Liberty Week » All Episodes

February 9, 2012: The Immigration Tariff

Ryan Young — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 19:02:38 +0000

Immigration law is second in complexity only to the income tax. In a new CEI paper, Policy Analyst Alex Nowrasteh proposes scrapping the whole thing and replacing it with a tariff. This is a much more humane approach to immigration, and in many cases will be less expensive for immigrants than the lawyers and fees they currently have to pay while they live in legal limbo. A tariff would also reduce illegal immigration by eliminating black markets. Money that currently goes to illegal smugglers and human traffickers could instead go to the U.S. Treasury. The idea can appeal to both the left and the right.

February 2, 2012: The FDA’s Latest Power Grab

Ryan Young — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:34:07 +0000

Fellow in Consumer Policy Studies Michelle Minton breaks down the FDA’s behind-the-scenes push to regulate dietary supplements nearly as strictly as prescription drugs.

January 26, 2012: Visa Reforms for Farm Workers

Ryan Young — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:50:04 +0000

The state of Georgia recently passed strict new requirements for immigrant farm workers. Immigration Policy Analyst Alex Nowrasteh looks at the results of a new report released by the state. Workers are fleeing to other states, causing a labor shortage. Some farmers find they lose less money by actually letting their crops rot in the fields rather than comply with state and federal rules.

January 18, 2012: Dropping the SOPA

Ryan Young — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 20:12:40 +0000

Wikipedia, Reddit, and other popular websites all went black today to protest SOPA and PIPA, two bills currently before Congress. Critics charge that the bills could potentially shut down the Internet as we know it. Associate Director of Technology Studies Ryan Radia explains how the bills would work, and how they would indeed stifle free speech.

January 12, 2012: Mistaken Deportations

Ryan Young — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 20:14:06 +0000

Immigration Policy Analyst Alex Nowrasteh tells Jakadrien Turner’s story and what it means for the immigration reform debate. Turner is a 14-year old girl from Texas who was mistakenly deported to Colombia. Turner is not Hispanic, does not speak Spanish, and has no connections to Colombia whatsoever. It took six months of pleading and legal maneuvering before authorities allowed her to return home. This was not an isolated incident. The way to prevent future cases like this, Nowrasteh argues, is radically simplifying our overly complex immigration and citizenship laws.

January 5, 2012: The Iowa Caucuses

Ryan Young — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 15:24:36 +0000

Associate Director of Technology Policy Studies and Iowa native Ryan Radia takes a look at how the different strains of Republican voters are deciding on their party’s presidential nominee. In the years to come, Radia believes that the GOP will need to reinvent itself ideologically if it is to remain politically relevant.

December 29, 2011: A Record Year for Regulation

Ryan Young — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 20:01:02 +0000

Vice President for Policy Wayne Crews talks about why 2011 was a record year for both new regulations and their cost. He also talks about his efforts to make the opaque regulatory state more transparent. Besides his annual “Ten Thousand Commandments” report, Wayne has started a new TenThousandCommandments.com website to update regulatory data in real time. There is a also a 10KC Twitter account and a Facebook page to make it as easy as possible to keep an eye on what regulatory agencies are up to.

December 22, 2011: The Keystone XL Pipeline

Ryan Young — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 12:48:00 +0000

Politicians usually love infrastructure projects. But politics has delayed the privately owned Keystone XL pipeline’s construction for three years now. Research Associate David Bier explains the reasons behind the delay, and points out that the pipeline’s real benefit isn’t the jobs it would create; it’s the wealth and value it would create.

December 15, 2011: Drilling for Roads

Ryan Young — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 13:09:28 +0000

Land-use and Transportation Policy Analyst Marc Scribner looks at House Republicans’ “drilling for roads” proposal and finds it wanting. Under this proposal, the federal government would allow more fossil fuel extraction from federally owned lands, as well as offshore. Some of the revenues would go into the federal Highway Trust Fund. This would politicize transportation even more than it already is, and would lead to adverse consequences.

December 8, 2011: House Passes the REINS Act

Ryan Young — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 20:05:09 +0000

The REINS Act would require Congress to vote on all economically significant regulations — rules that cost at least $100 million per year. The House passed the bill yesterday, and now it moves on to the Senate. Vice President for Policy Wayne Crews talks about the impact REINS could have on increasing transparency and accountability. He also offers up a few more ideas for further regulatory reform.