Few people realize that the Moderna vaccine against COVID-19—which the FDA has finally declared “highly effective,” and which is now being distributed to Americans—has actually been available for nearly a year. But the government wouldn’t let you take it. The vaccine, a triumph of medical science known as mRNA-1273, was designed in a single weekend,…
James Altucher, who might best be described as a renaissance man, recently wrote a sobering piece about New York City. Altucher is bearish on the city’s future for a variety of reasons. I don’t quite share his pessimism, especially considering all of the variables likely to affect a NYC comeback—the widespread availability of a vaccine,…
Chris White The Trump administration announced new rules Wednesday rolling back requirements for energy-saving light bulbs, The New York Times reported. The Department of Energy (DOE) move will prevent new efficiency standards on light bulbs from taking effect on Jan. 1 under a law passed in 2007 under former President George Bush’s final year in office. Congress passed…
Who knows what might be better or best for you? You or those in the government? We all make mistakes and misjudgments, but who is most likely to have a wider and deeper appreciation of your wants and desires, you or a bureaucrat in an often-faraway government agency? Who is more likely to have an…
When he first took office, President Trump pledged to eliminate 75 to 80 percent of all Food and Drug Administration regulations. A recent deregulatory effort is a small step in this direction. It also serves as a comical (and a little concerning) example of how far the agency’s regulatory authority extends. The FDA recently committed to deregulating…
My friend and former student Paul Gerner suggested to me a few years ago that the federal government have a “regulatory reset.” The idea is that the government eliminates all regulations and then brings back the ones it decides it wants. Presumably, we would end up with substantially fewer regulations. I loved the idea but…
by Ian Tartt So many modern problems, from excessively powerful corporations to the high cost of living, are blamed on the “free market”. Using that term in a negative way in front of most audiences will generate applause and cheers. But is that consistent with reality? Are the problems we now face the result of too much…
LISTEN TO TLR’S LATEST PODCAST: By: Josiah Robinson Teens in Gardendale, Alabama must obtain a business license to cut grass for cash this summer. According to ABC 33/40, the licensure requirement is a result of pressure from officials and other lawn services. The required business license is $110, a significant entry cost for teens. Mowing lawns…
LISTEN TO TLR’S LATEST PODCAST: By: Robert Donachie The Department of Health And Human Services dropped an 1,832 page rule late Friday afternoon on Easter weekend. The rule is a proposal to revise the Acute Inpatient Payment Systems (IPPS), which lays out a system for payments for acute care patients staying in hospitals under Medicare…
LISTEN TO TLR’S LATEST PODCAST: By Michael Bastasch President Donald Trump signed an executive order to rescind a slew of Obama administration policies aimed at tackling global warming and promote “energy independence.” “The miners told me about the attacks on their jobs and their livelihoods,” Trump told those gathered at Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) headquarters where he…