, thanks to the combination of excessive spending and an economic downturn triggered by falling real estate prices. But unlike the United S... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4813257 Tue, 10 May 2011 21:24:46 +0100 4813257 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4803563&cid=t_92172_177_f&fid=38133&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FTubalReversalBlog%2F%7E3%2F1GeYsSUMLGw%2Fadvice-on-picking-a-tubal-reversal-doctor.html Personal advice on how to pick the best tubal reversal doctor and the best tubal reversal center is provide by an experienced tubal reversal surgeon. Hard questions to ask potential reversal doctors are offered for readers so they can make the best decision possible about where and with whom to have tubal reversal surgery. (Source: Tubal Reversal Blog) Tubal Reversal Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4803563 Tue, 10 May 2011 12:55:14 +0100 4803563 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4789203&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fl0GNcXjeCls%2F By Daniel GriswoldOur friends at the Economic Policy Institute are at it again, issuing another study this week that shows some particular trade agreement has costs X thousands of jobs over a certain number of years. The latest target of EPI’s flawed model is the North American Free Trade Agreement. Enacted in 1994, NAFTA has created a free trade zone comprising the United States, Canada, and Mexico. According to the EPI report, U.S. trade deficits with Mexico as of 2010 displaced production that could have supported 682,900 U.S. jobs; given the pre-NAFTA trade surplus, all of those jobs have been lost or displaced since NAFTA. This estimate of 682,900 net jobs displaced takes into account the additional jobs created by exports to Mexico. The report’s author, Robert Scott, claims it f... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4789203 Fri, 06 May 2011 01:40:06 +0100 4789203 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4789210&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Frgbnqbibwg8%2F By Ian VasquezThe big international story that broke on Sunday understandably was the death of Osama Bin Laden. But another big story was that May 1 also marked the thirtieth anniversary of the introduction of Chile’s successful private pension system. Implemented by José Piñera (now a Distinguished Senior Fellow at Cato) to replace unsustainable public pensions, private retirement accounts have averaged real annual rates of return of more than 9 percent, contributed to economic growth and the rise in savings, and helped turn working Chileans into capitalists. They’ve been a key to Chile’s economic progress and political maturity. The reform has been copied in part or in full by some 30 countries around the world. And contrary to what American critics on the left claimed at the tim... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4789210 Thu, 05 May 2011 15:57:46 +0100 4789210 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4789248&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fannouncing-better-health%25e2%2580%2599s-new-spanish-content-partner-diario-medico%2F2011.05.05 I am so pleased to announce a new content partnership between Better Health and Diario Médico (DM), Spain’s leading news outlet for physicians. We will now be featuring regular content from the DM bloggers, translated for our readers from Spanish to English. The medical blogging community is a global family, and we proudly embrace our Spanish innovators overseas. I first met the DM team two years ago on Twitter. Their lead social media guru, Alain Ochoa-Torres (@alainochoa), was the first to reach out to me – eager to learn about social media trends in the United States. We arranged to do a live “Twitterview” to talk about how U.S. physicians are engaging in social media, especially blogging. That Twitterview (screen shot shown to the left) was translated into Spanish and became t... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4789248 Thu, 05 May 2011 12:00:57 +0100 4789248 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4780296&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FzFBsCsFrPg4%2F By Ilya ShapiroThe conventional wisdom is that the United States is a center-right country while Canada is a center-left one.  Yet, even as the most-left-wing president in history occupies the White House, last night the Conservative Party of Canada — which had already been steering its ship of state in a fiscally prudent direction despite only having a plurality of seats in Parliament – won a decisive victory.  Prime Minister Stephen Harper will thus lead the first first majority government by any party since 2004 (after the first election creating a majority government since 2000). How can this be? The answer comes down to three main factors: Electoral system.  Canada has a multi-party first-past-the-post parliamentary system that currently features one united ce... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4780296 Tue, 03 May 2011 12:59:34 +0100 4780296 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4780298&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FbPmt1oEIodw%2F By Daniel GriswoldAdvocates of the U.S. sugar program like to claim they are protecting our “food security.” It turns out that trade barriers deliver higher prices for consumers while making our food supplies LESS secure. According to a story in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal, titled “Sugar Squeeze in U.S.,” bad weather has curbed the amount of sugar cane produced in Florida and sugar beets in the Midwest. When combined with restrictive import quotas that virtually guarantee U.S. producers 85 percent of the domestic market, domestic sugar prices could soon spike upward. Americans currently pay more than 36 cents for a pound of sugar, more than 50 percent above the world price. The sugar program not only imposes extra costs on American consumers but also hurts U.S. small business... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4780298 Tue, 03 May 2011 12:48:14 +0100 4780298 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4775370&cid=t_92172_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=4762748&cid=t_92172_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=4747602&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FOOz5ZFxMdvA%2F By Daniel J. MitchellThere hasn’t been much good economic news in recent years, but one bright spot for the economy is that the United States is a haven for foreign investors and this has helped attract more than $10 trillion to American capital markets according to Commerce Department data. These funds are hugely important for the health of the U.S. financial sector and are a critical source of funds for new job creation and other forms of investment. This is a credit to the competitiveness of American banks and other financial institutions, but we also should give credit to politicians. For more than 90 years, Congress has approved and maintained laws to attract investment from overseas. As a general rule, foreigners are not taxed on interest they earn in America. Moreover, by not... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4747602 Mon, 25 Apr 2011 12:40:43 +0100 4747602 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4742372&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F-5GbJK1tRUU%2F By Tom G. PalmerThe astonishing changes sweeping the Arab world hold great promise for liberty and peace, but those goals are much less likely to be realized without the active input of libertarians.  Arab libertarians are organized in a number of networks, one of which held a series of programs recently in Cairo on building the institutions of liberty and development in a post-revolutionary society.  The director of the Arabic “Forum of Liberty” (Minbaralhurriyya.org), Dr. Nouh El Harmouzi (also a university professor of economics in Morocco) spoke at the massive rally on Tahrir Square April 8 with a clear message for Egyptians (in Arabic, with English subtitles): Also speaking at the rally (on democracy and the rule of law) and in other programs in Cairo was Gurcharan Das,... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4742372 Fri, 22 Apr 2011 14:37:28 +0100 4742372 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5036398&cid=t_92172_118_f&fid=34850&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FHealthBusinessBlog%2F%7E3%2F2cIhbRHWGLU%2F Whenever I’m in Canada I enjoy reading what the newspapers have to say about health care. Today’s Montreal Gazette leads with Hip surgery wait times fail seniors and continues inside with Waits longest in cities for seniors’ hip surgery. Only 45 per cent of Montrealers over 65 have surgery to repair hip fractures within a day or two – the medically ideal wait time. In Laval, the figure is 32.6 per cent, the lowest in the province, while in Abitibi-Témiscamingue it is 94.2 per cent. The results contradict Health Minister Yves Bolduc’s position that Montreal has better access to specialized medical services than rural or remote areas. The Gazette‘s take is clearly that its readers are getting a raw deal. Yet from the standpoint of a visiting American ther... Health Business Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5036398 Thu, 21 Apr 2011 22:35:19 +0100 5036398 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4742374&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F7Yzc-DnM8xA%2F By Michael F. CannonAs everybody with a brain knows, Article 41 of Chapter 2 of the Constitution of the Russian Federation protects the universal right of every Russian citizen to health care: Everyone shall have the right to health protection and medical aid. Medical aid in state and municipal health establishments shall be rendered to individuals gratis…. Free health protection for everyone is an impressive feat, considering Russia spends less than 4 percent of its meager GDP on health care.  The Washington Post reveals how Russia makes it work: Nationally, statistics show, almost half of Russia’s hospitals lack heat or running water. There’s also the fact that Russians of all ages and sexes face probabilities of dying rivaled only by HIV-plagued sub-Saharan African natio... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4742374 Thu, 21 Apr 2011 18:41:43 +0100 4742374 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4719885&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FjFmU0d2pZjw%2F By Christopher PrebleA little over a year ago, I posted two different graphs (with the help of my colleague Charles Zakaib) that showed the growth of U.S. national security spending vs. that of other NATO allies over the last ten years. The data, based on the International Institute for Strategic Studies’ annual Military Balance, showed that U.S. taxpayers spend far more on our military, both as a share of total economic output, and on a per capita basis, than do any of our allies. New data, for 2009, was made available in IISS’s Military Balance 2011, and the revised graphs are shown below. (Again, thanks to Charles for his help). As I suspected, the gap remains as wide as ever. In a few cases, it has grown wider. As you can see, the $2,101 that every American man, woman, and child ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4719885 Fri, 15 Apr 2011 15:37:31 +0100 4719885 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4704634&cid=t_92172_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=4696608&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FPkaC9qB_l8c%2F By Daniel J. MitchellI’m not a big fan of the IRS, but usually I blame politicians for America’s corrupt, unfair, and punitive tax system. Sometimes, though, the tax bureaucrats run amok and earn their reputation as America’s most despised bureaucracy. Here’s an example. Earlier this year, the Internal Revenue Service proposed a regulation that would force American banks to become deputy tax collectors for foreign governments. Specifically, they would be required to report any interest they pay to accounts held by nonresident aliens (a term used for foreigners who live abroad). The IRS issued this proposal, even though Congress repeatedly has voted not to tax this income because of an understandable desire to attract job-creating capital to the U.S. economy. In oth... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4696608 Mon, 11 Apr 2011 12:00:46 +0100 4696608 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4693267&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FpH6INmUyxng%2F By Daniel IkensonThe angry Left has been calling for President Obama to fire Jeffrey Immelt from his position as head of the President’s Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. I think that would be a good idea, but for different reasons. Sen. Russ Feingold, Moveon.Org, and the regular scribes at the Huffington Post see Immelt, the chairman and CEO of General Electric, as unfit to advise the president because GE invests some of its resources abroad and, despite worldwide profits of $14.2 billion, paid no taxes in 2010. No illegalities are alleged, mind you; GE — like every other U.S. multinational — responds to incentives, including those resulting from tax policy and regulations concocted in Washington.  But there are more substantive reasons for why Immelt is unfit to advise ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4693267 Fri, 08 Apr 2011 18:30:21 +0100 4693267 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4693272&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FgCEly6uUjxk%2F By David BoazThe government of China finally confirmed that it has detained the artist Ai Weiwei. Meanwhile, Evan Osnos writes from Beijing for the New Yorker about China’s “Big Chill”: Step by step—so quietly, in fact, that the full facts of it can be startling—China has embarked on the most intense crackdown on free expression in years. Overshadowed by news elsewhere in recent weeks, China has been rounding up writers, lawyers, and activists since mid-February, when calls began to circulate for protests inspired by those in the Middle East and North Africa. By now the contours are clear: according to a count by Chinese Human Rights Defenders, an advocacy group, the government has “criminally detained 26 individuals, disappeared more than 30, and put more than 200... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4693272 Thu, 07 Apr 2011 19:59:05 +0100 4693272 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4684270&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FpKlx44gYfOU%2F By Daniel GriswoldTo no great surprise, the Obama administration announced today that it has cut a deal with the government of Colombia to address concerns about labor protections and to finally move toward enacting the long-stalled free-trade agreement between our two countries. This is welcome news for trade expansion and for strengthening our ties to a key Latin American ally. Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos is expected to arrive later this week in Washington to cement the deal. In exchange for the agreement, Colombia has reportedly agreed to expand its efforts to protect union members from violence and to more vigorously prosecute those responsible. As my Cato colleague Juan Carlos Hidalgo and I documented in a Cato study earlier this year, concerns about labor protections were ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4684270 Wed, 06 Apr 2011 17:54:59 +0100 4684270 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4676765&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F6P-uydf45mM%2F By Daniel J. MitchellA new study from the Adam Smith Institute in the United Kingdom provides overwhelming evidence that class-warfare tax policy is grossly misguided and self-destructive. The authors examine the likely impact of the 10-percentage point increase in the top income tax rate, which was imposed as an election-year stunt by former prime minister Gordon Brown and then kept in place by his feckless successor, David Cameron. They find that boosting the top tax rate to 50 percent will slow economic performance. And because of both macroeconomic and microeconomic responses, tax revenues over the next 10 years are likely to drop by the equivalent of more than $550 billion. Here's a key paragraph from the executive summary of the new study. The country is suffering from a 50%-­plus ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4676765 Mon, 04 Apr 2011 13:15:59 +0100 4676765 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4670092&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F4FnzF_Gc8-c%2F By Daniel J. MitchellLondon was just hit by heavy riots as part of a protest against the "deep" and "savage" budget cuts of the Cameron government. This is not the first time the UK has endured riots. The welfare lobby, bureaucrats, and other recipients of taxpayer largesse are becoming increasingly agitated that their gravy train may be derailed. The vast majority of protesters have been peaceful, but some hooligans took the opportunity to wreak havoc. These nihilists apparently call themselves anarchists, but are too ignorant to understand the giant disconnect of adopting that title while at the same time rioting for bigger government and more redistribution. My anarcho-capitalist friends must be embarrassed by the potential linkage with these hooligans. Speaking of rage, Paul Krugman is... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4670092 Fri, 01 Apr 2011 15:20:09 +0100 4670092 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4664475&cid=t_92172_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FJViUwPFkJdM%2F Hired someone new and exciting? Promoted a rising star? Finally solved that hard-to-fill spot? Share the news with us and we’ll share with it others. That’s right. Send us your announcements and we’ll find a home for them. Don’t be shy. Everyone wants to know who is coming and going, especially with all the layoffs. Despite the downsizing, there is movement. Here are some of the latest changes. Recognize anyone? And here is our regular feature. Send us a photo and we will spotlight a different person each week. This time around, we note that PTC Therapeutics hired Robert Spiegel as chief medical officer, who previously held the same position at Schering-Plough, where he worked since 1983. While he was at the big drugmaker, Spiegel was involved in the filing of more than 30 New Drug... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4664475 Fri, 01 Apr 2011 12:06:13 +0100 4664475 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5036410&cid=t_92172_118_f&fid=34850&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FHealthBusinessBlog%2F%7E3%2FlLlvUaQ9al0%2F In a darkly hilarious scene at the end of the movie Dr. Strangelove, the world is coming to an end as a Soviet Doomsday Device triggers the Apocalypse. Just then, Peter Sellers (who plays Strangelove) rises from his wheelchair and shouts to the US President, “Mein Fuhrer, I can walk!” I was reminded of this scene when I read a more serious and encouraging article about ReWalk, an Israeli exo-skeletal device that allows paraplegics to walk. The inventor, Amit Goffer designed the device for himself after suffering an accident in 1997. The idea is pretty simple: strap a set of padded, motorized struts on the legs and waist, and connect them to sensors and controllers that allow the wearer to get around. The device lets people walk, ascend and descend stairs, and generally get back toward... Health Business Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5036410 Thu, 31 Mar 2011 13:33:20 +0100 5036410 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4636658&cid=t_92172_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FA99JMnl2Rrw%2F For the second time this month, the US International Trade Commission has agreed to investigate a complaint hinging on a patent dispute involving different drugmakers. This time around, Femira Pharma accuses Merck and numerous retailers, including CVS Caremark Wal-Mart, of infringing on a patent because the drugmaker and pharmacies import or sell Merck’s NuvaRing vaginal ring birth control device (see the ITC notice). In its complaint, Femira argues its patent generally relates to a medicated intravaginal device, such as a vaginal ring, for transvaginal delivery of a medication to a woman’s uterus. Femira also maintins the drug delivery system described in its patent allows delivery in lower concentrations than those needed for systemic treatment and so offers a lower systemic ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4636658 Fri, 25 Mar 2011 14:46:48 +0100 4636658 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4626789&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FkXNs6nxl5bY%2F By Juan Carlos HidalgoAs expected, President Obama’s speech on Latin America, given on Monday in Santiago, Chile, was full of rhetoric but short of substance. He briefly mentioned the willingness of his administration to “move forward” with the pending free trade agreements with Colombia and Panama, but didn’t say when he’s submitting them for a vote in Congress. He recognized (again) that drug consumption in the U.S. is fueling drug violence in Mexico and Central America, but stayed away from saying how his more-of-the-same policies will change anything. Obama’s only tangible pledge was the announcement that his administration will work to increase the number of Latin American students in the U.S. to 100,000. This is laudable, but still unambitious. According to the Institute ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4626789 Wed, 23 Mar 2011 17:21:37 +0100 4626789 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4627020&cid=t_92172_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F0IjRn8so-AU%2F Earlier this month, controversy erupted after KV Pharmaceuticals disclosed plans to charge $1,500 for an injection of its Makena drug for preventing premature births. Why? Makena is actually a form of progesterone that has been available for decades from compounding pharmacies at roughly $10 to $20 a week (read this and this). Now, though, KV Pharma has a lock on the market, because Makena is the only drug approved by the FDA for this purpose. And the agency did so under the auspices of the Orphan Drug Act, which means KV Pharma was granted seven years of market exclusivity. In response, two senators asked the US Federal Trade Commission to investigate (see here), but Jamie Love of Knowledge Ecology International, a non-profit advocacy group that focuses on intellectual property issues tha... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4627020 Wed, 23 Mar 2011 12:37:04 +0100 4627020 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4615078&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FHvwUQ0pSe-Q%2F By Daniel GriswoldAs President Obama flies from Brazil to Chile today and then on to El Salvador later this week, trade and jobs have been a major theme of his trip. So far the tour has been a public relations success, but it also highlights the contradictions in the president’s trade policy toward our Latin American neighbors. One contradiction is that the president says nice things about trade agreements in the abstract, but he has so far refused to show leadership when it really matters. In an op-ed in USAToday on Friday, as he was about to depart for Brazil, the president wrote: Thanks in part to our trade agreements across the region, we now export three times as much to Latin America as we do to China, and our exports to the region — which are growing faster than our exports to t... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4615078 Mon, 21 Mar 2011 19:20:12 +0100 4615078 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4615426&cid=t_92172_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FPl4PHiJPh2U%2F Over the past week, a note has been circulating on the Internet about the web site that Eli Lilly created for its Strattera ADHD medication for consumers in China. Specifically, the missive points out that the Strattera site offers very different info about the risks and benefits of the medication. As an example, the US Strattera site warns patients of suicide risk, but not the Chinese site. “Lilly’s web site in China says nothing about this risk; patients are told nothing about any Strattera side effects at all. Chinese readers are warned instead about the dangers of ADHD (deliquency, substance abuse, unemployment, depression and other serious problems, both personal and social) unless treated with medication,” according to the note that was distributed by Ben Hansen, a ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4615426 Mon, 21 Mar 2011 14:42:06 +0100 4615426 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4615429&cid=t_92172_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F4eYAhPyUqZA%2F In an unusual move to thwart generic competition, Eli Lilly has succeeded in convincing the US International Trade Commission to investigate its complaint that Hospira and three suppliers are using a manufacturing process that infringes a patent on its Gemzar cancer med. And Lilly hopes the ITC will block importation of Hospira’s generic version, which is known as gemcitabine (see ITC notice here). In its complaint, Lilly charges that the patented method for making Gemzar, which is used to treat breast, lung, ovarian and pancreatic cancer, is “the most commercially viable process available for manufacturing gemcitabine” and “involves less steps, higher yields and lower costs,” according to the Lilly complaint. Hospira and its suppliers are charged with illegal... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4615429 Mon, 21 Mar 2011 11:58:20 +0100 4615429 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4615462&cid=t_92172_180_f&fid=38607&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2Fsuccessbeginstoday%2FBHWQ%2F%7E3%2F6GUg3IdmtsQ%2F Back in 2004 I attended a Toastmasters district conference in San Bernardino California. The speaker was Sarano Kelley, a young black man with a powerful story. He walked down the center aisle of the auditorium that day, stopped in front of me and asked me a question that would change my life. “John, What time is it?” I didn’t know what to say. He looked me in the eye and said in even a louder voice “What time is it?” I just blurted out… “It’s time to get started.” Sarano went on to talk about the power of doing things today and setting 12 week goals. What he said that day had a profound affect on me. I bought his book, and made up my mind to set some goals. I went on to lose 26 pounds over the next 12 weeks and received a job promotio... Success Begins Today blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4615462 Sun, 20 Mar 2011 05:41:35 +0100 4615462 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4610796&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FIdpiqIBq5kE%2F By Juan Carlos HidalgoAs Ted Carpenter notes below, President Obama is departing on an important trip to Latin America. The countries that he will visit exemplify the macroeconomic stability and advancement of democratic institutions now found in much of the region. Brazil, by far the largest Latin American economy, has enjoyed almost a decade of sound growth and poverty reduction. Chile is the most developed country in the region thanks to decades of economic liberalization, a process that has also made it Latin America’s most mature democracy. And El Salvador is undergoing a delicate period in its transition to becoming a full-fledged democracy with its first left-of-center president since the end of the civil war in 1992. In an era when most Latin American nations are moving in the... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4610796 Fri, 18 Mar 2011 17:54:10 +0100 4610796 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4600521&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FU6hEO9njiVA%2F By Tom G. PalmerNathan Gardels at the Huffington Post writes (emphasis added): No one -- least of all someone like myself who has experienced the existential terror of California's regular tremors and knows the big one is coming here next -- would minimize the grief, suffering and disruption caused by Japan's massive earthquake and tsunami. But if one can look past the devastation, there is a silver lining. The need to rebuild a large swath of Japan will create huge opportunities for domestic economic growth, particularly in energy-efficient technologies, while also stimulating global demand and hastening the integration of East Asia. But as French political economist Frédéric Bastiat noted, destruction isn't stimulative because it cannot create wealth: Bastiat on the Japane... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4600521 Wed, 16 Mar 2011 14:09:04 +0100 4600521 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4592395&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fa-social-media-guide-for-researchers%2F2011.03.15 I’ve recently come across a great guide about using social media in science. I cover this issue in my university course, Internet in Medicine, and I’ll definitely update my materials with these suggestions. From the Research Information Network: This guide has been produced by the [University of Derby] International Centre for Guidance Studies (iCeGS), and aims to provide the information needed to make an informed decision about using social media and select from the vast range of tools that are available. One of the most important things that researchers do is to find, use and disseminate information, and social media offers a range of tools which can facilitate this. The guide discusses the use of social media for research and academic purposes and will not be examining the many... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4592395 Tue, 15 Mar 2011 16:00:09 +0100 4592395 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4592696&cid=t_92172_150_f&fid=37000&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpharmawareblog.co.uk%2F2011%2F03%2F15%2Findia%25e2%2580%2599s-pact-with-europe-may-choke-its-generic-drug-exports%2F International aid agencies have urged the Indian government to reject a free trade agreement it is negotiating with the European Union. The agreement may undermine India’s ability to produce cheap generic drugs. The concern stems from leaked sections of the text showing that the EU wants India to accept a data exclusivity provision which would force India’s generic manufacturers to submit their own data on safety and effectiveness to register the generic products. It will force generic manufacturers to repeat clinical trials already done by industry to get their drugs approved.BMJ 2011, 342, 1480 (Source: PharmAware Blog) PharmAware Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4592696 Mon, 14 Mar 2011 22:08:48 +0100 4592696 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4592368&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FookT8rGxqgw%2F By Ian VasquezToday Cato released the Economic Freedom of the States of India 2011 report (co-published with Indicus Analytics and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation) in Washington and New Delhi. India has been growing at high rates since it implemented market reforms in the early 1990s thus notably improving its level of economic freedom. Yet India is an enormous country with some regions making more progress than others. The new report shows that there is a great diversity among Indian states in terms of economic freedom. Parallel to the findings of the Economic Freedom of the World report, the new study on India finds that states with more economic freedom tend to have better economic performance. As the graph shows, states that have increased their level of economic freedom in the past ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4592368 Mon, 14 Mar 2011 17:29:00 +0100 4592368 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4575026&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F03%2Ffinally-some-upcoming-events-to.html In our side-bar to the right we have a section for "Upcoming Meetings and Events."  Sadly, it is often empty.  Perhaps as a result of the anechoic effect, there seem to be few talks, workshops, much less symposia, conferences, and courses on the issues we discuss on Health Care Renewal.  However, I am happy to now note two upcoming events of interest.First, and most directly related, is the 2011 PharmedOut.org conference, entitled, "Pharma Knows Best? -Managing Medical Knowledge," on 16-17 June, 2011 at Georgetown University in Washington, DC, USA.  PharmedOut.org is dedicated to addressing how pharmaceutical companies seek to influence medical decision making.    My editorial comment is that pharmaceutical companies, and also biotechnology, device, health car... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4575026 Fri, 11 Mar 2011 16:45:00 +0100 4575026 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4570759&cid=t_92172_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FWSS2nrAw5gE%2F This week, the cost of an injection to prevent a premature birth is roughly $10 to $20. Next week, it will cost $1,500. Why? That is when KV Pharmaceutical starts marketing its newly approved Makena, a form of progesterone that, for many years, was offered by compounding pharmacies. Now, though, KV has an exclusive lock on the market and is threatening compounders who dare to encroach. “I’ve never seen anything as outrageous as this,” Arnold Cohen, an obstetrician at Albert Einstein Medical Center, tells the Associated Press. “That’s a huge increase for something that can’t be costing them that much to make,” says Roger Snow, deputy medical director for Massachusetts Medicaid. And Joanne Armstrong, who heads women’s health at Aetna, says: &#8... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4570759 Thu, 10 Mar 2011 14:52:04 +0100 4570759 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4560263&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2Fu3tfPhEqS1U%2F By Nalini Saligram and Jill Sheffield. There are times in the history of the world when the actions of people with foresight and wisdom have averted crises on a mass scale. We are hopeful that this will be another of those times, and that the 100th observance of International Women’s Day on March 8 will be the catalyst. The lives of far too many people around the world are threatened by non-communicable diseases (NCDs) including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer and chronic respiratory ailments. More than sixty percent of us in countries rich and poor will die from these diseases. The World Economic Forum’s 2010 Global Risks Report identifies NCDs as one of the major risks to businesses and economies, and rates it a costly global risk comparable to that of the financial ... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4560263 Tue, 08 Mar 2011 14:24:51 +0100 4560263 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4560246&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FcHutqMPA_KY%2F By Sallie JamesMy colleagues and I see many questionable quotes and policy pronouncements from members of Congress, but one crossed my desk recently that really pushes the envelope. Senator Jeff Sessions (R -AL) -- he who caused some important trade policies to expire in December -- is attempting to "right" that wrong by introducing new legislation (S. 433) to reinstate the policies. Essentially, he is trying to succeed where others (thankfully) failed, i.e., to carve-out legislatively certain products (sleeping bags) made in his state. In so doing, however, he filled his March 2 press release with a retinue of half-truths, disingenuous mis-interpretations and damaging dog-whistles.  Let's examine them one at a time, shall we? (All emphases are mine.) WASHINGTON¬—U.S. Senator Je... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4560246 Mon, 07 Mar 2011 17:14:02 +0100 4560246 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4544943&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F6jeuUQdVw-o%2F By Daniel GriswoldPresident Obama and Mexican President Calderon announced this afternoon that the U.S. government will finally allow qualified, safety certified Mexican truckers to deliver goods in the United States, fulfilling a commitment our government made more than 17 years ago in the North American Free Trade Agreement. It’s about time. America’s violation of the agreement had resulted in sanctions against $2.4 billion worth of U.S. exports to Mexico. According to one press report today, The plan, announced at a news conference by the two presidents, will allow for half of those tariffs to be lifted immediately. It will establish a reciprocal, phased-in pilot program that allows Mexican trucks to operate inside the U.S. provided they comply with a series of safety and driver-ski... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4544943 Thu, 03 Mar 2011 19:59:44 +0100 4544943 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4536060&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=38368&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FDisruptiveWomenInHealthCare%2F%7E3%2F3zw8JH-ezQ8%2F By Tamar Abrams. One hundred years ago, International Women’s Day was celebrated for the first time. A poem written in 1911 by James Oppenheim shows how basic the needs of women were in that long-ago time: The rising of the women means the rising of the race. No more the drudge and idler — ten that toil where one reposes, But a sharing of life’s glories: Bread and roses! Bread and roses! As we prepare for International Women’s Day on March 8, the lesson of “the rising of the women means the rising of the race” is yet to be embraced by all nations. And yet the presence of women in Tahrir Square in Cairo and in Tunisia and other hot spots around the world attests to the change women are making in the world. Women Deliver today released the Women Deliver 1... Disruptive Women in Health Care blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4536060 Wed, 02 Mar 2011 14:47:33 +0100 4536060 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4532507&cid=t_92172_136_f&fid=37846&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhealthinfoispower.wordpress.com%2F2011%2F02%2F28%2Fmrs-australia-quest-finalist-veronica-cristovao-is-raising-ovarian-cancer-awareness-down-under%2F Mrs. Australian Quest Finalist Veronica Cristovao is raising ovarian cancer awareness “Down Under,” and she hopes to use the pageant as an international platform to further her ovarian cancer advocacy. Did you know that February is national Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month in Australia? According to the Australian National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre, approximately 1,200 [...] (Source: Libby's H*O*P*E*) Libby's H*O*P*E* blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4532507 Mon, 28 Feb 2011 20:06:18 +0100 4532507 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4532196&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F7OFg_GMW4ik%2F By Daniel J. MitchellSooner or later, there will be a giant battle in Washington over the value-added tax. The people who want bigger government (and the people who are willing to surrender to big government) understand that a new source of tax revenue is needed to turn the United States into a European-style social welfare state. But that's exactly why the VAT is a terrible idea. I explain why in a column for Reuters. The entire thing is worth reading, but here's an excerpt of some key points. Many Washington insiders are claiming that America needs a value-added tax (VAT) to get rid of red ink. ...And President Obama says that a VAT is “something that has worked for other countries.” Every single one of these assertions is demonstrably false. ...One of the many problems with a VAT is... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4532196 Mon, 28 Feb 2011 15:49:20 +0100 4532196 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4532572&cid=t_92172_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FJhdgNC8Xh6E%2F The European Medicines Agency is being criticized for not objecting to a pharma industry consulting gig taken by its former executive director, Thomas Lonngren, who left at the end of the December. However, he only told the EMA board of his intention to pursue consulting in a December 28 letter - and his new consulting job was to begin on January 1. Instead of asking questions, the EMA chair, Pat O’Mahony, responded that the agency had no objections to Lonngren’s new position, according to consumer advocacy groups, which wrote a letter to the EMA to complain about its decision (here are the letters between Lonngren and O’Mahony, although the Lonngren letter is misdated). The groups charge in their own letter that the EMA board did not request details from Lönngren about his cons... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4532572 Mon, 28 Feb 2011 15:43:18 +0100 4532572 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4532197&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F-s5-w8dUZlw%2F By David BoazAt the Britannica Blog I declare the college town -- and state capital -- Madison, Wisconsin, "the Athens of the West." College towns used to call themselves “the Athens of the West.” In Nashville, home of my alma mater Vanderbilt University, they built a full-scale replica of the Parthenon. But these days Madison, Wisconsin, has the best claim to the title. Lots of national media have been comparing the protests against Gov. Scott Walker in Madison to the protests that ended Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak‘s 30-year reign.... The Greek journalist Takis Michas told a Washington audience last summer that the Greek political economy is a form of capitalism where the bureaucracy and its allies consider the state their property, and use its mechanisms for personal enric... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4532197 Mon, 28 Feb 2011 14:27:05 +0100 4532197 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4522089&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FDHYlsvMdiQs%2F By David BoazSpeaking to some 500 libertarian students at the International Students for Liberty Conference last weekend, Cato adjunct scholar Tyler Cowen noted: Rep. Paul Ryan gave an alternative State of the Union address without mentioning Social Security or Medicare. That's like discussing the Miami Heat without mentioning LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, or Chris Bosh. How Is LeBron James like Medicare? 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=4522089 Fri, 25 Feb 2011 18:27:55 +0100 4522089 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4507262&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FA4YRqrIWVIY%2F By Daniel J. MitchellAmerica faces a fiscal crisis. The burden of federal spending has doubled during the Bush-Obama years, a $2 trillion increase in just 10 years. But that's just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Because of demographic changes and poorly designed entitlement programs, the federal budget is going to consume larger and larger shares of America's economic output in coming decades. For all intents and purposes, the United States appears doomed to become a bankrupt welfare state like Greece. But we can save ourselves. A previous video showed how both Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton achieved positive fiscal changes by limiting the growth of federal spending, with particular emphasis on reductions in the burden of domestic spending. This new video from the Center for Freedom an... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4507262 Tue, 22 Feb 2011 14:16:41 +0100 4507262 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4489922&cid=t_92172_136_f&fid=35302&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FWhitePebble%2F%7E3%2FQ0ilh8xTGLo%2F Boulder International Film Festival Filed under: Film Tagged: Boulder, Boulder International Film Festival, Film, movies (Source: white pebble) white pebble blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4489922 Thu, 17 Feb 2011 17:24:55 +0100 4489922 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4489640&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FiK2_fWLEruI%2F By Juan Carlos HidalgoDuring a recent Congressional hearing on President Obama’s trade agenda, Rep. Sander Levin (D-Mich.) stated his continued objections to the FTA with Colombia: “Union worker violence in Colombia remains unacceptably high - if not the highest in the world. Limited progress is being made in the investigation and prosecution of those responsible. Additionally, reports indicate that threats against union workers and others have increased, and there has been little concrete action today to pursue these cases.” [Emphasis added]. Levin warned that, despite signs of a more constructive approach to this issue from Colombia's new president Juan Manuel Santos, “The only adequate measuring stick is progress on the ground.” Rep. Levin should take a look at the Free Trade ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4489640 Thu, 17 Feb 2011 17:22:44 +0100 4489640 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4489643&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fn2z-AbtOIDs%2F By Daniel J. MitchellForget the Magna Carta and the Constitution. Don't pay attention to the end of slavery. Ignore the defeat of the Nazis or the collapse of the Soviet Empire. If you want a real victory for humanity, European courts have ruled that people have the right to free soccer games on TV. Apparently, people are now "entitled" to anything that is "of major importance" to society. Isn't that just peachy? Europe is slowly collapsing under the weight of the welfare state. Nations such as Greece and Portugal already have reached the point of fiscal collapse. But rather than address these problems, the political elites at the European institutions have decided on a modern-day version of bread and circuses for the masses. Here's a blurb from the Financial Times. European countries are ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4489643 Thu, 17 Feb 2011 15:52:05 +0100 4489643 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4522324&cid=t_92172_175_f&fid=39258&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FInsidePaTraining%2F%7E3%2FAbPaNcNhHiE%2Ffinding-a-physician-assistant-to-shadow Last week I wrote about why you should shadow a physician assistant if you plan to apply to physician assistant school.  One of our readers emailed me (please do if you have something you’d like to read about) and asked me, “How do you find someone to shadow?”  I gave some ideas off-the-cuff, but I [...]Visit us at Inside PA Training - Becoming A Physician Assistant (Source: Inside PA Training) Inside PA Training blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4522324 Thu, 17 Feb 2011 06:59:04 +0100 4522324 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4490001&cid=t_92172_175_f&fid=39258&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FInsidePaTraining%2F%7E3%2F8gO_bbyYvn8%2Ffinding-a-pa-or-md-shadowing-experience   Remember how busy clincians are Last week I wrote about how it’s crucial to spend some time shadowing if you plan to apply to physician assistant school.  One of our readers emailed me (please do if you have something you’d like to read about) and asked me, “How do you find someone to shadow?”  [...]Visit us at Inside PA Training - Becoming A Physician Assistant (Source: Inside PA Training) Inside PA Training blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4490001 Thu, 17 Feb 2011 06:59:04 +0100 4490001 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4477700&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Foc9EGs2cxi8%2F By Doug BandowToday, the Obama administration released its FY 2012 budget, and with it the Pentagon’s spending request.  Regrettably, the Pentagon’s plan shows that the federal government’s 4th consecutive $1 trillion-plus annual deficit has not quelled an appetite for a continued quasi-imperial foreign policy that subsidizes a multitude of rich allies around the globe. Unfortunately, if you argue against such a massive budget, you are immediately labeled an “isolationist.”  Take the example of Senator Rand Paul’s (R-KY) crusade to cut the federal budget by $500 billion.  Among many other substantive cuts, Senator Paul called for ending U.S. foreign aid around the globe. And when pressed, he included aid to Israel. Aid to Israel represents less than one percent of his prop... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4477700 Mon, 14 Feb 2011 17:47:10 +0100 4477700 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4464477&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F0a0p9LpxQTE%2F By Daniel GriswoldThe U.S. trade deficit rose in 2010, and the bilateral deficit with China reached a record high last year, according to the monthly trade report released this morning by the U.S. Commerce Department. The usual critics (such as Peter Morici of the University of Maryland) are already spinning it into yet another indictment of trade, but the report contains a lot of good news for the U.S. economy. Last year, Americans bought $2,330 billion worth of goods and services from other countries, while selling $1,832 billion, for a trade deficit of $498 billion. Our bilateral deficit with China grew to a record $273 billion. Politicians and commentators love to focus on the trade deficit, as though it were a scorecard of who is winning in global trade. But the real measure is the to... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4464477 Fri, 11 Feb 2011 20:07:35 +0100 4464477 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4459941&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FQR3poXuB5DM%2F By Juan Carlos HidalgoThe new Brazilian government of President Dilma Rousseff has announced spending cuts of 50 billion reais (approximately $30 billion) this year. This amounts to approximately 1.3% of the country’s estimated GDP for 2011. Despite good intentions, that is still a very timid effort in curbing the size of government in Brazil: Total government spending (including state and local levels) runs at almost 40% of GDP. Perhaps the timidity of the proposal is explained by the fact that curbing the size of government is not the motivation for the spending cuts. Nor is it to avoid a looming fiscal crisis. Brazil’s estimated budget deficit for 2010 was 2.3% of GDP; not good, but still a far cry from the fiscal woes of Europe or the U.S. Dilma’s reason for cutting spending lies... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4459941 Thu, 10 Feb 2011 18:57:02 +0100 4459941 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4455249&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F4L9gwS9jciU%2F By Daniel IkensonPresident Obama’s visit with the Chamber of Commerce this week has infuriated the anti-business Left.  But short of expropriation and nationalization, what doesn’t?  Robert Reich and NPR and the scribes at the Huffington Post just don’t get it.  Their man may be in the White House, but business holds the keys to the kingdom.  Whether the president’s priority is job creation or reelection, nothing matters more than sustained economic growth. And without business having confidence that policy in the United States will become more hospitable and predictable, investment and job creation will remain tepid. The president doesn’t have nearly the leverage assumed in the delusions of groups like Public Citizen, which wrote: "What America needs is not olive branches to... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4455249 Wed, 09 Feb 2011 21:49:56 +0100 4455249 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4450280&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FLMKgAIP6bpA%2F By Daniel GriswoldIn his speech at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce yesterday, President Obama tried to make nice with U.S. business. While the speech contained some positive elements about promoting trade and a lower corporate tax rate, the president also pounded the tired theme that we are locked in a battle with other countries over a fixed number of jobs. Notice how the president framed the otherwise good news of expanding domestic production: Right now, businesses across this country are proving that America can compete. Caterpillar is opening a new plant to build excavators in Texas that used to be shipped from Japan. … A company called Geomagic, a software maker, decided to close down its overseas centers in China and Europe and move their R&D here to the United States. These comp... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4450280 Tue, 08 Feb 2011 14:04:50 +0100 4450280 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4433082&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FxopzQXGUHSc%2F By Christopher PrebleThe turmoil in Egypt, specifically in Cairo, turned violent in the past 36 hours as anti-government protesters clashed with pro-Mubarak groups.  During this period, and specifically today, the government crackdown widened to targeting foreign media.  Journalists and their crews were arrested, prevented from reporting, and beaten.  The anti-government protesters are pointing to Friday as a possible climax in what they are calling the “Friday of departure.” President Mubarak, in an interview with ABC, said he would like to relinquish power now, but claims chaos will erupt if he did.  If he were to step down, or if he follows through on his promise not to run in the presidential election, the million dollar question in Washington becomes: who would the United Stat... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4433082 Thu, 03 Feb 2011 20:59:46 +0100 4433082 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4433104&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fbuilding-a-hospital-in-haiti%2F2011.02.03 Partners in Health is building a state-of-the-art teaching medical facility in Mirebalais in Haiti’s underserved Central Plateau. My niece Annie helped design the waste and water treatment systems of the project as part of her engineering internship with Northeastern University, and will be joining the Partners in Health group upon graduation. It’s so inspiring to see this wonderful project coming to fruition and to know that she’ll be part of it. You can be part of it, too, by donating, volunteering or, like Annie, working for Partners in Health. Partners in Health was founded by Dr. Paul Farmer and colleagues in 1987 to serve the poor in Haiti. Dr. Farmer’s story is the subject of Tracy Kidder’s new book “Mountains Beyond Mountains: One Doctor’s Quest to Hea... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4433104 Thu, 03 Feb 2011 16:00:30 +0100 4433104 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4419278&cid=t_92172_122_f&fid=34755&url=http%3A%2F%2Fneuropsychological.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F01%2Fupcoming-event-ins-in-snowsy-boston-2-5.html The Annual Meeting of the International Neuropsychological Society (INS) occurs this week. Here is the program overview: click here. (Source: BrainBlog) BrainBlog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4419278 Tue, 01 Feb 2011 00:29:00 +0100 4419278 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4419115&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fq_H8H0e0nVg%2F By Malou InnocentOppressed people rarely get opportunities to express their anguish and disillusionment. Today in Egypt for the seventh straight day, thousands of ordinary citizens are pouring out onto the streets, demanding the expulsion of President Hosni Mubarak, calling for an end to emergency laws giving police extensive powers of arrest and detention, and claiming the legitimate right to run their own country. It is well past time for U.S. policymakers to stand with the Egyptian people and rethink Mubarak’s purported role as an “anchor of stability” in the Middle East. Many in Washington fear that the path Egypt takes after Mubarak might not lead to a freer and more prosperous future and that an Islamist government led by the Muslim Brotherhood, or the Ikhwan, will ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4419115 Mon, 31 Jan 2011 17:27:01 +0100 4419115 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4419119&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FjE0_vSpsOA8%2F By Doug BandowChaos in Cairo’s streets likely signals the end of the putative Mubarak dynasty. Although Hosni Mubarak formally remains president, authoritarian regimes seldom survive after their security forces lose control. The military has been deployed, but so far its commanders have not fired on protestors—probably because the former cannot count on the loyalty of the troops. The possible end of any dictatorship should excite Americans. However, most important is how any so-called revolution ends. Tragically, revolts against repressive regimes often lead to even greater repression: consider the French, Russian, Chinese, and Iranian revolutions. Today Uncle Sam is little more than an interested bystander to events in Egypt. The Obama administration has issued the usual platitudes ab... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4419119 Mon, 31 Jan 2011 14:24:06 +0100 4419119 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4399502&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F7VH-mkV5kAo%2F By Chris EdwardsIn his State of the Union, President Obama pulled one from the Cato playbook and called for a corporate tax rate cut. “But all the rest [of our companies] are hit with one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world. It makes no sense, and it has to change. So tonight, I’m asking Democrats and Republicans to simplify the system. Get rid of the loopholes. Level the playing field. And use the savings to lower the corporate tax rate for the first time in 25 years – without adding to our deficit.” The stuff about loopholes and simplification–that’s window dressing. The real story is that the reality has sunk in even to liberal Democrats that we are shooting ourselves in the foot with the highest corporate tax rate in the world. “Loopholes&... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4399502 Wed, 26 Jan 2011 03:39:21 +0100 4399502 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4394447&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-worst-health-care-system-in-the-world-is%25e2%2580%25a6%2F2011.01.24 The worst healthcare system in the world is the United States, of course. Oh no, wait — it’s Canada. Actually, it could be Germany. Geez, now I think it might be the UK. You could go on and on like this, but you know what? No matter how good or bad your healthcare system is, there are certain universal truths. Here are four of them that might make you look at global healthcare a little differently: First, healthcare is getting more expensive, all over the world. A new study by the global consultant, Towers Watson (disclosure: Towers Watson is a Best Doctors client) found that the average medical cost trend around the world will be 10.5 percent in 2011. In the advanced economies costs will rise by an average of 9.3 percent. While Americans tend to think of rising medical costs a... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4394447 Mon, 24 Jan 2011 14:00:06 +0100 4394447 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4389176&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FxPMowgGLFf4%2F By Daniel J. MitchellThere’s a supposed expose’ in the U.K.-based Daily Mail about how major British companies have subsidiaries in low-tax jurisdictions. It even includes this table with the ostensibly shocking numbers. This is quite akin to the propaganda issued by American statists. Here’s a table from a report issued by a left-wing group that calls itself “Business and Investors Against Tax Haven Abuse.” At the risk of being impolite, I’ll ask the appropriate rhetorical question: What do these tables mean? Are the leftists upset that multinational companies exist? If so, there’s really no point in having a discussion. Are they angry that these firms are legally trying to minimize tax? If so, they must not understand that management has a fidu... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4389176 Mon, 24 Jan 2011 00:32:12 +0100 4389176 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4382755&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FSamESHnA_8M%2F By Daniel J. MitchellI’m not a big fan of central banks, and I definitely don’t like multilateral bureaucracies, so I almost feel guilty about publicizing two recent studies published by the European Central Bank. But when such an institution puts out research that unambiguously makes the case for smaller government, it’s time to sit up and take notice. And since these studies largely echo the findings of recent research by the International Monetary Fund, we may have reached a point where even the establishment finally understands that government is too big. The first study looks at real-world examples of debt reduction in 15 European nations and investigates the fiscal policies that worked and didn’t work. Entitled “Major Public Debt Reductions: Lessons From... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4382755 Fri, 21 Jan 2011 14:37:43 +0100 4382755 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4372245&cid=t_92172_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FzyuRjTzSabs%2F Late last month, the World Health Organization proposed members for what it calls a consultative expert working group for R&D financing, which would evaluate and recommend funding for partnership projects for such problems as neglected diseases. The protocol involves nominating individuals from different countries and regions in order to create a balance reflecting varying needs and views. But one suggested member is reportedly generating some controversy - Paul Herrling, who heads the Institutes for Developing World Medical Research at Novartis. Among the 21 people suggested for the working group, he is the only one listed as currently working as an executive for a drugmaker (see the list here). And for that reason, his nomination stirred some opposition over concerns of any potentia... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4372245 Wed, 19 Jan 2011 16:15:44 +0100 4372245 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4361328&cid=t_92172_177_f&fid=38133&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FTubalReversalBlog%2F%7E3%2FhkuARpQHJDo%2Fbest-tubal-reversal-doctors.html This article will help readers answer the question on where is the best place to have a tubal ligation reversal. (Source: Tubal Reversal Blog) Tubal Reversal Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4361328 Tue, 18 Jan 2011 22:29:03 +0100 4361328 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4360953&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FzsZHyKEouIs%2F By Malou InnocentThe sudden collapse of the Tunisian government on Friday underscores the turmoil toward which the Muslim world  seems inescapably drifting.  As I wrote earlier today at The National Interest Online: Today, as during the Cold War, policy makers in Washington seem to expect economic growth to act as a substitute for political liberty, thereby ignoring the instinctive desire for freedom. Despotic leaders love to adopt pseudo-economic “reforms” to mask their coercive measures and perpetuate the status quo, but in the end, the institutionalized oppression imposed by ruling elites cannot be appeased in that way. Time will tell whether Tunisia and its neighbors evolve toward a freer and more prosperous future. But either way, human history confirms that fundamental change i... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4360953 Tue, 18 Jan 2011 20:36:26 +0100 4360953 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4360961&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fhawc3g-lwJo%2F By Daniel J. MitchellI’m not a big fan of the Internal Revenue Service, but I try not to demonize the bureaucrats because politicians actually deserve most of the blame for America’s complex, unfair, and corrupt tax system. The IRS generally is in the unenviable position of simply trying to enforce very bad laws. But sometimes the IRS runs amok and the agency deserves to be held in contempt by the American people Let’s look at a grotesque example of IRS misbehavior. It deals with a seemingly arcane issue, but it has big implications for the US economy, the rule of law, and human rights. On January 7, the tax-collection bureaucracy proposed a regulation that, if implemented, would force American financial institutions to put foreign tax law above US tax law. Banks would be require... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4360961 Tue, 18 Jan 2011 14:44:54 +0100 4360961 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4352708&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2F9en5DQpYzpw%2F By David BoazIn the wake of President Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali’s abdication in Tunisia on Friday, both President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton stressed the need for quick elections in a country that has never known democracy, freedom of the press, or the rule of law: Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton . . .  reacted Friday to Ben Ali’s departure with a statement condemning government violence against protesters and calling for free elections. “We look to the Tunisian government to build a stronger foundation for Tunisia’s future with economic, social and political reforms,” she said. . . . President Obama condemned the use of violence against the protesters and urged the government to hold elections that “reflect the true wil... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4352708 Sat, 15 Jan 2011 22:25:20 +0100 4352708 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4352712&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fcan-mobile-phones-improve-health-in-developing-countries%2F2011.01.15 The potential of mobile phones to improve health is most acutely visible in developing countries. iMedicalApps covered the recent mHealth Summit, where there were many inspiring demonstrations of how voice and simple text messages can have a profound effect on the health of those countries’ citizens. Jhpiego has successfully worked on these problems for three decades and was recently awarded a $100m grant. James Bon Tempo has extensive experience in this field and we are thrilled that he is sharing his insights with the readers of iMedicalApps. This is a guest post from James BonTempo. ********** Mobile Health In Developing Countries I am a user and an implementer of technology, not an inventor or developer, so my constraints, challenges and requirements are different than those of many... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4352712 Sat, 15 Jan 2011 18:00:40 +0100 4352712 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4349495&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2Fsy63kPqOw_4%2F By Sallie JamesWhen talking to groups about the political economy of trade protection, I always mention concentrated benefits versus diffuse costs. Public choice theory explains many bad policies, of course, but tariffs and subsidies are excellent examples of interventions that benefit the few at the expense of the many. Congress, or specifically two members of that esteemed body, have recently provided me with a textbook example. The Generalized System of Preferences is a federal program that offers duty-free access to the U.S. market to certain goods from certain developing countries. Or, I should say, was a federal program, because it expired on December 31. My opinion of the program is ambivalent at best, but one cannot deny that the program brings real cost savings to American consu... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4349495 Fri, 14 Jan 2011 20:19:55 +0100 4349495 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4343113&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FmkInMDtTIGQ%2F By Daniel J. MitchellThe Laffer Curve is one of my favorite issues (see here, here, here, here, here, etc). But it is a very frustrating topic. Half my time is spent trying to convince left-leaning people that the Laffer Curve exists. I use common-sense explanations. I cite historical examples. I even use information from left-of-center institutions in hopes that they will be more likely to listen. The other half of my time is spent trying to educate right-leaning people that the Laffer Curve does not mean that “all tax cuts pay for themselves.” I relentlessly try to make them understand that there is a big difference between pro-growth tax cuts that increase incentives for productive behavior and therefore lead to more taxable income and other tax cuts such as child credits th... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4343113 Thu, 13 Jan 2011 15:01:52 +0100 4343113 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4343130&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fobesity-on-the-rise-in-developing-nations%2F2011.01.13 Emerging economies must act immediately to halt rising obesity rates before the epidemic becomes as severe as it is in first-world countries, according to new report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The OECD report was published in the Lancet. It characterizes the prevalence of obesity in Brazil, China, India, Mexico, Russia and South Africa. Obesity rates were found to vary dramatically across these six countries. In Mexico, a stunning 70 percent of adults were reported to be overweight or obese. Nearly half of all Brazilians, Russians and South Africans fell into these categories. China and India had a lower prevalence of overweight and obesity, but were moving rapidly in the wrong direction, according to the OECD. Developing nations don’t have eno... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4343130 Thu, 13 Jan 2011 14:00:26 +0100 4343130 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4337912&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FvCim4AHajoo%2F By Ian VasquezIn yesterday’s Brazilian daily, O Globo, Pedro Abramovay, the drug czar of the new Brazilian administration, said that Portugal’s experience with drug decriminalization should be considered as an alternative to Brazil’s current anti-narcotics policy. This comes on top of Rio Governor Sergio Cabral’s call for drug legalization and of former President Fernando Henrique Cardoso’s criticism, along with other prominent Latin Americans, of drug prohibition. By officially weighing in on the side of harm reduction, Latin America’s giant can have a significant effect on the debate over this hemisphere’s drug war. Brazil’s Drug Czar: Let’s Look at Portugal’s Experience with Decriminalization is a post from Cato @ Liberty - Cato Institute Blog (Source: Ca... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4337912 Wed, 12 Jan 2011 13:50:53 +0100 4337912 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4337915&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FCMMX1H-G8kY%2F By Chris EdwardsThe Obama administration is showing interest in reforming the U.S. corporate income tax. That’s good news because a lower corporate rate would boost domestic investment, which in turn would generate more jobs and higher wages and incomes. A lower corporate rate would also attract more inflows of direct investment from abroad—foreign-based businesses expanding their plants and building new plants in the United States. I updated this chart from our book, Global Tax Revolution. It shows that during the 1980s, the United States enjoyed higher inflows of foreign direct investment (FDI) than outflows. But since then, the pattern has reversed—our companies are now investing more abroad than foreign-based companies are investing in the United States. (Data is from the BEA). ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4337915 Tue, 11 Jan 2011 20:10:40 +0100 4337915 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4337917&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FGJo0LYB6W9A%2F By Walter OlsonIn Britain, the coalition government of David Cameron hopes to stimulate much-needed hiring by reducing state interference with private employers’ right to choose their own workforces. Per the Telegraph, Cameron “hopes that relaxed employment laws will help to boost the private sector and encourage firms to take on thousands of new workers.” For all the high hopes, the changes are in fact quite modest. Newly hired workers will wait two years, rather than one, before obtaining the power to challenge later firings before official tribunals. To discourage doomed or trivial claims, disgruntled workers will be charged a fee for resorting to a tribunal. The smallest employers will be exempted from some portions of the law, and so forth. Judged by the “emplo... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4337917 Tue, 11 Jan 2011 19:12:10 +0100 4337917 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4337919&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FkHbk2m319fQ%2F By Daniel J. MitchellThanks to decades of reckless spending by European welfare states, the newspapers are filled with headlines about debt, default, contagion, and bankruptcy. We know that Greece and Ireland already have received direct bailouts, and other European welfare states are getting indirect bailouts from the European Central Bank, which is vying with the Federal Reserve in a contest to see which central bank can win the “Most Likely to Appease the Political Class” Award. But which nation will be the next domino to fall? Who will get the next direct bailout? Some people think total government debt is the key variable, and there’s been a lot of talk that debt levels of 90 percent of GDP represent some sort of fiscal Maginot Line. Once nations get above that level... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4337919 Tue, 11 Jan 2011 17:53:45 +0100 4337919 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4322693&cid=t_92172_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FTPqRZ55bYTQ%2F Hired someone new and exciting? Promoted a rising star? Finally solved that hard-to-fill spot? Share the news with us and we’ll share with it others. That’s right. Send us your announcements and we’ll find a home for them. Don’t be shy. Everyone wants to know who is coming and going, especially with all the layoffs. Despite the downsizing, there is movement. Here are some of the latest changes. Recognize anyone? And here is our regular feature. Send us a photo and we will spotlight a different person each week. This time around, we note that Huron Consulting promoted Manny Tzavlakis to managing director in the Life Sciences Advisory Services practice, where he focuses on disclosure reporting, aggregate spend, transparency, sales and marketing compliance, commercial operations and b... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4322693 Fri, 07 Jan 2011 13:26:38 +0100 4322693 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4318307&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FY7S7Cf-xYC4%2F By Ian VasquezNicholas Kristof provides “a useful reminder of the limitations of charity and foreign aid” in his New York Times op-ed about Haiti today. “Nearly a year after the earthquake in Haiti,” he notes, “more than one million people are still living in tents and reconstruction has barely begun.” He emphasizes the importance of “trade, not aid” and of the role of business: “It’s hard to think of a charitable project that will be as beneficial as the Coca-Cola Company’s decision to build up the mango juice industry in Haiti, supporting 25,000 farmers.” He also cites a seemingly successful microfinance aid project that lends money to poor women in Haiti to begin and expand business ventures by, for example, investing in livestock or growing fruit for sale. It is... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4318307 Thu, 06 Jan 2011 21:09:45 +0100 4318307 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4313989&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FPremGoVsvgM%2F By Daniel J. MitchellThe news is going from bad to worse for Ireland. The Irish Independent is reporting that the Swiss Central Bank no longer will accept Irish government bonds as collateral. The story also notes that one of the world’s largest bond firms, PIMCO, is no longer purchasing debt issued by the Irish government. And this is happening even though (or perhaps because?) Ireland received a big bailout from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund (and the IMF’s involvement means American taxpayers are picking up part of the tab). I’ve already commented on Ireland’s woes, and opined about similar problems afflicting the rest of Europe, but the continuing deterioration of the Emerald Isle deserves further analysis so that American policy makers h... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4313989 Wed, 05 Jan 2011 17:47:36 +0100 4313989 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4309590&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FVw459i6YkKc%2F By Daniel IkensonA Wall Street Journal editorial today shines a long overdue spotlight on an antidumping case that is emblematic of the dissonance within U.S. trade policy. I, too, wrote about this case last year as an example of how the U.S. antidumping regime undermines U.S. manufacturing, penalizes U.S. exporters, and diminishes chances for achieving the administration’s goal of doubling exports in five years. In 2005, U.S. Magnesium Corporation, the sole producer of magnesium in the United States, succeeded in convincing the U.S. International Trade Commission and U.S. Commerce Department to impose duties on imports of magnesium from competitors in Russia and China. Before toasting this outcome with some clichéd or specious utterance about how the antidumping law ensures fair trade ... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4309590 Tue, 04 Jan 2011 14:07:50 +0100 4309590 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4309592&cid=t_92172_87_f&fid=36438&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FCato-at-liberty%2F%7E3%2FIougkQG-aIU%2F By Daniel J. MitchellThe mid-term elections were a rejection of President Obama’s big-government agenda, but those results don’t necessarily mean better policy. We should not forget, after all, that Democrats rammed through Obamacare even after losing the special election to replace Ted Kennedy in Massachusetts (much to my dismay, my prediction from last January was correct). Similarly, GOP control of the House of Representatives does not automatically mean less government and more freedom. Heck, it doesn’t even guarantee that things won’t continue to move in the wrong direction. Here are three possible bad policies for 2011, most of which the Obama White House can implement by using executive power. 1. A back-door bailout of the states from the Federal Reserve &#82... Cato-at-liberty blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4309592 Tue, 04 Jan 2011 14:02:34 +0100 4309592