Wayne Winegarden
Business & Economics
The Fallacies of Government-Run Broadband
There is no doubt that an effective broadband infrastructure is essential for the 21st century U.S. economy. This is why the misinterpretations of a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report are so problematic. The policy recommendations that are being derived from these incorrect interpretations, if followed, would significantly inhibit the ...
Business & Economics
Regulatory decisions should be inclusive and based on facts
Creating the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) was never a good idea. Now that the Bureau is up and running, its actions are removing all doubt. New auto-lending rules stand out as the latest example of the CFPB’s shortcomings. Due to these new rules, buying a car may soon ...
Business & Economics
U.S. economy needs free trade
American officials are currently negotiating a free-trade deal known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership with their counterparts in Japan and 11 other Pacific Rim countries. If successful, the benefits to American consumers and producers would be significant. By some estimates, an agreement could grow the U.S. economy by $77 billion a ...
Commentary
The News Is The Declining Incentives For Medical Innovation
The federal health exchange Healthcare.gov, one of the centerpieces of the Affordable Care Act (ACA or ObamaCare), is gasping for life. This is not the important story, however. The U.S. health care system has flaws. And, these flaws should have been the focus of the health care reforms back in ...
Commentary
Budget realities, research prioritization at CDC
The CDC Director Thomas Frieden sounded the alarm recently at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., where he linked budget cuts at the CDC to an increased health risk for Americans. The risks from diseases are real and growing. And in light of that threat, perhaps more money should ...
Commentary
Nobody wins when bureaucrats make health care decisions instead of patients
What is called “health insurance” in the U.S. is not insurance. People buy insurance to protect themselves against unlikely but costly risks, like having a car accident. The purpose of purchasing automobile insurance is not to pay for routine maintenance costs; the purpose is to pay the huge costs that ...
Commentary
Government Mandates Don’t Lower Health Care Costs
Free lunches are often the most expensive meals. And yet, when it comes to the nations health care system, the federal government blindly offers free lunch buffets in lieu of policies that would actually address the core problems of the nations health care system. An example of this free lunch ...
Agriculture
Today’s Energy Crisis: Too Much, Not Too Little, Fossil Fuel
Back in April 1977, President Carter warned that “the oil and natural gas we rely on for 75% of our energy are running out.” In response to the perceived energy supply shortages, he wanted to limit the annual growth in overall U.S. energy usage, force American consumers to lower their ...
Business & Economics
Uncle Sam’s Phantom Loan Revenues
You may have heard that lawmakers in Washington struck a deal last week to preserve the current low student-loan rates for at least another year. You may not have heard that for fiscal year 2013 the federal government booked $32 million in revenuesprofits, if it were a private entityfor every ...
Commentary
Beware of a Forestry Standard Monopoly
Before any policy is changed, the potential economic consequences that they can cause should be considered. The Community Reinvestment Act and other affordable housing regulations, for instance, were supposed to increase loan availability to under-served communities. Unintentionally, these regulations played an important role in creating the housing boom and bust ...
The Fallacies of Government-Run Broadband
There is no doubt that an effective broadband infrastructure is essential for the 21st century U.S. economy. This is why the misinterpretations of a recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report are so problematic. The policy recommendations that are being derived from these incorrect interpretations, if followed, would significantly inhibit the ...
Regulatory decisions should be inclusive and based on facts
Creating the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) was never a good idea. Now that the Bureau is up and running, its actions are removing all doubt. New auto-lending rules stand out as the latest example of the CFPB’s shortcomings. Due to these new rules, buying a car may soon ...
U.S. economy needs free trade
American officials are currently negotiating a free-trade deal known as the Trans-Pacific Partnership with their counterparts in Japan and 11 other Pacific Rim countries. If successful, the benefits to American consumers and producers would be significant. By some estimates, an agreement could grow the U.S. economy by $77 billion a ...
The News Is The Declining Incentives For Medical Innovation
The federal health exchange Healthcare.gov, one of the centerpieces of the Affordable Care Act (ACA or ObamaCare), is gasping for life. This is not the important story, however. The U.S. health care system has flaws. And, these flaws should have been the focus of the health care reforms back in ...
Budget realities, research prioritization at CDC
The CDC Director Thomas Frieden sounded the alarm recently at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., where he linked budget cuts at the CDC to an increased health risk for Americans. The risks from diseases are real and growing. And in light of that threat, perhaps more money should ...
Nobody wins when bureaucrats make health care decisions instead of patients
What is called “health insurance” in the U.S. is not insurance. People buy insurance to protect themselves against unlikely but costly risks, like having a car accident. The purpose of purchasing automobile insurance is not to pay for routine maintenance costs; the purpose is to pay the huge costs that ...
Government Mandates Don’t Lower Health Care Costs
Free lunches are often the most expensive meals. And yet, when it comes to the nations health care system, the federal government blindly offers free lunch buffets in lieu of policies that would actually address the core problems of the nations health care system. An example of this free lunch ...
Today’s Energy Crisis: Too Much, Not Too Little, Fossil Fuel
Back in April 1977, President Carter warned that “the oil and natural gas we rely on for 75% of our energy are running out.” In response to the perceived energy supply shortages, he wanted to limit the annual growth in overall U.S. energy usage, force American consumers to lower their ...
Uncle Sam’s Phantom Loan Revenues
You may have heard that lawmakers in Washington struck a deal last week to preserve the current low student-loan rates for at least another year. You may not have heard that for fiscal year 2013 the federal government booked $32 million in revenuesprofits, if it were a private entityfor every ...
Beware of a Forestry Standard Monopoly
Before any policy is changed, the potential economic consequences that they can cause should be considered. The Community Reinvestment Act and other affordable housing regulations, for instance, were supposed to increase loan availability to under-served communities. Unintentionally, these regulations played an important role in creating the housing boom and bust ...
