A May 11, 2015 report from the Brattle Group estimates the value of the 645.5 MHz of licensed spectrum currently in use at almost $500 billion. Beyond the monetary value of this spectrum are the services provided to consumers using licensed spectrum through their mobile devices. According to the report, economists have estimated that the […]
Almost Everything is Genetically Modified
According to a September 2014 Smithsonian article written by David Newland, “Sorry Hipsters, That Organic Kale is a Genetically Modified Food,” most of the food we eat today is not natural. “Some 10,000 years ago,” said Newland, “our ancestors picked tiny berries, collected bitter plants, and hunted sinewy game, because these are the foods that occurred naturally in the wild.” What changed all of that? “Agriculture,” wrote Newland, and “with it the eventual realization that farmers could selectively breed animals and plants to be bigger, hardier, and easier to manage.”
Focusing on Music Copyright for World IP Day
On April 26, 2015, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) marked World Intellectual Property Day. The theme was “Get Up, Stand Up. For Music,” which was intended to highlight the contributions of musical artists around the world and encourage the protection of their intellectual property (IP). Artists and musicians combat piracy and copyright infringement on a daily basis, while they also struggle to be adequately compensated for their work.
DOE’s Green Loan Programs Waste More Green than They Create
A decade after the creation of the Department of Energy’s (DOE) first program to stimulate green energy projects, the concept is projected to lose more money than it receives, leaving taxpayers holding the reusable cloth bag.
Trade Promotion: When Authority Is Tempered by Accountability
In the semantics of “fast track” legislation related to trade agreements, words matter. Historically referred to as “trade promotion authority” (TPA), the bill currently being considered by the Senate first and then the House establishes the parameters within which a president can negotiate a treaty with other nations. In exchange for this curb on the executive, the legislative branch agrees to limit its own prerogatives, as well. The Congress is bound to either approve or reject any such treaty with an “up or down” vote: it can be neither amended nor filibustered. Thus, it is “fast tracked.”
Spending Caps: To Bust or Not To Bust?
On May 5, 2015, the Senate followed the House’s lead and voted 51-48 to approve the conference report accompanying the fiscal year (FY) 2016 Budget Resolution. In other words, Congress did its job and passed a joint budget plan for the first time since 2009.
The Ghoulish Amtrak Blame Game
Within hours of the deadly crash of an Amtrak train in Philadelphia, big spenders from Washington and New York pounced on the tragedy as a reason to throw more taxpayer money Amtrak’s way. Let’s begin with the fact that eight people lost their lives in this accident. More than 200 were injured. Politicians and liberal […]
Trade Agreements Protect IP Abroad
The U.S. Trade Representative has been working on two important trade agreements, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and the Trans-Atlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (T-TIP). Each of the agreements provides opportunities for the U.S. to expand its reach into the global market, while protecting and promoting U.S. manufactured goods overseas. The agreements also present an opportunity […]
Why is FOX Business News Pushing Price Controls?
It was the headline on the FOX Business News April 27 article that captured my attention. It said, “More Government Waste Found at Medicare.” I thought, well, what else is new, it’s pretty much a government-run program where waste and fraud is rampant. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) estimated it was about $50 […]
A Disappointing Vote but Not Unexpected
Senator David Vitter (R-La.) is on a mission.