Notice and Comment Symposium on Reviving Rationality by Livermore & Revesz
An extended symposium engaging with an important new book on the use and misuse of cost-benefit analysis in regulatory review.
Regulation
Los Angeles Orders Local Businesses To Serve as Vaccination Enforcers
The fines for failure fall not on the unvaccinated, but the people serving them.
Government Keeps Trying To Censor This Brewery. The Owner Isn't Having It.
"Do you really want to live in a country where government bureaucrats, based on whim and personal preference, can censor whatever they don't like?"
Instagram's Effect on Teens Gives Congress the Latest Pretext To Put Tech on Trial
Plus: California can't limit private prisons, Yellen dismisses bank privacy concerns, and more...
New York's Straw Law Will Fine Business for Giving Out Unsolicited Straws, and Also for Not Having Enough Straws
Those much-maligned single-use plastics had a brief reprieve during the pandemic. Now they're back in politicians' sights.
California Business Owners Sue Gov. Newsom Over the Lockdowns
How far do "emergency powers" really extend?
The FDA Is Determined To Ignore the Decline in Underage Vaping Because It Weakens the Case for New Restrictions
The agency seems inclined to ban the vaping products that former smokers overwhelmingly prefer because teenagers also like them.
FTC Drills Alabama Licensing Board for Anti-Competitive Scheme Targeting Teledentistry
The FTC challenged a licensing scheme that it says limited consumer choice and excluded new providers.
This Anti-Vaping Congressman Insists 'There's Simply No Evidence' That E-Cigarettes Help Smokers Quit
Although Raja Krishnamoorthi says "adults can do what they want," he is determined not to let them.
China Expands Crypto Crackdown, Targeting Mining and Overseas Platforms
Though domestic crypto transactions were banned back in 2017, today's move signals that Chinese authorities are making good on their threats from earlier this year.
Regulators Threaten Coinbase and Cryptocurrency Innovation
Innovation should be more important than regulation.
Bureaucrats and Politicians Seem Determined To Cripple a Lifesaving Alternative to Smoking
E-cigarette regulations and taxes threaten an industry that could prevent millions of premature deaths.
California Is Clueless About Homelessness
Both Los Angeles and San Francisco struggle with restrictive land use regulations that raise the costs and completion times of housing projects. That same red tape is now hobbling projects aimed at helping alleviate homelessness.
Why Is This Beer Banned in 15 States?
Plus: Doctor admits to breaking Texas abortion law, why child care centers can't find workers, and more...
Can Biden's Vaccination Rule for Private Employers Survive Judicial Scrutiny?
A broad standard with no exceptions better serves his goals, but it will be harder to defend in court.
Securities Regulations Shackle U.S. Cryptocurrency Industry
Old rules and odd enforcement are pushing opportunities overseas.
Opponents of the Texas Abortion Ban Are Struggling to Find Defendants They Can Sue To Prevent Its Enforcement
Meanwhile, the threat posed by the lawsuits that S.B. 8 authorizes has dramatically curtailed access to abortion in Texas.
Since the FDA Has Not Approved Any Vaping Products, All of Them Are Now 'Subject to Enforcement Action'
The agency's decisions so far reflect a bias against the flavored e-liquids that former smokers overwhelmingly prefer.
More Fans Can Easily Bet on the NFL Than Ever Before
Convenient online sports betting is legal and live in 14 states.
Let's Make it Easier for Distillers To Ship Alcohol Directly to Adult Consumers
Congress can start by letting the U.S. Postal Service deliver booze to adults.
The Biden Administration's 'Emergency' Vaccine Mandate May Be Vulnerable to Legal Challenges
OSHA has rarely used this option, which avoids the usual rule-making process, and most challenges to such edicts have been successful.
Where Does Biden Get the Authority To Mandate Vaccination?
Emergency OSHA rules are frequently struck down by courts.
Biden Admits He Can't Mandate Masks. Why Does He Think He Can Mandate Vaccines?
Biden's sudden embrace of a federal vaccine requirement seems inconsistent with his acknowledgment that he cannot mandate every COVID-19 precaution he'd like people to follow.
Why the Hell Has the FDA Not Approved Cheap Rapid COVID-19 Self-Tests Yet?
If they're good enough for Europeans, surely they're good enough for Americans.
The Sweeping Texas Abortion Ban That Took Effect Today Is Plainly Inconsistent With SCOTUS Precedents
Because the Supreme Court so far has not intervened, post-heartbeat abortions are now illegal in the Lone Star State.
How Many Union Members Does It Take To Operate a Train?
Labor unions have been lobbying federal regulators to mandate that all freight trains operate with two-person crews in the cab. But automation renders this largely pointless.
Don't Be Surprised if Gun Owners Don't Comply With Gun Control Laws
Getting a law passed is not the same thing as getting people to obey.
Alabama's Dumb Health Care Regulations Helped Create a Shortage of ICU Beds
States like Alabama that give government regulators control over the number of hospital beds tend to have less of them. That's bad even when there isn't a pandemic.
Federal Regulations Keep COVID Patients in the Dark About Which Variant They Have
Plus: Airbnb will host 20,000 Afghan refugees, court rejects Nunes lawsuit against Liz Mair, and more..
Net Neutrality Is Far From Necessary
Remember, the "open internet" that regulatory rules purportedly preserve emerged from a world without net neutrality rules.
Governments Love a Media Cartel—As Long as They're in Control
Friday A/V Club: Some people are against concentrated media power. Some just want to bend it to their will.
If Texas Businesses Are Free To Require Face Masks, Why Can't They Require Proof of Vaccination?
Gov. Greg Abbott's position on private vaccination requirements is confused and confusing.
Hawaii Limits Indoor Social Gatherings to 10 People. Will More States Follow Suit?
Hawaii Gov. David Ige issued an executive order yesterday imposing a raft of new restrictions on businesses and social gatherings.
A Federal Judge Lets a Cruise Line Require Proof of Vaccination, Saying a Florida Law Banning the Practice Is Probably Unconstitutional
Gov. Ron DeSantis' embrace of the law contradicts his avowed commitment to economic freedom.
Kansas Wants This Experienced Eyebrow Entrepreneur To Get 1,000 More Hours of Training
Jigisha Modi can't hire her own mother-in-law—who has decades of eyebrow-threading experience—because of Kansas' occupational licensing rules. Now she's suing.
Cryptocurrency Fight Holds Up Infrastructure Bill
For now, the side that wants less cryptocurrency regulation and taxation lost.
L.A. Council Members Propose Draconian, Unenforceable Vaccine Passports
Los Angeles County is largely vaccinated. This is a punitive, authoritarian performance.
That Weird California Computer Ban Isn't What It Appears to Be. It's Dumber.
An attempt to reduce idle electricity consumption actually incentivizes selling more powerful equipment.
Why Are There New Crypto Rules in the Infrastructure Bill?
Plus: California's new pork regulations, Florida's COVID-19 boom, and more...
Building Your Own Rifle Is the Perfect Family Project
Improve your skills! Bond with the kids! Infuriate control freaks!
State Governments Are Creating Their Own Drug Cartels
Much of what government does is tax people to try to fix problems that government caused.
Trump Slashed Regulations That Stopped Americans From Having a Good Shower. Biden Is Bringing Them Back.
Environmentalists criticized Trump's reforms for wasting water, while showerhead manufacturers worried the deregulation would subject them to more foreign competition.
Regulation Kills Innovation. So These Entrepreneurs Didn't Ask for Permission.
From SpaceX and Tesla to Uber and Lyft, many of the most successful companies thrived without the government's stamp of approval.
Chuck Schumer Says He Wants To Legalize Marijuana. His Bill Suggests Otherwise.
The Senate majority leader's racial rhetoric and overly prescriptive approach make an already iffy effort even more quixotic.
The U.S. Has Strayed Far From Its Founding Ideals
Governments at the state, local, and federal levels can obstruct our pursuit of happiness and at times even jeopardize our safety.
How Big Business Uses Big Government To Kill Competition
Corporations can afford robots. Their competitors often cannot.
Wisconsin Votes To Exempt Hair Braiders From Occupational Licensing Law
A measure awaiting the governor's signature would make it easier for natural hair braiders in Wisconsin to work.
