They Just Hate Rich People | Michael D. Tanner | Cato Institute: Commentary

They Just Hate Rich People | Michael D. Tanner | Cato Institute: Commentary: "On the one hand, we are told that the rich spend their money frivolously. Perhaps some do, but this ignores the fact that frivolous expenditures often provide jobs and income for the rest of us. Back in 1990, for example, Congress decided to impose a 'luxury tax' on such frivolous items as high-priced automobiles, aircraft, jewelry, furs, and yachts. The tax 'worked' in a sense. The rich bought fewer luxury goods — and thousands of Americans who worked in the jewelry, aircraft, and boating industries lost their jobs. According to a study done for the Joint Economic Committee, the tax destroyed 7,600 jobs in the yacht-building industry alone.

On the other hand, we are told that lower taxes on the wealthy won't help the economy because the rich don't spend enough of their money."

Campaign against WikiLeaks Is Lawless | Gene Healy | Cato Institute: Commentary

Campaign against WikiLeaks Is Lawless | Gene Healy | Cato Institute: Commentary: "Terrorism ain't what it used to be. Apparently, today you can qualify just for embarrassing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

True, some secrecy is necessary, in business, war and diplomacy. And Congress and the Obama administration should take a close look at the vulnerabilities Assange has exposed. Why did an Army private have access to such a broad range of diplomatic cables, anyway?

Anyone who values the First Amendment ought to oppose the campaign to 'get' Assange by any means necessary. In a free society, you can't just 'change the law' to persecute someone you don't like, and you can't abuse your position to silence speech you oppose."

Myanmar and Russia "can now rightly say to us, 'You went after WikiLeaks' domain name, their hosting provider, and even denied your citizens the ability to register protest through donations,' all without the slightest legal authority. 'If that's the way governments get to behave, we can live with that.' "

Ethanol: Let Protectionism Expire | Harry de Gorter and Jerry Taylor | Cato Institute: Commentary

Ethanol: Let Protectionism Expire | Harry de Gorter and Jerry Taylor | Cato Institute: Commentary: "The ethanol tax credit alone costs taxpayers over $6 billion per year.

The expiration of these policies will have little, if any, impact on the U.S. ethanol industry, because the Renewable Fuel Standard requires Americans to consume an increasing amount of biofuels each year. The demand for ethanol will therefore not drop significantly even when the current tax credit (45 cents per gallon) and tariff (54 cents per gallon) expire. As a mandate, the standard acts as a built-in market for U.S. ethanol producers."

Are Tea Partiers Anti-trade? | Daniel Griswold | Cato Institute: Commentary

Are Tea Partiers Anti-trade? | Daniel Griswold | Cato Institute: Commentary: "protectionism is just another form of subsidy for politically connected producers. The same government that bailed out General Motors and Chrysler protects other special interests with tariffs and production subsidies. Will tea party members who are angry about corporate bailouts really want to carry water for the United Steelworkers union, textile magnates, and the sugar industry by supporting anti-competitive trade barriers?"

The Cuts That Weren't | Michael D. Tanner | Cato Institute: Commentary

The Cuts That Weren't | Michael D. Tanner | Cato Institute: Commentary: "So, under the terrible 'cuts' that the commission is recommending, federal spending would still increase faster than inflation. This is the old Washington game of calling a slower increase than previously projected a 'cut.'"

"A new study by economists at Ohio State University, for example, found that since World War II every dollar of increased federal tax revenue resulted in $1.17 of increased federal spending."

Improve Legal Defense for Poor with Free-market Solution | Stephen J. Schulhofer and David Friedman | Cato Institute: Commentary

Improve Legal Defense for Poor with Free-market Solution | Stephen J. Schulhofer and David Friedman | Cato Institute: Commentary: "Indigents commonly mistrust the public defender assigned to them, viewing him as part of the same court bureaucracy that is trying to put them in prison. Nearly everyone would regard it as outrageous for one side in a civil case to have the power to appoint the other side's lawyer. And yet, in a criminal case, where the plaintiff is the state, this happens every day. If the defendant is indigent — and roughly 80 percent of felony defendants are — it is the state that selects his attorney."

"The power to select the defense attorney need only be transferred, by means of a voucher system, from the government to the person he or she will represent."

GOP readies major push for Internet transparency | Privacy Inc. - CNET News

GOP readies major push for Internet transparency | Privacy Inc. - CNET News: "Through a set of almost-radical changes that most Americans would probably view as common sense, the incoming GOP majority is set to approve rules saying that legislation must be posted online three days before a vote and that committee amendments will also be publicly posted.
Politicians' formal votes in committees will also be disclosed, and audio and video recordings will be permanently posted 'in a manner that is easily accessible to the public,' according to the rules that are scheduled for a vote tomorrow. Witness testimony and amendments must be posted within 24 hours of a hearing.

In two more nods to technology and openness, electronic devices will now be allowed on the House floor (as long as they don't impair 'decorum'), and the opening session of the new Congress will be live-streamed on Facebook at noon ET tomorrow."

That should have been done a decade ago!

"Other portions say all legislation must include statements specifying 'the power or powers granted to Congress in the Constitution to enact the bill,' and measures normally may not be considered if they 'have the net effect of increasing mandatory spending.'"