Cato Media Updates

News Release: Sarbanes-Oxley Rules Complicate Financial Reports

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT

WASHINGTON -- The goal of the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act was to make corporate accounting more transparent. In practice, a new Cato Institute study finds, the law's requirements have had the...

Cato Scholar Comments on Congress's Legislative Record (John Samples, director, Center for Representative Government)

Tue, 19 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT

It's no surprise that Congress is passing lots of resolutions. Such praise and admonitions offers benefits to some constituents and cost little to everyone else, apart from the cost of...

Cato Scholar Comments on School Districts Reporting a Budget Crunch Due to Fuel Costs (Andrew J. Coulson, director of the Cato Institute's Center for Educational Freedom)

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT

"We've all been told that school districts around the country are feeling the pinch from higher fuel costs. What's never mentioned is that districts are supposedly suffering budget crunches despite...

Cato Scholar Comments on the Housing Market and the U.S. Economy (Jagadeesh Gokhale, senior fellow)

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The travails of the housing and financial sectors appear unlikely to end soon. According to recent studies, home price declines will not stop until excess numbers of homes for sale...

Cato Scholar Comments on Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's Resignation (Malou Innocent, foreign policy analyst)

Mon, 18 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf's resignation is an important development with unpredictable implications. Those people who hope that Pakistan's turbulent politics will disappear along with Musharraf are likely to be disappointed....

Cato Scholar Comments on Pakistani President Musharraf's Expected Resignation (Malou Innocent, foreign policy analyst)

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT

[D]espite the widespread sense that [President Musharraf] has drastically eroded the public trust, there is growing doubt that a civilian government is any better equipped to improve Pakistan's shaken economy...

Cato Scholar Comments on U.S.-Poland Missile Deal (Stanley Kober, research fellow in foreign policy studies)

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The conclusion of a missile defense deal between the United States and Poland, following on the heels of the conflict in the Caucasus, raises the specter of a new Cold...

Cato Scholars Comment on Russia, Georgia, the U.S., and the G8 (Justin Logan, associate director of foreign policy studies; Stanley Kober, research fellow in foreign policy studies)

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT

President Bush is demonstrating that tails can wag dogs. The White House sent out a legion of unnamed senior officials earlier this week to say they had made clear...

Cato Scholar Comments on Obama, McCain, and the Trade Deficit (Daniel T. Griswold, director, Center for Trade Policy Studies)

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Contrary to the claims of free trade critics, the trade deficit tells us almost nothing about the success or failure of U.S. trade policy. The deficit reflects the continuing inflow...

Cato Scholar Comments on Recent GAO Report (Chris Edwards, director of tax policy studies)

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The GAO report did not make any determination about whether corporations were doing anything abusive at all. Thus Senator Byron Dorgan (D-N.D.) is using his vivid imagination to claim that...

Cato Scholar Comments on NATO's Response to Russia/Georgia (Stanley Kober, research fellow in foreign policy studies)

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Many foreign policy experts are outraged by Russia's behavior in the Caucasus but seem at a loss to provide useful recommendations. For example: Ronald Asmus and Richard Holbrooke warn...

Cato Scholar Comments on EU Economic Troubles (Daniel J. Mitchell, senior fellow)

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT

All nations experience economic downturns, so it would be misleading to over-interpret the current malaise in much of Europe. The real problem is not short-term slumps in selected nations, but...

Cato Scholar Comments on Russia/Georgia and the Spread of Democracy (Stanley Kober, research fellow in foreign policy studies)

Tue, 12 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The conflict between Russia and Georgia, like the conflicts in the Balkans, underlines one of the problems accompanying the spread of democracy. Democracy means government by the people, but...

Cato Scholar Comments on the Russia-Georgia Conflict (Justin Logan, associate director of foreign policy studies)

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The latest somber news from Georgia gives little cause for optimism. Georgia's entreaties for a cease-fire with Russia don't appear likely to sway the Kremlin. Even the Western...

Cato Scholar Comments on Bolivia Referendum (Juan Carlos Hidalgo, project coordinator for Latin America)

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT

In renewing his push for turning Bolivia into a socialist country after handily winning yesterday's recall vote, Evo Morales would be well advised to respect Bolivia's laws and Constitution, something...

Cato Scholars Comment on Presidential Candidates' Economic Plans (Chris Edwards, director of tax policy studies; Daniel J. Mitchell, senior fellow)

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The more important issue is whether the McCain and Obama plans are sound tax policy. McCain's tax proposals, in general, would promote economic growth and provide broad-based benefits. By contrast,...

Cato Scholar Comments on the Russia-Georgia Conflict (Justin Logan, associate director of foreign policy studies)

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT

It appears likely that full-blown war could break out between Russian troops and Georgia. While it is unclear who fired the first shot, very strong nationalist impulses are at work...

Cato Scholar Comments on President Bush Criticizing China's Human Rights Record (James A. Dorn, vice president for academic affairs)

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT

As the leader of the free world, President Bush should use the bully pulpit to remind leaders in China and elsewhere that basic human rights to life, liberty and property...

Cato Scholar Comments on Pakistan Moving to Impeach Musharraf (Malou Innocent, foreign policy analyst)

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf tried to throw a wrench in the ruling coalition's plan to impeach him by re-appointing eight deposed judges of the Sindh High Court. Until now, Musharraf...

Cato Scholar Comments on the U.S. Threatening Iran with More Sanctions (Justin Logan, associate director of foreign policy studies)

Thu, 07 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT

"Lame duck" translates into Farsi just fine, and Iran has made clear that they do not believe that the Bush administration will launch a war. The Iranians seem determined...

Cato Scholar Comments on Chávez's New Decree Measures in Venezuela (Juan Carlos Hidalgo, project coordinator for Latin America)

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Hugo Chávez's latest measures to concentrate power belies the conciliatory tone he adopted in recent months as a cynical move intended to shore up his declining popularity at home and...

Cato Scholar Comments on Fed's Decision to Hold Interest Rates Steady (William A. Niskanen, chairman)

Wed, 06 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Yesterday, the Fed made it clear that they will not increase the fed funds rate until after the November election. Since the Fed has not followed its own monetary policy...

Cato Scholar Comments on Bill to End Local Handgun Control in D.C. (Robert A. Levy, senior fellow in constitutional studies and co-counsel to Mr. Heller)

Tue, 05 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The Supreme Court ruled in June that three provisions of Washington, D.C.'s gun laws are unconstitutional. The city has responded with new regulations -- one of which is a...

Cato Scholar Comments on Human Rights and the North Korea Nuclear Talks (Ted Galen Carpenter, vice president for defense and foreign policy studies)

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, Washington's chief negotiator regarding the North Korean nuclear crisis, now says that the North must also improve its 'abysmal' human rights situation. One...

Cato Scholar Comments on Senate Republicans Blocking an Energy- and Business-Tax Bill (Jerry Taylor, senior fellow)

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The federal government should not be rigging the tax code to artificially favor some investments rather than others. This is corporate welfare on stilts and it does neither the taxpayer...

Cato Scholar Comments on the Renewal of the Higher Education Act (Neal McCluskey, associate director, Center for Educational Freedom)

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

At 1,158 pages, the long-delayed reauthorization of the Higher Education Act passed by a conference committee last night is a revolting example of Washington at its absolute worst. Packed with...

Cato Scholar Comments on High Energy Prices (Jerry Taylor, senior fellow)

Wed, 30 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Although most pundits and industry analysts confidently assert that high prices are here to stay, there's surprisingly little evidence for that proposition. A recent analysis of world crude oil...

Cato Scholar Comments on Collapse of Doha Round (Sallie James, trade policy analyst)

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The Doha round of WTO talks was put out of its misery today after a ministerial session that has been agonizing for trade-watchers to behold. But the misery for millions...

Cato Scholars Comment on Recent WTO Talks (Sallie James, trade policy analyst; Daniel J. Ikenson, associate director, Center for Trade Policy Studies)

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The record nine-day-long meeting of 30 trade ministers in Geneva is putting trade-watchers on a roller-coaster ride of imminent breakthrough followed by imminent collapse. Although members seem to agree on...

Cato Scholar Comments on Mid-Session Budget Review (Chris Edwards, director of tax policy studies)

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The new budget estimates show that federal spending will top $3.13 trillion in 2009, up 68 percent from $1.86 trillion when the current president came to office in 2001. That...

Cato Scholar Comments on Decline in Outsourcing (Daniel J. Ikenson, associate director, Center for Trade Policy Studies)

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The incentives to produce abroad weaken when your own currency is in a prolonged decline, the costs of production abroad are in a continuous ascent, and transportation costs are at...

Cato Scholar Comments on Housing Bill (Daniel J. Mitchell, senior fellow)

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Congress and the President are congratulating themselves for bailing out Fannie and Freddie and imposing more regulatory control with the excuse that they pose a threat to financial market stability....

Cato Scholar Comments on Ford's Record Losses (Daniel J. Ikenson, associate director, Center for Trade Policy Studies)

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The U.S. automotive industry is in transition, but it is certainly not threatened. The effects of rising fuel and food prices, declining home values, and the slowing economy have curtailed...

Cato Scholar Comments on Plans to Shift $230 Million in Aid to Pakistan from Counterterrorism Programs to Upgrading F-16s (Malou Innocent, foreign policy analyst)

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Because F-16s fighter jets are rarely used for law enforcement or counterterrorism, it appears that President Bush's recent shift of $230 million in aid to Pakistan from counterterrorism programs to...

Cato Scholar Comments on the Congressional Black Caucus and Tobacco Regulation (Thomas A. Firey, managing editor, Regulation)

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

It is disappointing that the Congressional Black Caucus, of all groups, wants to deny African-Americans and all other Americans the right to make choices for themselves and their bodies. The...

Cato Scholar Comments on States Cutting Spending (Chris Edwards, director of tax policy studies)

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

In a story entitled "States Slammed by Tax Shortfalls," the Wall Street Journal reported today that states are in "pain" because they are having to "slash" spending. The story uses...

Cato Scholar Comments on Minimum Wage Hike (William A. Niskanen, chairman)

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The increase in the federal minimum wage by 70 cents per hour to $6.55 effective today is only the latest example of making economic policy by wishful thinking or hypocrisy....

Cato Scholar Comments on Obama's Health Plan (Michael D. Tanner, senior fellow and author of the upcoming study, "A Fork in the Road: Obama, McCain, and Health Care")

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Obama's campaign has variously estimated the cost of his plan to taxpayers as between $50 billion and $65 billion per year... Moreover, the Obama campaign may be underestimating the actual...

Cato Scholar Comments on the Push to Allow Colombian President Alvaro Uribe a Third Term (Juan Carlos Hidalgo, project coordinator for Latin America)

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Colombia has changed dramatically since President Alvaro Uribe took office in 2002. Thanks to increased security and stability, Colombia is today a vibrant country with a thriving economy. This success...

Cato Scholar Comments on U.S. Cutting Farm Aid (Sallie James, trade policy analyst)

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

While the U.S. offer on agriculture is a welcome signal of commitment to liberalizing trade through the Doha round, it is woefully inadequate for American taxpayers, and may be inadequate...

Cato Scholar Comments on Obama's Trip to Afghanistan (Malou Innocent, foreign policy analyst)

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

On his trip to America's war zones, Sen. Barack Obama again argued that the fight against Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan is America's most crucial theater in the...

Cato Scholars Comment on Latest Round of Doha Talks (Daniel J. Ikenson, associate director, Center for Trade Policy Studies; Sallie James, trade policy analyst)

Mon, 21 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Trade ministers are meeting in Geneva this week in a last-ditch effort to conclude the Doha Round of multilateral trade talks. Although an ambitious accord would be most welcome news,...

Cato Scholar Comments on Obama's Health Care Plan (Michael D. Tanner, senior fellow)

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Both Sen. Obama's health care plan and the 1993 Clinton health care plan are based on the concept of 'managed competition.' They would leave the provision of health care in...

Cato Scholar Comments on Legislation to Stop Energy Speculation (Jerry Taylor, senior fellow)

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

As a factual matter, speculators do not 'buy up a large amount of oil and then sell it to each other again and again' as alleged, say, by the airline...

Cato Scholar Comments on the Argentinean Senate's Rejection of Increases to the Agricultural Export Tax (Juan Carlos Hidalgo, Cato Institute's project coordinator for Latin America)

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

"Argentina is a country long used to hyperpresidentialism, so this morning's congressional decision to reject the punitive export tax scheme imposed on farmers represents not only a victory for the...

Cato Scholar Comments on John McCain's Speech to the NAACP (Andrew J. Coulson, director of Cato's Center for Educational Freedom)

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

"Republican presidential candidate John McCain told the NAACP this morning that after decades of broken promises by the nation's public school systems it is time to give parents an easy...

Cato Scholar Comments on Developments in Afghanistan (Malou Innocent, foreign policy analyst)

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

With each passing day, Afghanistan is looking more like war-torn Iraq. This week, nine US soldiers were killed when 200 armed militants stormed a military outpost in eastern Afghanistan. Several...

Cato Scholar Comments on Fourth Circuit Terrorist Detentions Ruling (Timothy Lynch, director, Project on Criminal Justice)

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Yesterday's Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruling in support of terrorist detentions is extremely important because it highlights once again the president's sweeping view of executive power.

According to the Bush...

Cato Scholar Comments on the Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Bailout (Gerald P. O'Driscoll Jr., senior fellow)

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The administration is reportedly proposing a bailout plan for troubled mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The existing credit line of $2.5 billion enjoyed by both firms will be...

Cato Scholar Comments on the EPA Extending the Period for Public Comment on Emissions (Patrick J. Michaels, senior fellow in environmental studies)

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

In a response to the recent Supreme Court case on global warming, the Environmental Protection Agency is now calling for an extended period of public comments on the need for...

Cato Scholar Comments on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac (Gerald P. O'Driscoll Jr., senior fellow)

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The time for dillydallying over Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac has long since passed. The two companies need to raise capital to shore up their balance sheets. They...

Cato Scholar Comments on Recent Medicare Bill and the President's Promised Veto (Michael D. Tanner, senior fellow)

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

This entire debate is the functional equivalent of rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. Facing unfunded liabilities in excess of $70 trillion, Medicare is unsustainable without major reform. ...

Cato Scholar Comments on Iranian Missile Tests (Justin Logan, associate director of foreign policy studies)

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The intelligence community will be slower to rush to judgment on the recent Iranian missile tests than have been the media and political elites. The IC will be collecting...

Cato Scholar Comments on the Housing Crisis and its Proposed Solutions (Gerald P. O'Driscoll Jr., senior fellow)

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Treasury Secretary Henry J. Paulson, Jr. is correct when he states that 'many of today's unusually high number of foreclosures are not preventable.' But most proposals, including the Senate...

Cato Scholar Comments on "Health Care for America NOW" (Michael D. Tanner, senior fellow)

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Unfortunately, the track record of the organizations in this coalition is one of big-government solutions that don't work and put a terrible strain on the economy. A government takeover of...

Cato Scholar Comments on McCain's Pledge to Balance Budget by 2013 (Chris Edwards, director of tax policy studies)

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

John McCain's pledge to balance the federal budget by 2013 is a laudable goal if he is willing to battle Congress and push relentlessly to cut spending in the bloated...

Cato Scholar Comments on the G-8 Summit and Aid to Africa (Marian L. Tupy, policy analyst, Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity)

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The G8 meeting in Hokkaido, Japan, promises to address the problem of African poverty. If the past is any guide, the summit will call for more aid and debt relief,...

Cato Scholar Comments on Impact of Colombian Hostage Rescue on Free Trade Agreement (Daniel T. Griswold, director, Center for Trade Policy Studies)

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Yesterday's rescue of three American hostages from the clutches of the anti-democratic FARC guerillas should remind us that Colombian President Alvaro Uribe is one of America's best friends. One way...

Cato Scholars Comment on the Rescue of Ingrid Betancourt (Juan Carlos Hidalgo, project coordinator for Latin America; Gabriela Calderon, editor, Elcato.org)

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The rescue by the Colombian army of Ingrid Betancourt and three American contractors held hostage for years by the FARC guerrillas constitutes a crippling blow to the rebel group. Due...

News Release: Education tax credits would save states billions

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

WASHINGTON -- Education tax credits -- programs that allow individuals to deduct education expenses from their tax liabilities, or corporations to do the same for donations to scholarship funds --...

Cato Scholar Comments on McCain and Obama's Foreign Policies (Malou Innocent, foreign policy analyst)

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Some political observers allege that Republican presidential hopeful John McCain is running for President Bush's third term. At least on foreign policy, their assessment is correct. McCain has championed the...

Cato Scholar Comments on State Budget Pains (Chris Edwards, director of tax policy studies)

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 06:00:00 EDT

With the slowing economy, state governments should be tightening their spending belts, especially after huge general fund spending increases of 9 percent in both 2006 and 2007. The current downturn...

Cato Scholar Comments on the "Election" in Zimbabwe (Marian L. Tupy, policy analyst, Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity)

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Robert Mugabe's "victory" in the one-man presidential election in Zimbabwe will not gain him national or international legitimacy. To hang onto power, he has destroyed his country's economy and democratic...

Cato Scholar Comments on Davis v. FEC Supreme Court Decision (John Samples, director, Center for Representative Government)

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The Supreme Court's decision today in the case of Davis v. FEC continued a trend of striking down or weakening parts of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA)....

Cato Scholar Comments on D.C. Gun Ban Decision (Robert A. Levy, plaintiff's co-counsel and Cato senior fellow)

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

On Thursday, the Court rediscovered the Second Amendment. More than five years after six Washington, D.C. residents challenged the city's 32-year-old ban on all functional firearms in the home, the...

Cato Scholar Comments on North Korea's Declaration Concerning its Nuclear Program (Ted Galen Carpenter, vice president for defense and foreign policy studies)

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

North Korea has finally sent its long-delayed declaration concerning its nuclear program to China. In response, President Bush has announced that the United States will remove North Korea from the...

News Release: Zimbabwe's Economy Cannot Recover Without Drastic Monetary Reform

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

WASHINGTON -- Zimbabwe's economic crisis can only be overcome if hyperinflation is stopped. The only way to do this rapidly is to replace central banking -- namely, the Reserve Bank...

Cato Scholars Comment on the 6/24 Center for Education Policy Report (Andrew J. Coulson, director, Center for Educational Freedom; Neal McCluskey, associate director, Center for Educational Freedom)

Wed, 25 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

A report released today by the Center on Education Policy suggests that student achievement has increased since the No Child Left Behind Act was enacted in 2002. Regrettably, the study's...

Cato Scholar Comments on Pakistan's Leadership Gap (Malou Innocent, foreign policy analyst)

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Pakistan's civilian leaders have failed their country yet again. The fragile coalition between the Pakistan People's Party and the Pakistan Muslim League (N) collapsed when leaders disagreed over how to...

Cato Scholar Comments on REAL ID Grants (Jim Harper, director, Information Policy Studies)

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The Department of Homeland Security is throwing good money after bad. Congress should immediately rescind this spending and repeal the national ID law. In May, the deadline for state compliance...

Cato Scholar Comments on Election Mess in Zimbabwe (Marian L. Tupy, policy analyst, Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity)

Mon, 23 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

For weeks, it has been clear that it would be impossible to hold a free and fair election in Zimbabwe amidst government-sponsored killing and torture of the members of the...

Cato Scholar Comments on Israel Rehearsing Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites (Justin Logan, associate director, Foreign Policy Studies)

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The news that the U.S. Department of Defense believes Israel may be preparing for a military strike against Iran should be a wake-up call to the Washington foreign policy community....

Cato Scholar Comments on the EU Scrapping Cuba Sanctions (Daniel T. Griswold, director, Center for Trade Policy Studies)

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The European Union's decision to repeal certain sanctions against Cuba further isolates the United States. For almost half a century, the U.S. government has enforced a comprehensive embargo in a...

Cato Scholar Comments on Congress Considering Renewable Energy Tax Breaks. (Jerry Taylor, senior fellow)

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Congress should not be in the business of rigging energy markets to favor some investments rather than others. Politicians do not have any comparative advantage over market actors when it...

Cato Scholar Comments on Chamber of Commerce v. Brown Decision (Ilya Shapiro, senior fellow, Center for Constitutional Studies and editor-in-chief, Cato Supreme Court Review)

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Today, by a vote of 7-2, the Supreme Court overturned a California statute that prohibited employers from being able to speak out on issues relating to unions and labor policy....

Cato Scholars Comment on President Bush's Push to End the Ban on Offshore Drilling (Thomas A. Firey, managing editor, Regulation; Patrick J. Michaels, senior fellow in environmental studies)

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The lead story in today's papers and the buzz on the political talk shows is that President Bush will seek to end a federal ban on oil drilling off the...

Cato Scholar Comments on Universal College Loans Bill (Neal McCluskey, associate director, Center for Educational Freedom)

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

With degree-completion rates at roughly 65 percent at 4-year colleges and 38 percent at 2-year institutions -- and with more than a quarter of first-year students needing remedial work --...

News Release: "Trade facilitation" offers intelligent reforms to increase trade

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

WASHINGTON -- As the Doha Round lies in a cryogenic state, there are plenty of measures governments can take to increase trade, investment and economic growth, affirms a trade policy...

Cato Scholars Comment on the Appropriations Bill that Will Decide the Fate of the DC School Choice Program (Andrew J. Coulson, director, Center for Educational Freedom; Neal McCluskey, associate director, Center for Educational Freedom; Adam B. Schaeffer, policy analyst, Center for Educational Freedom)

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Congressional Democrats hold in their hands the fate of 1,900 poor DC children. They will decide, later today, whether or not to kill the private school voucher program that has...

Cato Scholars Comment on the U.S.-China Strategic Economic Dialogue (Daniel J. Ikenson, associate director, Center for Trade Policy Studies; James A. Dorn, vice president for academic affairs, editor of Cato Journal)

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The SED has played a constructive role in U.S.-Sino relations by taking a longer run view of current issues, and countering the China bashing that too often characterizes Congressional hearings....

Cato Scholar Comments on Bernanke's Remarks on Health Care Spending (Michael D. Tanner, senior fellow)

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke correctly identified the need to control rising costs as the foundation of health care reform. But his solutions ran disturbingly toward increased government control....

Cato Scholar Comments on U.S. Department of Education's Institute of Educational Sciences Report (Neal McCluskey, associate director, Center for Educational Freedom)

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Just over a week ago, D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton declared that she and other members of Congress are bent on destroying the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship Program, a school-choice initiative...

Cato Scholar Comments on Recommendations to G-8 to Increase Africa Aid (Marian L. Tupy, policy analyst, Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity)

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The Africa Progress Panel's recent report is wrong in criticizing the G-8 countries for spending less than they promised on aid to Africa. Aid has a terrible record in stimulating...

Cato Scholar Comments on Kosovo’s New Constitution (Stanley Kober, research fellow in foreign policy studies)

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The introduction of Kosovo's new constitution highlights the difficulties affecting the newly independent republic and the conflict this independence is causing at a global level. Because Russia and China, both...

Cato Scholar Comments on Bank Melli Sanctions (Justin Logan, associate director of foreign policy studies)

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The move to sanction Bank Melli was telegraphed by the U.S./E.U. months ago. The Iranians certainly have been expecting it, and likely have been preparing for ways to work...

Cato Scholar Comments on Ireland's Rejection of the Lisbon Treaty (Marian L. Tupy, policy analyst, Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity)

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The Irish rejection of the Lisbon Treaty is welcome news. It shows that further centralization of power in Brussels has limited support among the people of Europe. Over the years,...

Cato Scholar Comments on Voucher Program in Louisiana (Neal McCluskey, associate director, Center for Educational Freedom)

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Combining the great news from Louisiana with last month's enactment of education tax credits in Georgia, as well as expansion of credits in Florida, and parental choice is clearly on...

Cato Scholar Comments on Boumediene v. Bush Supreme Court Ruling (Timothy Lynch, director, Project on Criminal Justice)

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Today the Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling that affirms the "Great Writ" of habeas corpus. The Bush Administration has tried to keep the courts from reviewing its wartime policies....

Cato Scholar Comments on Bill to Extend Jobless Benefits (Michael D. Tanner, senior fellow)

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

This bill was a classic case of choosing the appearance of compassion over the real thing. The vast majority of studies show that extending unemployment insurance actually increases unemployment....

Cato Scholar Comments on the 6/12 Irish Referendum on the Lisbon Treaty (Marian L. Tupy, policy analyst, Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity)

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

It is increasingly likely that the Irish referendum on Thursday will end in the rejection of the Lisbon Treaty. The Lisbon Treaty, which paves the way for further centralization of...

Cato Scholar Comments on the South Korea-U.S. Beef Crisis (Daniel T. Griswold, director, Center for Trade Policy Studies)

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The protests in South Korea have nothing to do with the actual safety of U.S. beef. International health organizations have declared U.S. beef to be perfectly safe for consumers. The...

Cato Scholar Comments on Obama's Economic Claims (Chris Edwards, director of tax policy studies)

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Many of candidate Obama's claims about the economic policies of recent years are complete nonsense. In a speech yesterday Obama said, "Our president sacrificed investments in health care, and education,...

Cato Scholar Comments on President Bush Requiring Federal Contractors to Verify Their Employees' Legal Working Status (Jim Harper, director of information policy studies)

Tue, 10 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

What a supreme irony that an E-Verify mandate on federal contractors comes in an executive order titled 'Economy and Efficiency in Government Procurement...' Using E-Verify will add to federal contractors'...

Cato Scholar Comments on D.C. Voucher Program (Adam B. Schaeffer, education policy analyst)

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

D.C. delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton announced this week that she is working on a plan to kill the scholarship vouchers that enable close to 2,000 children in the District to...

Cato Scholar Comments on States' Approaches to Illegal Immigration (Daniel T. Griswold, director, Center for Trade Policy Studies)

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The proliferation of state and local laws against illegal immigration is the latest symptom of the failure of the federal government to reform a broken system. The effort is diverting...

Cato Scholar Comments on Neighborhood Checkpoints in DC (Roger Pilon, vice president for legal affairs)

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Mayor Adrian Fenty and Police Chief Cathy Lanier's proposal to have vehicular checkpoints as a part of their 'Neighborhood Safety Zone' (NSZ) program is an extreme overreaction to a modest...

Cato Scholar Comments on Unemployment Rate Spike (Daniel J. Mitchell, senior fellow)

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The unemployment numbers are a good news/bad news situation. The good news is that the U.S. unemployment rate is far below the average for European welfare states. The latest 5.5...

Cato Scholar Comments on Recent Arrests of Zimbabwe Opposition Leader (Marian L. Tupy, policy analyst, Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity)

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The recent arrests of Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change and winner of the first round of the Zimbabwean presidential election, exemplify Robert Mugabe's complete disregard...

Cato Scholar Comments on Obama's Candidacy (Michael D. Tanner, senior fellow)

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The untold story of the Democratic primaries this year is how far the contest forced Barack Obama to the left. Although he has always been a traditional liberal, Obama originally...

Cato Scholar Comments on Reported Decline in U.S. Manufacturing (Daniel J. Ikenson, associate director, Center for Trade Policy Studies)

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Reports of slowing output in the manufacturing sector reflect sluggishness in the overall economy. Although the sensational conclusion is that this decline in output is further evidence of the...

Anna Schwartz Comments on Bernanke Fed (Anna Schwartz, co-author with Milton Friedman of A Monetary History of the United States, 1867-1963)

Fri, 30 May 2008 06:00:00 EDT

I would judge what the Fed has been doing as a failure, because if all their innovations were really answering the problems of the credit market the credit market would...

Cato Scholar Comments on Warner-Lieberman Climate Security Act (Patrick J. Michaels, senior fellow in environmental studies)

Fri, 30 May 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Senate Bill 2191, the "Climate Security Act", sponsored by Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and John Warner (R-VA) will be debated by the Senate next week. It's going to cost trillions...

Cato Scholar Comments on Brookings Institution Report on Carbon Footprints (Randal O'Toole, senior fellow)

Thu, 29 May 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The recommendations of the Brookings Institution's report that American cities should build more transit lines and promote more compact development to reduce their carbon footprints are not supported by the...

Cato Scholar Comments on Recent Supreme Court Decisions on Workers' Rights (Ilya Shapiro, senior fellow, Center for Constitutional Studies and editor-in-chief, Cato Supreme Court Review)

Wed, 28 May 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The Gómez-Pérez v. Potter and CBOCS West, Inc. v. Humphries rulings reinforce what should be readily apparent to objective Court-watchers: The Roberts Court is neither necessarily "pro-business" nor "conservative." ...

Cato Scholar Comments on the New Speaker of the Iranian Parliament (Justin Logan, associate director of foreign policy studies)

Wed, 28 May 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Ali Larijani's ascension to the position of speaker of the majlis represents one change in the political leadership of Iran. More changes are still to come. This time...

News Release: Cato study calls for end to long-range transportation planning

Tue, 27 May 2008 06:00:00 EDT

WASHINGTON – Federal law requires metropolitan planning organizations to produce long-range transportation plans. According to a new study by the Cato Institute, these plans are not cost-effective, attempt to control...

Cato Scholar Comments on Carbon Rationing in Britain (Patrick J. Michaels, senior fellow in environmental studies)

Tue, 27 May 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Britain's parliamentary proposal to require all adults to carry a 'carbon ration card' would result in the absolute destruction of personal privacy with no detectable impact on global climate. The...

Cato Scholar Comments on the Death of FARC Leader (Juan Carlos Hidalgo, project coordinator for Latin America, Center for Global Liberty and Prosperity)

Tue, 27 May 2008 06:00:00 EDT

The death of Pedro Antonio Marin, alias 'Tirofijo,' marks the end of an era for the FARC, Colombia's Marxist guerrilla group. In less than a month, half of the FARC's...

Cato Scholar Comments on General Petraeus's May 22 Remarks (Malou Innocent, foreign policy analyst)

Fri, 23 May 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Although General David Petraeus yesterday anticipated that the United States might be able to drawdown troops from Iraq, the possibility of a potential 'pullout' is a myth. Regardless of what...

Cato Scholar Comments on Texas Court of Appeals Decision on FLDS Children (Timothy Lynch, director, Project on Criminal Justice)

Fri, 23 May 2008 06:00:00 EDT

Yesterday, the Texas Court of Appeals put a stop to the high-handed seizure of 465 children in Eldorado. The Texas Department of Child Protective Services (CPS) and the district...