Crony Capitalism
Curt Schilling Blew $75 Million in Public Funds Making Bad Video Games. Naturally, He Thinks He Should Be in Congress.
Schilling and Trump are alike in attacking immigrants for costing money, while seeking out business subsidies.
This Steelmaker Looked Like a Winner in the Trade War. Now It's Suing the Commerce Department Over Tariffs.
Protectionism fails, even for those who were supposed to benefit.
Don't Believe the Hype: Sales Tax Holidays Are Usually a Ripoff
A weekend where a few items are free of sales taxes is a poor substitute for permanent reforms.
Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross Can't Stay Awake During Meetings. Does That Mean It's Time to Put His Whole Crony Capitalist Department to Rest?
The Commerce Department is a major dispenser of corporate welfare.
Socialists Are Scary, but Capitalists Are Their Own Worst Enemies
New research shows that business leaders who benefit from government favoritism are more comfortable with government intervention into markets.
D.C.'s Metro Is A Mess. Today the FBI Raided the Home of a Transit Board Member in Corruption Probe
The FBI raided the house of D.C. City Councilman and Metro board member Jack Evans as part of a federal grand jury investigation.
Kansas City Uses Bad Research To Justify Corporate Welfare
A local development study didn't evaluate whether government incentives had anything to do with a business's decision to invest.
Court Upholds Baltimore's Cronyist Rules Limiting Food Trucks
The ruling says it's acceptable for cities to use ordinances to protect some businesses from competitors.
Backers of California's Paper Receipt Crackdown Overhype 'Skip the Slip'
A California bill to crack down on paper receipts relies on scare tactics and misinformation.
Illinois' Top Court Blesses Chicago's Cronyist Anti-Food-Truck Regulations
Restaurateurs get protection from small competitors. It’s the citizens who lose out on delicious food choices.
Congress Just Restored the Export-Import Bank. It Still Deserves to Die.
The evidence against the agency is overwhelming.
Paying Too Much for Natural Gas? Thank the Jones Act.
The federal law protecting the shipping industry from competition strikes again.
Minnesota City Will Soak Taxpayers To Build a Water Park at the Mall of America
More than $60 million of government money could flow to a private water park next to the Mall of America.
Stossel: Enough Crony Capitalism!
How established businesses use government to limit competition.
Justin Amash Wants To Kill the Zombified Remains of the Export-Import Bank
The bank has been operating as a shell of its former cronyist self since 2015. Just put it out of its misery already.
The Corporate Welfare Keeps Rolling for Amazon's Virginia HQ2
Arlington County officials have released the terms of their multi-million dollar subsidy package.
A Presidential Tweet Can't Stop the TVA from Shuttering Two Coal-Fired Generation Plants
So far, Trump's efforts to subsidize his coal cronies have failed.
Private Train Cars, Murder Task Forces, Captain Kirk: Cities Offered Amazon Some Weird Shit
But none of it is a substitute for developing a robust and vibrant economy. And neither is landing a single big employer like Amazon.
Pennsylvania Governor Waited to Release Amazon HQ2 Bid Until After Winners Were Announced
Sure, the public deserves to know what Amazon was getting offered. But it deserved to know all along, too.
Amazon Welcomes You to "National Landing": Reason Roundup
In addition to tax credits, Virginia is giving Amazon the right to rename the area around its new headquarters.
Stossel: Why Some Capitalists Are the Worst Enemies of Capitalism
Amazon lobbies for government favors and bad regulations.
Iowa Eye Surgeon Wants to Open His Own Clinic. For 14 Years, His Competitors Have Stopped Him.
A lawsuit challenging Iowa's Certificate of Need laws goes before a federal judge today.
Missouri Might Imprison You for False Meat Advertising
A state law says you can't call it meat unless it's actually beef, pork, or poultry. Critics say the bill violates the First Amendment.
New Jersey's Attacks on Unlicensed Movers Hurt Entrepreneurs and Consumers
Once again, government would best serve the public by just getting out of the way.
The Commerce Department's Tariff Waiver Process Encourages Cronyism, Creates Shortages
U.S. Steel and other manufacturers are lobbying to block waivers, creating chaos along supply chains.
Pull the U.S. Out of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
Stop subsidizing crony capitalism abroad with taxpayer dollars.
Trump and Scott Walker's Wisconsin Foxconn Deal Is Cronyism at Its Worst
The dealmaker in chief abuses his power to cripple companies that anger him and reward those that please him-and his fellow Republicans enable it.
New York State Spends $1.4 Million on an Old Movie Theater To Create 6 Jobs
Many subsidies for the film industry cost taxpayers more and create even less.
Pro Sports Want the Government's Help Taking a Cut of Sports Betting. States Should Say No.
Leagues are lobbying states to institute an "integrity fee" that would entitle them to 1 percent of all the money bet at sportsbooks.
Crony Capitalism, Eminent Domain Abuse, and Alleged Corruption
Lawsuit exposes a shady deal in Edgewater, New Jersey.
Trump's Crony Capitalism: Energy Division
Trump orders "immediate steps" to save money-losing coal and nuclear power plants.
Is Ethanol Cronyism on the Ropes?
It's time to end government handouts for corn farmers.
Car-Sharing Bill Typifies California's 'Crony Capitalist' Approach to Innovation
Rental-car companies are facing the same challenges as other established businesses in the internet age. One state lawmaker wants to protect them from change.
Florida Government Employee Arrested for Mining Cryptocurrencies at Work
Florida man accused of ripping off government agency that rips off taxpayers.
Pittsburgh Still Won't Let Anyone See Its Amazon Bid
City officials' excuses are getting more and more ridiculous.
When Governments Suspend Their Own Rules
Special economic zones can be anything from tools of crony capitalism to seeds of a freer world order.
Virginia House Approves Limited Regulatory Reforms for Hospitals, Mental Health Clinics
Virginia's Certificate of Public Need laws drive up costs and limit access to care, but there's little political will for widespread reform or repeal.
L.A.'s New Trash Cartels Are Exactly the Dumpster Fire Critics Warned About
Exclusive city-mandated monopolies lead to sky-high prices and crappy service. Who could have predicted it?
Using Tax Incentives and Giveaways To Lure Amazon's HQ2 Is Like Going To a Strip Club
Elected officials are like half-soused businessmen chasing a dream in the champagne room. But with your money.
Pittsburgh Tried to Hide Its Amazon Proposal by Claiming It Was a 'Trade Secret'
What trade would that be, exactly?
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan Takes Cronyism to the Next Level With $5 Billion Bid for Amazon Headquarters
The PRIME Act would fork over millions to one of the world's wealthiest corporations.
Amazon Announces Shortlist for New HQ; Abandon Hope All Ye Who Live in These Cities
How the hell did Brogden, Pennsylvania, and Anderson, Virginia, not make the list?
FERC Shuts Down Trump's Coal Cronyism
How an independent regulatory agency is supposed to work
Don't Worry, Oregonians: Most of You Are Still Banned from Pumping Your Own Gas
A backwards, protectionist law mandating an obsolete job has been only slightly relaxed.
The Senate's Rejection of Export-Import Bank Critic Shows How Entrenched Crony Capitalism Is in Washington
Several Republicans broke ranks to kill the nomination of Rep. Scott Garrett to head the Export-Import Bank.
