I’ll be on tonight at 7 PM PDT, discussing space property rights (and probably other things).
Ten Thousand Commandments
The latest edition of my CEI colleague Wayne Crews’ project to document the federal regulatory state is out.
Iain Murray summarizes:
- Estimated regulatory costs, while “off budget,” are equivalent to over 48 percent of the level of federal spending itself.
- The 2011 Federal Register finished at 81,247 pages, just shy of 2010’s all-time record-high 81,405 pages.
- Regulatory compliance costs dwarf corporate-income taxes of $198 billion, and exceed individual income taxes and even pre-tax corporate profits.
- Agencies issued 3,807 final rules in 2011, a 6.5 percent increase over 3,573 in 2010.
- Of the 4,128 regulations in the works at year-end 2011, 212 were “economically significant,” meaning they generally wield at least $100 million in economic impact.
- 822 of those 4,128 regulations in the works would affect small businesses.
- The total number of economically significant rules finalized in 2011 was 79, down slightly from 2010 but up 92.7 percent over five years, and 108 percent over ten years.
- Recent costly federal agency initiatives include the Environmental Protection Agency’s Mercury and Air Toxics Standards Rule and the Department of Transportation’s Fuel Economy Standards.
We have to rein in Leviathan.
The Legacy Of Climategate
Some thoughts from Judith Curry. Speaking of which, I’ll have a piece up on the death of the hockey stick at PJMedia in the next couple days.
Free Internships
Are they moral?
Actually, what I think is immoral is some third party (e.g., the government) telling someone what they are allowed to earn in a freely negotiated contract (that is, the minimum wage is immoral, and empirically destructive of the lives of minorities, as Sowell has documented). It seems a little strange that you can pay someone nothing, but you can’t pay them four bucks an hour, even if they’re a teenager who needs some spending money and is willing to take that wage.
“Hydrocarbon Deniers”
I agree, that’s exactly what they are. And their irrational beliefs are much more destructive and a crime against humanity than being a skeptic on AGW.
Ancient Diseases
…of our ancestors. What she doesn’t note are the modern diseases that aren’t microbial based, but a result of an agricultural diet.
The Constellation Empire
..strikes back. My thoughts on the implications of last week’s announcement by ATK over at Open Market.
The Elephant Whisperer Is Mourned
…by the elephants. I think that there remain, at least for now, some things beyond the realm of science.
Another Spy Outed By Democrats
First Valerie Plame, and now this:
Not only is the supposed CIA asset not a CIA asset at all, but the entire operation was exposed prematurely and the double-agent’s life was immediately threatened by an intelligence leak that very well may have come out of the White House for political gain.
As the story broke, the establishment media was more than happy to attribute the intelligence coup to the CIA and the Obama administration, describing the mole as a “CIA informant.”
It turns out that wasn’t true. The double-agent hadn’t been recruited and placed by the CIA, but by British intelligence, who also managed the operation. In fact, the Americans had only recently been made aware of the joint British-Saudi effort.
The leaks about the operation from the American side have infuriated British intelligence officials, who had hoped to continue the operation. The leaks not only scuttled the mission but put the life of the asset in jeopardy. Even CIA officials, joining their MI5 and MI6 counterparts, were describing the leaks as “despicable,” attributing them to the Obama administration.
Of course, this one was much worse than the Plame slip. I’ll bet there are a lot of people in the British government who can’t wait for November, either.
The American Currency Union
Can it survive? I don’t think the Stoner would do well.