NPR’s Alan Greenblatt filed a story April 26th, How Cap And Trade Was ‘Trashed’, reporting on on the history and political divide of cap and trade in the United States. Part of the story includes the origins of cap and trade, in which he says, “The term cap and trade didn’t exist until the mid-1990s, but by that time the idea had already served as the centerpiece of a landmark environmental law. It had turned out to be the solution for acid rain.”

But cap and trade was not the solution for acid rain. Laurie Wiliams and … Continue Reading

The Washington Post’s Dan Eggan reported on April 25th:

Many top Wall Street firms, including J.P. Morgan Chase and beleaguered Goldman Sachs, have also ramped up campaign contributions to Republican lawmakers who have united to oppose the bill.
…
Although Obama and other Democrats held the edge on Wall Street fundraising during the 2008 election cycle, the political action committees for major banks and financial services companies have dramatically shifted their giving toward Republicans in recent months, data show. Goldman’s PAC, for example, gave almost $300,000 to candidates and parties in March, nearly two-thirds of which went to the GOP.

This is a very … Continue Reading

To recognize Earth Day and the important strides the United States has taken to improve the environment, the Associated Press credits the government for passing tough regulations that cleaned our nation’s water and skies. AP’s Seth Borenstein reports that “Improvements took shape in the form of the Clean Air Act, the Clean Water Act and changes in the way businesses treat the environment.”

This it not the case. Improvements took place before the passage of these bills. Indur Golkany’s book Clearing the Air: The Real Story of the War on Air Pollution and paper “The Environmental … Continue Reading

The Wall Street Journal’s Carolyn Cui, Bill Tomson and Ilan Brat reported on April 14th that the U.S. Department of Agriculture may loosen the sugar quota this year and allow more imports to come into the country. The article does highlight the economic effects of a quota reporting, “U.S. sugar farmers have successfully blocked efforts to significantly increase imports, assuring them of little price competition. Restrictions on imports have caused American users to pay much more than the rest of the world for sugar. That gap recently blew out to its widest in a decade. Mr. Vilsack’s … Continue Reading

Journalist Jim Wolfe’s April 15th Reuters item titled “US plans full European missile shield in 8 years” fails to tell the whole story of recent testimony by Obama officials before Congress.

The article reported:

Bradley Roberts, deputy assistant secretary of defense for nuclear and missile defense policy, said in reply to a question at a hearing of a House of Representatives Armed Services subcommittee Thursday….the Obama administration was putting ‘proven’ sea-based and land-based missile shields into Europe as quickly as possible as part of a revised shield announced last September to any Iranian ballistic-missile strike.

That statement is patently false. The European … Continue Reading

National Public Radio’s Chris Arnold covered the Tax Day Tea Party protest in Boston last week, and challenged one of the organizers by repeating the White House talking point that the president had cut taxes for a majority of the country. Here’s a part of the transcript:

The Greater Boston Tea Party is planning a modern-day demonstration. The president of the group, Christen Varley, says that a year ago she was a housewife who decided to get involved in politics….

When it comes to taxes, the Obama administration has actually cut taxes for 95 percent of Americans through a federal income

… Continue Reading

In an otherwise fine April 19th article reporting on Pew Research Center’s new poll showing “nearly in 10 Americans say they don’t trust the federal government,” the Associated Press‘ Liz Sidoti writes:

The survey found that Obama’s policies were partly to blame for a rise in distrustful, anti-government views. In his first year in office, the president orchestrated a government takeover of Detroit automakers, secured a $787 billion stimulus package and pushed to overhaul the health care system.

One quibble. According to revised accounting by the Congressional Budget Office released this January, because the stimulus failed to keep unemployment … Continue Reading

The Politico ran an April 15th story titled No meeting of minds on new ‘Contract with America’ where Jake Sherman reports:

House Minority Whip Eric Cantor wants a document, akin to Newt Gingrich’s 1994 Contract With America, that identifies specific pieces of legislation Republicans could pass if they win back the House. … But Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the California Republican who is leading the effort to craft the document, says that including specific legislation in the contract would smack of the backroom deals the GOP accuses Democrats of making, so “you won’t see it written out.” … Republicans say they

… Continue Reading

Peter Behr and Jenny Mandel report for The New York Times that “wind power weathered a second year of recession to post new records of generation.”

But what Behr and Mandel do not report is that wind producers are also enjoying record subsidies. The 2009 stimulus bill includes $16.7 billion for renewable energy and energy efficiency and $4.0 billion towards loan guarantees for renewable energy. The government handouts already in place helped as well. An April 2008 study of subsidies for the energy industry finds that wind and solar receive over $20 per kilowatt hour in … Continue Reading

An April 9th Associated Press Anne Flaherty article claims “Republicans expected to line up behind New START.” Flaherty reports:

Despite near gridlock in the Senate, Republicans were expected to swing behind a new arms control treaty with Russia that President Barack Obama said they will like, even though some are reserving judgment until Obama can assure them the pact won’t set back U.S. defenses against other potential foes such as North Korea and Iran.
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Republicans, however, did not rush to either praise or criticize the treaty. They want Obama to promise it won’t undercut the nation’s ability to set up missile

… Continue Reading

The April 2nd USA Today called subsidies for renewable energy, nuclear energy and new efficiency mandates for automobiles “good, good and good” because “the nation doesn’t have the luxury of instantly wishing away its dependence on oil.” But why is energy independence a policy goal? Economics 101 teaches us that there’s a huge opportunity cost with attempting to become energy independent. The Independent Institute’s Robert Higgs explains:

Suppose a serious policy of “energy independence” were actually implemented, rather than being merely spewed out along with the rest of the political hot air. Would we be better off? Absolutely

… Continue Reading

Covering implementation of President Barack Obama’s health care bill, Lisa Girion reports in the April 5th Los Angeles Times:

One of the rationales for the healthcare overhaul was that it would ease pressure on emergency rooms like St. Joe’s. As more people acquire insurance, the idea goes, more will get regular medical care. But will it work?
The new law also will increase the number of people on Medi-Cal. Because the government health program for the poor pays less than private insurers, hospitals will be pressured to treat more people at lower cost per case, said St. Joe’s chief executive, Barry

… Continue Reading

“Small-business owners unclear on health care impact” reads the March 23rd USA Today headline over a story by Bruce Horovitz and Laura Petrecca. Horovitz and Petrecca do a decent job of talking to small business owners for and against President Barack Obama’s health care law and the even include “A look at some of the provisions and their effects” including:

By 2014, employers who have more than 50 employees must offer health insurance benefits or pay penalties. Companies with 25 or fewer employees who meet certain wage requirements will also be able to get credits toward health insurance purchases.

This is true, … Continue Reading

The headline over Brian Winter’s April 1st USA Today story reads “Obama to allow off-shore oil drilling in new areas” but the first paragraph reads:

Reversing a ban on oil drilling off most U.S. shores, President Obama announced an expansive new policy on Wednesday that could put new oil and natural gas platforms in waters along the southern Atlantic coastline, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and part of Alaska.

That “could” is key. All President Obama actually promised in his speech was “an expansion of offshore oil and gas exploration.” Exploration does not mean any oil extraction will ever occur, … Continue Reading