In Praise of Birthright Citizenship | Alex Nowrasteh | Cato Institute: Commentary

In Praise of Birthright Citizenship | Alex Nowrasteh | Cato Institute: Commentary: "In the U.S., by contrast, children of immigrants are legally on the same playing field as children born to American citizens. Both can serve in the military, purchase firearms, serve on juries, and be treated the same by the legal system. That is one reason why 89 percent of second-generation Hispanics and 96 percent of third-generation Hispanics have described themselves as American only. "Hispanic-American" or "Mexican-American" is still popular among some after several generations, just as "Italian-American" still survives, but these Americans do not view themselves as foreigners."

Obama vs. Job Creation | Doug Bandow | Cato Institute: Commentary

Obama vs. Job Creation | Doug Bandow | Cato Institute: Commentary: "A number of steps could be taken to help slow the regulatory onslaught. The most important would be to withdraw government entirely from certain areas. For instance, Obamacare should be repealed. Washington has no business mandating what must be in health insurance plans and who should buy them. Too much of what Uncle Sam does is social engineering inappropriate in a free society.

Most everyone promotes "cost-benefit" analyses, but, warns Crews, "A problem with cost-benefit analysis, however, apart from it not being done and enforced, is that it largely amounts to agency self-policing. Agencies that perform audits of their own rules rarely admit that a rule's benefits do not justify the costs involved." At the very least such analyses should be carried out by a separate, independent agency.

Moreover, Crews suggests aiming more deeply, at improper delegation by Congress, which "should answer for the compliance costs — as well as benefits — of federal regulations." Regulations could require congressional assent before they go into effect. Rules also should automatically sunset unless Congress votes otherwise. Many authorizations likely would be perfunctory, but such a process would make it easier for future presidents and Congresses to review past federal actions."

Why Long-Term Unemployment Has Doubled under President Obama | Jim Powell | Cato Institute: Commentary

Why Long-Term Unemployment Has Doubled under President Obama | Jim Powell | Cato Institute: Commentary: "According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, back in January 2009 when Barack Obama was sworn in, there were 2.6 million people unemployed for more than 6 months. By June 2012, the ranks of the long-term jobless soared more than 100 percent to 5.3 million.

President Obama has promoted long-term unemployment by adopting policies that make it harder and more expensive for employers to hire people. He has relentlessly pushed for higher taxes, higher energy costs, compulsory unionism and, of course, Obamacare. One doesn't need a Harvard degree to figure out that when government makes hiring more difficult and expensive, there's likely to be less of it."

America Has Too Many Teachers | Andrew J. Coulson | Cato Institute: Commentary

America Has Too Many Teachers | Andrew J. Coulson | Cato Institute: Commentary: "Since 1970, the public school workforce has roughly doubled—to 6.4 million from 3.3 million—and two-thirds of those new hires are teachers or teachers' aides. Over the same period, enrollment rose by a tepid 8.5%. Employment has thus grown 11 times faster than enrollment."

"a doubling in staff size and more than a doubling in cost have done little to improve academic outcomes"

Rise of the Global Tax Collectors | Richard W. Rahn | Cato Institute: Commentary

Rise of the Global Tax Collectors | Richard W. Rahn | Cato Institute: Commentary: "This means that the most vile governments will receive financial account information automatically about individuals from other countries. Assume you are standing up to or protesting some corrupt or authoritarian regime in your own country — there are too many to name — and to protect your family, you have a bank account in the United States, Switzerland or some other nation that offers basic protections of civil liberties. Under automatic information-sharing, the thugs you are opposing will be receiving information about your finances from the U.S. government and other governments, which can put your property and your life at risk. The response from the bureaucrats in the OECD and Obama administration is “we protect confidential information,” as if they had never heard of Wiki-Leaks or the other never-ending hacks of government data. Again, we are told that governments will increasingly engage in “automatic” information-sharing and will “protect confidential information,” but please don’t notice the disconnect. Most people view their tax returns and bank account information as “confidential.” Would you voluntarily risk your life on the unenforceable promise of someone in government not to lose, misplace, sell or leak your financial information?"

"the OECD published a report claiming that the poverty rate is higher in the United States than in countries such as Greece, Portugal and Turkey. To reach this absurd conclusion, the OECD redefined poverty as a relative measure of cash income (not real income, which includes transfer payments). Under the new OECD definition of poverty, if real incomes were twice as high as they are today in the United States — meaning the poorest 10 percent could purchase double the amount of food, housing, etc., the U.S. poverty rate still would not fall, because income distribution would stay the same."

"U.S. taxpayers are supporting high-salaried international bureaucrats who are advocating higher taxes on others, most notably U.S. taxpayers, but do not pay income taxes themselves."

Rusty crayfish: A tasty treat and business opportunity | Hudson Star-Observer | Hudson, Wisconsin

Rusty crayfish: A tasty treat and business opportunity | Hudson Star-Observer | Hudson, Wisconsin: "There is heavy competition from a domestic invasive species in our area streams. Two local entrepreneurs are hoping to help solve the problem."

"having acquired all of the necessary permits" "They can only sell you the live product"

So there are permits and restrictions that hamper them from getting rid of an invasive species?!?!?

Health Care Rationing Wins up High | Nat Hentoff | Cato Institute: Commentary

Health Care Rationing Wins up High | Nat Hentoff | Cato Institute: Commentary: "Many government bureaucracies will not pay for doctor-prescribed treatments costing more than a predetermined figure. And none of these bureaucracies’ members will have actually seen the individual patient."

Associated Press on Global Warming: No Fact Checks, Please! | Patrick J. Michaels | Cato Institute: Commentary

Associated Press on Global Warming: No Fact Checks, Please! | Patrick J. Michaels | Cato Institute: Commentary: "If this summer’s weather is a result of global warming, then it had better be globally warm."

"All of these records share a common characteristic. They don’t show much warming since the late 1990s. More germane to Borenstein’s article is that, so far, 2012 is actually cool compared to the run of years since then. Such an inconvenient fact."

"Given the fact that 2012 is nothing special globally, then, under Borenstein’s logic, any odd weather from 1996 through now—when temperatures have been pretty constant—is consistent with global warming. That would include:

• Last year’s mild winter,

• The record length of time that the U.S. has seen since its last major hurricane strike, and

• The very low hurricane activity observed worldwide since 2005,

• The gigantic snowstorms that hit Washington DC in 2009-10,

• The very active hurricane season of 2005, and

• The lack of any trend whatsoever in severe tornadoes or economically-adjusted weather damages."

Patients, Docs Win -- And Lawyers Lose | Walter Olson | Cato Institute: Commentary

Patients, Docs Win -- And Lawyers Lose | Walter Olson | Cato Institute: Commentary: "many patients who sue would be happy if someone would just pick up the out-of-pocket costs an injury has dealt them, from lost income to the bill for rehab nursing. Oh, and pick them up quickly."

The Future of Congressional War Powers | Doug Bandow | Cato Institute: Commentary

The Future of Congressional War Powers | Doug Bandow | Cato Institute: Commentary: "If he is elected president, Mitt Romney will take an oath to “preserve, protect and defend” the Constitution. Yet he has proudly declared that he doesn’t believe in the Constitution—at least in the clear and unambiguous language that the right to declare war belongs to Congress."

The States Resist Obamacare | Michael D. Tanner | Cato Institute: Commentary

The States Resist Obamacare | Michael D. Tanner | Cato Institute: Commentary: "by refusing to go along with Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion and by blocking state-run exchanges, governors are not just saving state taxpayers money. They are potentially reducing future federal spending by as much as $1.5 trillion over the next ten years."