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Cato Op-Eds
Bigger Bounties for Tax Tipsters
Walter Olson
I've got a guest post up at Reason on how bounty-seeking informants are bypassing the Internal Revenue Service tipster-reward program in favor of selected state False Claims Acts, such as New York's, which enable richer recoveries for disloyal employees and others who charge defendants with underpaying taxes. Excerpt:
Will the spread of a culture of informants sow distrust and disloyalty in the workplace, while encouraging dissident executives and their lawyers to shake settlements out of risk- and publicity-averse targets by seizing on doubtful, gray-area legal theories? That's part of the game too. Lately hedge funds and litigation finance firms have moved in to bankroll the filing of likely "whistleblower" cases. …
…by getting pro-plaintiff laws through the legislature in just a few states — New York liberalized its law four years ago — advocates can set the stage for a nationwide informant push.
In Illinois, a single Chicago lawyer was reported in 2012 to have used that state's whistleblower law to file at least 238 lawsuits against retailers, pocketing millions in settlements, over alleged failure to charge sales tax on shipping-and-handling.
Whole thing here.
Foreign Policy Solyndra
Ted Galen Carpenter
Washington's track record over the decades of selecting honest, effective, and democratic political leaders to support in developing countries is as dismal as the government's attempts to pick economic winners in this country. We have endured a lengthy series of foreign policy equivalents of the notorious Solyndra scandal. I discuss that depressing record in a new article over at the American Conservative.
U.S. officials habitually make one of two blunders. On some occasions, they back a foreign client who is willing to do Washington's bidding, even if that person lacks meaningful internal political support from the very beginning. On other occasions, the chosen client may initially have respectable domestic backing, but soon dissipates that support through pervasive corruption and brutality, often funded by U.S. tax dollars.
Washington's diplomatic love affair with Ahmed Chalabi, leader of the Iraqi National Congress, was a prime example of the first type of fiasco. U.S. policymakers during the administrations of Bill Clinton and George W. Bush wildly overestimated Chalabi's popularity inside Iraq. When the U.S-led military intervention ousted Saddam Hussein, American officials acted as though the Iraqi people would choose Chalabi as their new leader virtually by acclamation. The actual extent of his domestic support became apparent in Iraq's first free parliamentary elections in 2005. Chalabi's party received a paltry 0.5 percent of the vote and failed to win a single seat.
The enthusiasm for Ferdinand Marcos in the Philippines was a typical example of the second type of embarrassment. Marcos won his first election as president in 1966 in legitimate fashion, but he soon displayed all the usual characteristics of a tinpot dictator. Yet Washington continued to back him diplomatically and financially until his imminent overthrow in a popular revolution could no longer be ignored. More recently, Washington's enthusiasm for Afghanistan's Hamid Karzai and Iraq's Nouri al-Maliki proved equally misplaced over the long term.
Those experiences (and many others) should teach U.S. officials not to fall in love with superficially attractive foreign political clients. Instead of reflexively backing glib figures who are adept at telling American policymakers what they know those policymakers want to hear, we should approach all foreign players with caution, coldly evaluating how much popularity and staying power they are likely to command. The United States also needs to be far more skeptical about whether backing any particular client serves the best interests of the American republic.
Japan Moves Closer to Defending Itself like a Normal Country
Doug Bandow
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has begun to transform Japan into a normal country. Tokyo plans to take a more active role internationally. Eventually it should take over responsibility for defending itself.
As military occupier after World War II, the United States imposed Article Nine of the Japanese constitution, disarming Tokyo. But in recent years, Washington has pushed Japan to do more militarily.
So far, Tokyo simply has revised its interpretation of Article Nine. Japan's "Self Defense Force" will be allowed to cooperate with other countries in combat.
Overseas the response was mixed. Naturally, the United States was pleased. China was unhappy. Other nations, such as Australia, were supportive.
Some critics still worry about Tokyo's ultimate intentions, as if the Japanese had a double dose of original sin. But Japan, with a stagnant economy, middling (and declining) population, and pacifist ethos, doesn't look much like the next global dominatrix.
Instead, Japan's well-established desire to do nothing has run aground because the world looks ever more dangerous. Moreover, basic economics suggests that Washington will have to reduce its role. As Prime Minister Abe recognized in 2012: "With the U.S. defense budget facing big cuts, a collapse of the military balance of power in Asia could create instability."
Thus, though the new interpretation is an important advance, it is not nearly enough. Tokyo needs to do much more.
For almost seven decades, the United States has played the dominant role in protecting Japan. The justification for doing so is long over.
Instead of relying on America, Japan should defend itself, including contested islands under Tokyo's administration. The United States has an interest in preserving Japan's independent existence, but that suggests a backup role.
Moreover, Japan should promote regional security. There's no reason for America alone to preserve open sea lanes, especially those critical for Japanese commerce.
Tokyo should cooperate closely with other democratic nations in Asia, such as South Korea and India. Japan also should continue building better relations with less democratic states that desire to maintain a regional balance of power, such as Burma and Vietnam.
Tokyo needs to spend more on its military, adding missiles and missile defenses, as well as bolstering its air and naval forces. Tokyo's objective should be to create armed forces sufficient to deter Beijing from acting recklessly.
Of course, as I point out in National Interest online: "it's not Washington's place to tell Tokyo what kind of military to field. What the United States should do, however, is inform Japan what the former will not do."
America will not maintain forces in Japan to defend that nation. America will not get into a war with the PRC over contested territories claimed by Tokyo. Japanese officials, then, would be forced to debate their nation's security objectives, potential threats, and military requirements.
Retiring the U.S. security guarantee to Japan would be good sense, not "isolationism." Washington could continue to work with Tokyo in such areas as aid, environment, terrorism, proliferation, and more.
Americans and Japanese would still trade. Preserving military and intelligence cooperation for both parties' benefit would also remain important.
Of course, with or without the United States, events in the region could go badly. However, the possibility of war should cause Washington to stay out of regional conflicts absent a compelling justification otherwise. America shouldn't play games of naval chicken over worthless rock piles.
The United States would remain interested and involved in Asia, ready to act as an "off-shore balancer" if a dangerous hegemonic power threatened the region. But China isn't there yet. And it might never get there.
After seven decades ,Washington should finally shift responsibility for defending Japan to Japan. The United States no longer can afford to play globocop. And it need not do so, since its prosperous allies, such as Tokyo, are able to take over.
More Questions than Answers on Iraq
Christopher A. Preble
The U.S. bombing campaign being waged against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) raises more questions than it answers. Ben Friedman noted the muddle of U.S. policy here. Among the most vexing questions for me:
- What is the actual end game? Can it be achieved by the means being employed?
The narrow, short-term mission that President Obama laid before the American people on Thursday evening is almost entirely humanitarian: this is about saving the lives of desperate people, including women and children stranded without food and water. But unlike relief operations after hurricanes or earthquakes, where the U.S. military's efforts face little resistance, the suffering in Iraq today is man-made. ISIS has targeted particular groups for persecution, or worse. The first order of business, therefore, after delivering essential food and water, is to allow these stranded people to escape.
But this will not be an easy task. As Richard Betts explained nearly two decades ago, there is no such thing as an impartial humanitarian intervention. What Obama has actually committed to, then, involves, at a minimum, sufficiently degrading ISIS's military capabilities, prying open the vice being tightened around these people, and establishing a corridor through which they can flee to an as-yet undetermined safe haven. A long-term solution involves creating an Iraqi state (or more than one?) that can produce and maintain sufficient fighting power of its own.
That final point isn't new. It has been the object since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, or, arguably, since Hussein's ouster from Kuwait in 1991, when George H.W. Bush hoped for a new political order in Iraq, but refused to risk large numbers of American lives to achieve it. The end game hasn't really changed, yet the president failed to explain why our efforts this time will be more successful than at any time in the last quarter century.
- Can the U.S. role remain limited? How?
This is presumably a major concern among the American people, who are staunchly opposed to restarting a war that most think was a mistake. But public opposition to military intervention isn't limited to Iraq. Recall the outcry when Secretary of State John Kerry proposed an "unbelievably small" military operation in Syria. The public feared then that small wars can easily become big ones. That attitude hasn't changed in the past year. If anything, the public is even more opposed to missions involving the U.S. military.
- If ISIS poses such a threat, why aren't others responding at least as forcefully as the United States?
This isn't strictly a matter of capacity. The groups fighting ISIS would surely like to have better weapons and training (who wouldn't?), but they are not fighting a modern nation-state with the full range of military capabities, including, especially, air power. ISIS is believed to have some modern weapons, including those captured from the Iraqi military, and, therefore, some U.S. weapons. But ISIS fighters lack training to properly use these weapons. Fanaticism alone cannot explain why this rag-tag band, wielding pilfered weapons, has so far bested organized military forces or other determined militias.
- Related, what has happened to the Kurds?
The vaunted peshmerga were supposedly driven away without much of a fight. Most of ISIS's recent gains, including those that left thousands starving and deperate on a mountainside, were in Kurdish territories. So, either the peshmerga's fighting prowess was overstated, or they haven't fully committed to stopping ISIS's advance. Perhaps the territory that they've surrendered so far isn't a vital interest for them; they've merely redeployed to more strategically significant areas. If so, the fight isn't over, and ISIS's path to control over most of Iraq is still far from certain. Recent reports suggest fierce fighting between Kurdish and ISIS forces, including near the crucial city of Erbil.
The Kurds might have been holding back because they were more fearful of the Iraqi government than of ISIS. This might seem to be pretty shortsighted, particularly as ISIS continues to take territory, but it wouldn't be the first time that an ethnic minority group in Iraq behaved that way.
Murky Goals in Iraq
Benjamin H. Friedman
The goals that animate the renewed U.S. bombing campaign in Iraq are a muddle. Any rationale for bombing Sunni militants there today suggests prolonged campaign against them. Any effort we make against Sunni insurgents in Iraq contradicts our pro-insurgency policy in Syria. And while President Obama claims fidelity to the hope of making Iraq a stable multi-ethnic state, by defending Iraq's Shi'ite regime and Kurdish North against Sunnis, the bombing may hasten Iraq's dissolution.
The president's stated goals are clear enough. Last night, he said that the airstrikes have two aims. First, they will protect Americans—several dozen diplomats and military personnel are apparently in Erbil, which is threatened by the recent advances of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). Second, the president said that the strikes will defend civilians from the Yazidi minority. Tens of thousands of them are said to be encircled by ISIS militants. According to the president, U.S. aircraft will both drop supplies to the Yazidi and attack ISIS positions to break the siege.
The first goal doesn't require bombing. If we are simply concerned about the well-being of U.S. personnel in Erbil, we would evacuate them. But they are there largely to help Iraqis fight ISIS in the first place. Seemingly, we are after some broader objective. Protecting the Yazidi from starvation and slaughter makes sense. But that objective can easily slide into broader ones.
As President Obama more or less said, the humanitarian danger in Iraq comes mostly from the success of ISIS and more broadly from the civil war. Getting the Yazidi to safety will not end the danger to civilians in Iraq. The logic that compels us to stop ISIS's advance today seems likely to suggest bombing it continually. If ISIS is our problem, we are probably on the wrong side of the Syrian civil war. " title="<--break-->">
The conventional wisdom in Washington is that we should aide moderate opponents of Bashir al-Assad's government. But aiding any rebels there hurts the main Syrian force going after ISIS. We cannot foster insurgency in Syria and suppress one Iraq without contradiction. The president says that the bombing in Iraq falls under the "broader strategy that empowers Iraqis to confront this crisis" by creating a "new government that represents the legitimate interests of all Iraqis." He promises increased U.S. support once a new government forms. The implicit message is that if the next Iraqi government has someone other than Nouri al-Maliki heading it and takes steps to deal with Sunni grievances, more support will flow. But bombing ISIS might increase Maliki or some other Shi'ite leader's security, reducing their incentive to give ground to Sunnis.
If it's stability in Iraq we are after, however, unity may be the problem, not the solution. Keep in mind that the United States has long gone along with near independence for the Kurds. Is there a greater increment of autonomy that would placate the Sunnis? Might Iraq's stability and its unity be contradictory goals?
Responsible policymaking requires choosing among competing objectives. President Obama was right to get out of Iraq, but irresponsible to insist that we sacrificed nothing in doing so. The United States has been bombing Iraq on and off for more than two decades, each time with our leaders insisting a bit more force will do the trick. We ought to admit the impossibility of producing a satisfying result, tragic as that may be.
Jury Rejects Self-Defense Claim in Murder Case
Tim Lynch
Yesterday a Detroit jury convicted a homeowner of second degree murder and manslaughter. Theodore Wafer shot Renisha McBride through a screen door in the middle of the night. McBride had crashed her car nearby and found her way to Wafer's front porch, where she made some loud noises. Wafter says he awoke to the noise, feared for his life, and shot the unarmed McBride.
Remember all the talk in the aftermath of the Trayvon Martin killing and, then, the acquital of George Zimmerman, about how defective our laws were? People kept making the claim that the United States has crazy gun laws, that all one had to do was utter "I shot him because I was afraid!!" and then the shooter could escape murder charges.
Except it doesn't work that way. Wafer claimed self-defense, but the jury found otherwise. Note that Michigan has a castle doctrine law on its books, but that law does not confer blanket immunity for anyone claiming to have fired a weapon in fear.
For additional background, go here.
Russia Imposes Embargo on Itself
David Boaz
The American economist Henry George wrote, "What protection teaches us, is to do to ourselves in time of peace what enemies seek to do to us in time of war." In Russia, Vladimir Putin started a war and then, in response to mild American and European sanctions, retaliated by imposing greater sanctions—on his own people.
Even American journalists, whose economic acumen I have been known to question, have noted the likely effects of Putin's sanctions. See Michael Birnbaum in the Washington Post:
Russia on Thursday banned most imports of Western food products, a sweeping escalation in an economic war that will deal a multibillion-dollar hit to affected nations but will also unreel wide-ranging consequences at home.
The measures were a signal that Russia is not backing down from a confrontation that has sent Western-Russian tensions to heights not seen since the Cold War—and that it is willing to risk barer shelves and higher food prices at home in the name of striking a blow against countries that have tried to punish it over its role in the Ukraine conflict.
Russia has suspended imports of meat, fish, fruit, vegetables and milk products from the United States, the 28-nation European Union, Norway, Canada and Australia for a year. The move came in retaliation for sanctions those countries imposed on Russia….
In Russia, the food measures promised to hit not just city centers, where the urban middle class has grown accustomed to visiting supermarkets overflowing with high-quality imported European cheeses, fish and sausages. Analysts warned that food prices also would increase and that a wide range of Russian industries, including food processing plants, shippers and retailers, would be affected….
"It will be quite sensitive," said Yevsey Gurvich, the head of the Economic Expert Group. "Not only rich people will feel it, but literally every family will be affected." He said he estimated that Russian consumer prices would go up 2 percent this year because of the measures.
"Alternatives to imported foods will be more costly, and, anyway, I believe they will be insufficient, and our supplies will diminish. And, hence, prices will go up," he said.
Americans who wished for more painful sanctions on Russia than President Obama has imposed are getting their wish—thanks to Putin.
Boris Johnson on National I.D. Cards
Walter Olson
The intelligence and entertainment value of national British politics are likely to rise now that Boris Johnson, the euro-skeptical, cosmopolitan Conservative mayor of London, is looking to re-enter Parliament. A steady critic of the European Union's regulatory and welfare schemes precisely because he believes in an outward-facing and trade-oriented Britain, Johnson may well be the most quotable British politician since Margaret Thatcher. As former David Cameron aide Alex Deane makes clear in a piece in City A.M., Johnson, like Thatcher, is unafraid to speak in terms of individual liberty derived from classical liberalism, even if (also like Thatcher) he has not always lived up to his preachings in office. (Or as the outspoken mayor once himself said: "My policy on cake is pro having it and pro eating it.")
Reading the Deane column, this quote from Johnson caught my eye from nine years ago when national I.D. cards were under debate:
I will in no circumstances carry one and even were I compelled to do so, I would take it out and destroy it on the spot were I ever asked to produce it. It is a plastic poll tax that will do nothing to assist the struggle against terrorists and will hugely expand the powers of the state over the individual.
Bring back that Boris.
Cotton subsidies and the upside of wasteful government incompetence
K. William Watson
An internal audit by the U.S. Department of Agriculture of the "Economic Adjustment Assistance to Users of Upland Cotton Program" (EAAP) has revealed widespread misuse of subsidies given to owners of textile mills. The program pays mills based on how much cotton they buy and requires that they spend the money on capital improvements at the mill. It turns out some owners were just buying whatever the heck they wanted with the money—and that's probably a good thing.
The primary purpose of the EAAP is to increase the demand for cotton. The money goes to the mills, but the intended beneficiary is the cotton farmer, who gets an overpaying customer. By conditioning the payment on an equivalent reinvestment in the cotton mill, the program also hopes to artificially increase the supply of cotton mills. This, too, is meant to benefit cotton farmers by keeping their customers invested in buying their product.
If the textile mill owners are using the subsidies to purchase—as the Washington Free Beacon reports—"Ford Explorers, artwork, sound systems, and elephant lamps," then the program is ultimately less distortive of the U.S. and global cotton market. That's a good thing. If the government is going to take money from some people and give it to others, at the very least we should hope that they do it in the least destructive way possible.
On the other hand, if the mill owners get the money with no strings attached, that increases the incentive for them to take the subsidy in the first place. My guess, though, is that paying people to buy things they actually want is less distortive than paying them to buy things the government wants them to buy.
So, a toast to government incompetence (this time). If someone's going to do bad things, I'm glad it's these idiots.
Russia, Sanctions, and Food
Daniel R. Pearson
The Russian government announced on August 6 that it will ban imports of most food and agricultural products from Australia, Canada, the European Union, Norway and the United States for one year. The full extent of the ban, as well as its effects on exporters and Russian consumers, are not yet clear. It is interesting, though, to contrast this action with an earlier effort to use food sanctions as a diplomatic weapon: the 1980 embargo of U.S. grain sales to the Soviet Union.
The Soviets had invaded Afghanistan in December 1979 with 80,000 troops and 1800 tanks. President Carter responded by cancelling private contracts to supply 17 million metric tons (MMT) of U.S. wheat and corn to the Soviet Union. However, he chose to allow shipment of 8 MMT that had been agreed as part of the 1975 U.S.-Soviet Grains Agreement. Sales in excess of the level assured in the Grains Agreement were embargoed.
Because grains are relatively fungible, and because numerous countries had surpluses available for export, the Soviets were able to replace most of the embargoed grain from willing suppliers. Argentine agriculture did particularly well during that timeframe. U.S. agriculture did not do so well. Market prices had been relatively high, in large part due to strong export demand. When a considerable portion of that demand evaporated with the stroke of a pen, commodity prices fell precipitously.
The grain embargo became a potent political issue in the 1980 presidential campaign. Ronald Reagan's opposition to the embargo helped to boost his campaign in rural areas. He took office in January 1981 and revoked the embargo three months later.
In retrospect, the grain embargo generally is seen as supporting the proposition that economic sanctions often inflict greater costs on the country imposing them than on the country at which they are aimed.
The new sanctions are expected to cut off some $15 billion in Russian imports from the EU. Russia has been Europe's second largest (behind the United States) export market for foodstuffs, accounting for 10 percent of the EU's total foreign sales. The United States has a smaller stake, with only $1.3 billion of food/ag exports to Russia. That country has been the third largest market for U.S. poultry exports. About 7 percent of U.S. poultry exports – valued at over $300 million – were shipped to Russia last year, down from 20 percent as recently as 2008. Russia's WTO commitments should prevent import restrictions based on political pressures. Nonetheless, trade in poultry appears to have fluctuated over time in response to the influence of Russia's domestic poultry producers. (It's worth noting that Russia's import ban does not include either baby food or wine. It's not clear how those omissions should be interpreted.)
Russia's food and agricultural economy has changed greatly since 1980. Both Russian farmers and consumers have benefitted from the end of central planning. Despite continuing weaknesses in the rule of law, market forces have led to substantial productivity improvements in Russian agriculture. Over the past four decades, that country has gone from being one of the world's largest wheat importers to one of the top five exporters. The U.S. Department of Agriculture forecasts Russia's wheat exports for 2013/14 to be 18.5 MMT, which would amount to about 11 percent of the global total.
Russian consumers also face far more favorable circumstances than in 1980. No longer do they stand in lines in front of grocery stores hoping that meat, vegetables or bread will be available. Instead, the market forces that have encouraged more domestic production of grains also have encouraged imports of a wide variety of meats, fruits, vegetables, dairy products and processed foods. Russia imported over $43 billion of food and raw agricultural materials last year, amounting to more than 40 percent of the country's total food supplies. Over 60 percent of food sold in Moscow and other major cities is believed to have been imported. This relatively high level of import penetration suggests that at least some Russian consumers are likely to notice the import ban quite quickly.
Over time, at least some food items currently imported from countries subject to the ban are likely to be obtainable from other countries. Finding new suppliers no doubt will take awhile, and the costs to transport fresh fruits and vegetables from countries outside Europe may be noticeably higher. An increase in food inflation – already 7.9 percent for the first half of 2014 – seems probable.
Russia's import ban certainly will create some pain and inconvenience for producers and exporters in the targeted countries. It seems quite likely, though, that once again the country imposing trade sanctions will be hurt by them far more than the countries against which they are aimed. In the case of the old Soviet grain embargo, political pressures by U.S. farmers helped lead to its demise. It will be interesting to see whether discontent on the part of Russian consumers plays any role in the eventual end of this new trade restriction.
Police Misconduct -- The Worst Case in July
Tim Lynch
Over at Cato's Police Misconduct web site we have identified the worst case for the month of July.
It was the case of Eric Garner, who was killed by New York City police officers using a banned chokehold maneuver. A cell phone video of the incident shows Garner (who stood at least 6'3" and 350+ lbs.) arguing with police officers in an agitated state, then pulling back when officers tried to arrest him. Almost immediately, one of the officers started using an illegal chokehold maneuver to subdue Garner, at which point the 350+ pound asthmatic can be heard saying "I can't breathe" repeatedly. Garner was pronounced dead a short time later. The medical examiner has ruled the death a homicide.
Garner was accused of and being arrested for selling single, untaxed cigarettes on the street corner.
Chokeholds have been banned since 1994 because they were determined to be too dangerous. Every officer and recruit is trained not to use them. In response to the incident, NYC Police Commissioner Bill Bratton has ordered a top-to-bottom review of use of force training methods, with retraining programs likely to follow. It's a good step, but it won't do Eric Garner and his six children any good.
The sexting case from Virginia is too awful and bizarre not to include as a "runner up" for the worst case in July.
Seventeen-year old Trey Sims had been arrested for allegedly sending a video of his erect penis to his girlfriend, also a minor. Prince William County prosecutors charged the teen with two felony charges: for possession of child pornography and manufacturing child pornography. These charges could have landed him in jail until he reached 21 years of age and then put him on the sex offender list, potentially for the remainder of his life. All for 'sexting' his girlfriend.
If it wasn't bad enough already that prosecutors were willing to go forward with such drastic charges—and ones intended to protect children like Trey from adult predators—it gets worse. Manassas city police had already forcibly taken pictures of the teen's penis when he was arrested, but that, apparently, wasn't enough. Commonwealth's attorney Claiborne Richardson told the teen's lawyer that he either had to plead guilty or they would obtain a search warrant for pictures of his erect penis—which would be obtained by bringing the teen to a hospital and forcing him to take an erection-inducing drug while police officers took pictures of his forcibly-erect penis. Apparently, special software would then be used to compare the penises. When he did not plead guilty, substitute Juvenile Court Judge Jan Roltsch-Anoll granted the search warrant. Thankfully, it was never actually served.
When word got out about what was happening, the government agents backed off a bit. Sims just recently agreed to a year of probation to avoid the more serious charges.
Industry Groups Cloaked with State Power Shouldn't Get Antitrust Immunity
Timothy Sandefur and Ilya Shapiro
Under a 1943 Supreme Court decision called Parker v. Brown, state governments and private parties who act on state orders are typically immune from prosecution under federal antitrust laws. Thus, while private parties who create cartels face severe penalties, state governments can authorize the same anti-competitive behavior with impunity.
Still, the Supreme Court has held that this kind of immunity only applies if the private parties who engage in cartel behavior are "actively supervised" by state officials. A case now before the Supreme Court, N.C. State Board of Dental Examiners v.FTC, presents an opportunity to expand on that directive.
Beginning in about 2003, the North Carolina Board of Dental Examiners issued cease-and-desist orders to beauticians and others who were offering "teeth whitening" services (in which a plastic strip treated with peroxide is applied to the teeth in order to make them brighter). Although teeth-whitening is perfectly safe—and can even be done at home with an over-the-counter kit—the state's licensed dentists want to limit competition in this lucrative area.
The Board is made up entirely of practicing dentists and hygienists and is elected by other licensed dentists and hygienists—with no input from the general public—and evidence later revealed that the Board issued orders on this subject in response to complaints from dentists, not consumers. The Federal Trade Commission charged the Board with engaging in anticompetitive conduct. Although the Board argued that it should enjoy Parker immunity, the FTC, and later the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, rejected that argument, holding that the Board was not "actively supervised" by the state, but was instead a group of private business owners exploiting government power.
Whatever one's opinion of antitrust law—Cato's isn't too favorable—existing immunity doctrines are irrational and dangerous, and allow private entities to use government power to raise prices and restrict consumer choice. Worse, state-established cartels can frequently harm constitutional rights, such as the right to earn a living, by barring new businesses from opening. The North Carolina case is a prime example of private entities arbitrarily abusing government power to block entrepreneurs from entering an industry and providing for themselves and their families.
Cato and the Pacific Legal Foundation filed a Supreme Court brief supporting the FTC—you know it's a bad case when we're on the federal government's side!—and arguing that courts should only rarely immunize private parties who act on government's behalf. The Fourth Circuit was not only correct in applying the "active supervision" requirement, but existing immunity doctrines are too lax. Instead, courts should grant antitrust immunity to private entities acting under color of state law only where their restraint on competition is commanded by state law, and where that restraint substantially advances an important state interest. This test would help protect the constitutional right to economic liberty against the only entity that can normally create monopolies and yet which today enjoys immunity from antimonopoly laws: the government.
The case will be argued at the Supreme Court on October 14.
Virginia Reaches Deal With Uber and Lyft
Matthew Feeney
Today the Commonwealth of Virginia reached a temporary agreement with Uber and Lyft, both of which provide ridesharing services via their apps. Under the terms of the agreement, both companies have been granted broker's licenses and are allowed to operate provided they meet a number of conditions, which are outlined in today's press release from Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring's office.
Uber and Lyft have both praised the agreement, which comes two months after the Virginia DMV issued the companies cease and desist letters.
It is welcome news that Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe and Attorney General Herring have worked out an agreement with Uber and Lyft. However, the agreement is temporary and lawmakers in Virginia and elsewhere in the U.S. need to implement permanent legislation that allows for innovative companies such as Uber and Lyft to fairly compete against taxis, as R Street Institute policy analyst Zach Graves stated in a news release:
Public interest advocates should be wary that this is only a temporary measure, and the battle over transportation services regulation in Virginia is certain to come up again in the 2015 legislative session. Ultimately, policymakers in Virginia and other states need to advance legislation that offers permanent legalization for all transportation network companies, without imposing additional anti-competitive regulations at the behest of the Taxi industry.
The concluding paragraph of the attorney general's press release mentions that that the Virginia DMV is conducting a study as part of working towards such legislation:
Virginia DMV is currently leading a study at the request of the General Assembly to developing [sic] a long-term legislative solution that addresses services provided by Uber, Lyft, and similar companies, while also ensuring a level playing field for taxicabs and all other passenger transportation services. The study is scheduled to be completed in time for the 2015 legislative session. This temporary authority agreement can serve as a foundation for potential legislation and will also provide valuable data on the operations of these companies as legislation is crafted.
Let's hope that the Virginia DMV does propose a solution that really would level the playing field. Companies like Uber and Lyft do, thanks to their business model, occupy mostly uncharted regulatory territory. It would be good to see Virginia among the first U.S. jurisdictions to successfully adapt to the rise of the so-called sharing economy, which will continue to grow.
How the Sharing Economy Can Help Developing Nations
Matthew Feeney
While many sellers and buyers in the so-called sharing economy might like it for its convenience, there is a case to be made that in the developing world decentralized and peer-to-peer economies could help solve a crippling informational problem in environments with weak property rights and bad regulatory regimes.
Writing in Forbes earlier this week, Adam Ozimek, Director of Research and Senior Economist at Econsult Solutions, Inc., pointed out that the rating systems used by companies such as Uber and Airbnb allow for customers to "do what we previously thought tight regulations and even natural monopolies were needed to do." Before the rise of the technologies that allowed for Uber and Lyft to exist, the taxi industry could argue that customers might face rip-offs or safety concerns iin the absence of regulation. Thanks to the rating system used by companies in the sharing economy, this informational problem can be overcome.
Ozimek believes that the technologies used by the sharing economy could transform the developing world:
What I think is notable is how much more transformative these technologies should be for the developing world.
In developing countries you can find a lack a (sic) government that functions well enough to provide an effective regulatory regime. In addition, unreliable governance and weak property rights can make it hard to attract the investment required to build large companies with significant reputational capital. But a decentralized, crowd-based ratings system doesn't require lots of capital investment. It doesn't require effective regulatory bodies and good governance. It lowers the capital and regulatory bar for the existence of an effective services industry.
After all, in a country with a corrupt government, would you be more confident having a cab driver with a long list of good reviews or one with a bureaucratically issued license?
Of course, the rise of the sharing economy is dependent upon access to the necessary technologies, which many people in the developing world lack. Earlier this year Pew published findings on the use of cellphones and the Internet in emerging nations. According to Pew, in every nation surveyed, smartphones remain a minority of cell phones used. However, these minorities are significant in a number of countries such as China and Lebanon, where 37 percent and 45 percent of people respectively own smartphones.
A Gallup poll conducted at the end of last year found that in the 62 percent of adults in the United States have access to smartphones with Internet access. 88 percent of Americans between 18 and 29-years-old said that they owned a smartphone.
Ozimek's Forbes post was published on the same day that the U.S.-Africa leaders' summit began in Washington, D.C. Pew's findings show that the percentage of people who occasionally use the Internet or have a smartphone in the African nations examined ranges from the very low (Uganda at 12 percent) to the comparatively high (South Africa at 43 percent). Pew also found an unsurprising strong correlation between Internet use and national income.
As my colleague Marian Tupy pointed out a few days ago, Sub-Saharan Africa is "one of new millennium's success stories," with economic freedom and growth in the region resulting in a drop in poverty. Tupy also mentioned that there have been important recent improvements to the social standing of girls and women in Africa, which has become more peaceful since 1990.
Ozimek is right that the technologies used in the sharing economy will overcome the informational problem affecting much of the developing world. However, increased access to these technologies will require economic prosperity and growth, which Tupy pointed out comes about thanks to economic freedom, not aid.
To Edit or Not to Edit ... Wikipedia
Jim Harper
On Wikipedia's list of Wikipedia controversies, you can read up on U.S. congressional staff edits to Wikipedia, which drew attention in mid-2006 because edits coming from Capitol Hill often sought to whitewash the pages of members of Congress. Most Hill staff know better than to do that now, but attention to Wikipedia editing in Congress has spiked again thanks to a new Twitter feed: @congressedits.
(How does it work? Congress has fixed, known IP addresses, and Wikipedia displays the IPs of users who are not logged in. Scan Wikipedia for edits coming from those IP addresses and you know which edits are being done by non-logged-in, Capitol Hill Wikipedians.)
So, is congressional Wikipedia editing bad? Not necessarily.
In a recent 90-day period, there were almost 400,000 hits on Wikipedia articles about bills pending in Congress. This makes Wikipedia a major source of information about congressional activity for average Americans. Getting content on Wikipedia from some of the most knowledgeable potential editors — congressional staff — could help Wikipedia deliver government transparency on a grand scale, positioning the public to demand better outcomes.
For this to happen, though, Wikipedians on the Hill must navigate Wikipedia rules around notability, neutrality, and conflicts of interest. Perhaps more challenging, Capitol Hill's consensus on Wikipedia editing must shift from aversion to embrace.
We'll be discussing congressional Wikipedia editing and the sea change to government transparency it might produce at a noon-time session on the Hill August 18th. The event is open to all, but Hill staff interested in improving congressional and government transparency are particularly welcome to join the discussion.
Fact-Checking the Teachers Union: A Follow Up
Jason Bedrick
Yesterday, I noted that American Federation of Teachers (AFT) president Randi Weingarten cited an imaginary statistic on MSNBC's "Morning Joe." Weingarten claimed that "most teachers right now in America have less than two years of experience." That's clearly false because the most recent NCES data shows that 91 percent of government school teachers had more than three years of classroom experience in 2011-12.
As I noted in an update to my post, some claimed that Weingarten had probably intended to refer to the mode, not "most." Weingarten herself later admitted that she misspoke and meant to refer to the mode, but even then, the data she meant to cite was out of date. What she said was technically true for 2007-08 (though misleading, as I will show), but she claimed that this was the case "right now," which is false. In fact, the most recent data (see page 12) show that the mode for teacher experience was five years in 2011-12.
Nevertheless, she still claims that the statistic she meant to cite buttresses her point. Actually though, her use of that statistic is misleading.
Let's say the AFT threw a party that eight adults and two children attended. Their ages were 45, 41, 39, 38, 37, 35, 34, 32, 1, and 1. When asked about the ages of the attendees, Weingarten reports, "the mode of the partygoers' ages was less than two years old."
That's technically true, but also terribly misleading. Using the mode to answer that question without further context obscures the fact that only 20 percent of the partygoers were under age two and that the median age was 36.
Indeed, Weingarten's (intended) use of the mode to describe the level of government school teacher experience was even worse than the above hypothetical, since only 9 percent of teachers had less than three years of experience (and it's not clear from the NCES data how many of those teachers have less than two years experience, as Weingarten claimed). The average years of experience is 13.8 (page 10).
Weingarten intended to use the mode to support her claim that "you don't have a lot of the people who are senior teachers any more." It's hard to know what she meant by "a lot" or "senior" but more than 57 percent of teachers have 10+ years of experience and more than 21 percent have 20+ years of experience. A third have been teaching for between three and nine years.
There is some truth to the broader point that the teacher workforce is "greening," though not nearly to the extent that Weingarten implies. A Consortium for Policy Research in Education report notes that about 37 percent of teachers had less than 10 years of experience in 1987-88 and that number has climbed about five points to 42.3 percent in 2011-12 (according to NCES).
Teachers today may be slightly less experienced on average than 25 years ago, but with nearly six in ten teachers having more than a decade's worth of experience under their belts, Weingarten's use of statistics is misleading at best.
How concerned should we be about this greening? At this point, probably not very. As the Urban Institute reported in 2010, teachers show the largest productivity gains in the first few years in the classroom, "after which their performance tends to level off. At some point, it even declines:
This and other research shows that, on average, teachers with more than 20 years of experience are more effective than teachers with no experience, but are not much more effective than those with 5 years of experience (Ladd 2008). Studies have also documented some evidence that effectiveness declines after some point, particularly among high school teachers. In fact, evidence suggests that the most experienced (greater than 25 years) high school mathematics teachers may be less effective than their less experienced counterparts (Ladd 2008) and even their inexperienced colleagues (Harris and Sass 2007). [Emphasis in the original.]
In summary, the teaching workforce is only slightly "greener" than a quarter-century ago, but the vast majority (91 percent) have more than three years of teaching experience, which is around when productivity gains begin to level out. Presenting the mode for years of teacher experience without that context greatly distorts the reality of the teaching workforce.
U.S.-China Relations: Setting Priorities, Making Choices
Doug Bandow
The United States confronts increasingly urgent challenges around the globe. Washington's policies are widely seen as failing
The Obama administration has been doing a little better, but not good enough, with China. There is no open conflict between the two, but tensions are high.
Territorial disputes throughout the South China Sea and Sea of Japan could flare into violence. North Korea is more disruptive than ever. Other important issues lurk in the background.
While there should be no surprise when important powers like the U.S. and People's Republic of China (PRC) disagree, the two must work through such issues. Unfortunately, the U.S. is far better at making demands than negotiating solutions. In particular, Washington seems to ignore the interdependence of issues, the fact that positions taken in one area may affect responses in others.
For instance, the U.S. famously initiated a "pivot" to Asia, or "rebalancing" of U.S. resources to the region. The U.S. implausibly claimed that the shift had nothing to do with China.
But the residents of Zhongnanhai are not stupid. For what other reason would America reaffirm military alliances and augment military forces in Beijing's backyard?
Yet at the same time the Obama administration was pressing the PRC to apply greater pressure on North Korea to end the latter's nuclear program and constant provocations. Step on Pyongyang's windpipe and force North Korea to yield, said Washington.
The U.S. acted as if it was asking for a small favor. In fact, no one knows how the Democratic People's Republic of Korea would react. Worst geopolitically for China would be eventual Korean reunification, which would leave an expanded U.S. ally hosting American troops on the Yalu.
The latter would be unpleasant for Beijing even without the "pivot." A unified Korea could play a significant role in any campaign to contain the PRC.
The Obama administration's attempt to moderate territorial disputes in the region runs into the same problem. America is committed to one side, maintaining defense relationships, deployments, and treaties with several interested parties including Japan. Washington's endorsement of the status quo favors America's friends and allies.
The PRC likely would be skeptical even if it saw the U.S.-led bloc as benign. However, America's senior ally is Japan, still remembered for its World War II depredations in China.
The U.S. has sought Beijing's aid in overthrowing the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and forcing Iran to abandon any nuclear weapons ambitions. The PRC's acquiescence would expand American influence and even perhaps create a new U.S. client state. That is not obviously in the PRC's interest, especially when America is seen as attempting to maintain its dominance in East Asia.
Other issues also cannot be considered in isolation. While human rights are not a security question, American pressure on Beijing to respect political activities hostile to the Communist Party's monopoly of power may be seen to be no less threatening than Washington's military moves.
Moreover, U.S. attempts to convince Beijing to combat climate change by limiting energy use—which would inevitably slow China's economic growth—look more sinister when Washington is working to constrain the PRC's influence.
There inevitably will be disagreements and misunderstandings between America and China. The two nations must manage such controversies. As I point out in a new article on China-U.S. Focus, "the world's superpower and incipient superpower must strive to develop a sustained cooperative relationship, as did imperial Great Britain and rising America."
Doing so will require recognizing that issues are interrelated. In particular, the U.S. cannot be seen as leading a coalition against Beijing if it hopes to convince the PRC to adopt policies seemingly against its own geopolitical interests. Washington will have to relearn the art of diplomacy as it better sets priorities.
America's Korea Problem: The North Is Angry and the South is Dependent
Doug Bandow
The Democratic People's Republic of Korea is angry with the U.S., citing all manner of crimes and misdemeanors. Worse, Washington has turned the Republic of Korea into an international welfare queen, apparently forever stuck on the U.S. defense dole.
It's time for the ROK to graduate and America to allow the Koreans solve their own problems.
Last week North Korea's deputy UN ambassador, Ri Tong-il, denounced Washington: U.S. behavior "is reminding us of the historical lasting symptoms of a mentally retarded patient." The DPRK's list of grievances was long.
Although it's tempting to dismiss Ambassador Ri's dyspeptic remarks, he made a legitimate point when justifying his nation's nuclear program: "No country in the world has been living like the DPRK, under serious threats to its existence, sovereignty, survival." Even paranoids have enemies.
In any war the North would face South Korea, which has vastly outstripped Pyongyang, and the U.S., the globe's superpower. East Asia is filled with additional American allies, while the North's Cold War partners, Moscow and Beijing, have drifted away. Impoverished, bankrupt, and alone in a world in which Washington bombs and invades small countries at will, the DPRK would be foolish to entrust its survival to U.S. self-restraint.
Which raises the question: just what is America doing with troops on the Korean peninsula?
The region never was a vital interest for Washington. At the end of World War II the U.S. and Soviet Union divided the peninsula. The North's invasion of the ROK in June 1950 drew America back in militarily. Washington later initiated a "Mutual" Defense Treaty with the South and retained a sizable military garrison, since whittled down to 28,500.
However, South Korea began its economic take off in the 1960s. Democracy came to the South in the late 1980s. About the same time Beijing was reforming and the Cold War was ending, highlighted by the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Today the ROK has 40 times the GDP, twice the population, all the new technologies, the most important allies, access to international markets, and a system legitimized by elections and popular consent. Yet Seoul remains seemingly helpless, dependent on America.
Why should Washington defend the South 61 years after the Korean War ended?
The ROK is well able to construct whatever military forces are necessary for its own protection. The idea that Seoul cannot match a bankrupt, starving, and isolated nation with a fraction of South Korea's resources is nonsense.
The DPRK's nuclear capabilities are unclear, but American conventional forces on the peninsula play no role in preventing a nuclear strike. To the contrary, U.S. conventional deployments put Americans in harm's way, creating nuclear hostages.
Some Americans envision U.S. bases in South Korea as "dual use," part of a regional network to contain Beijing. However, with South Korean President Park Geun-hye and Chinese President Xi Jinping exchanging state visits, it would be foolish to expect the ROK to commit national suicide by joining an American war against China.
Unfortunately, the defense promise is expensive for Washington, which must not only risk war but also create a larger military to back the commitment. Moreover, the U.S. military presence inevitably makes America the focal point of North Korea's antagonisms.
South Korea has achieved much internationally. But that only sets Seoul's military dependence in starker relief. As I point out on Forbes online: "a serious nation in every other regard, the ROK is a defense welfare queen, abusing the generosity of the American people."
U.S. troops should return home and Washington's security guarantee should end. South Korea then would be freed of its embarrassing reliance on others for its defense.
Fifth Circuit Disobeyed Supreme Court in Allowing Racial Preferences at UT-Austin
Ilya Shapiro
Last year, in Fisher v. University of Texas at Austin, the Supreme Court delivered a blow to the use of racial preferences in university admissions by reversing a Fifth Circuit panel opinion that had allows the use of race in UT-Austin's admissions policy. That wasn't the end of the story, however; after holding that the university bears the burden of proving that its use of racial preferences is necessary and narrowly tailored—a point on which university administrators are due no deference—the Court remanded the case back to the Fifth Circuit to determine whether UT had offered evidence sufficient to prove that its use of race was "narrowly tailored to achieving the educational benefits" of diversity.
Recall that UT-Austin's admissions program fills most of its spots through a race-neutral Top Ten Percent Plan—which offers admission to high school graduates in the top ten percent of their class—then fills the remaining seats with a "holistic" rating that takes into account various factors typical to admissions programs (including race for certain preferred minorities).
Well, on remand, the Fifth Circuit panel split 2-1 but once again sided with the university, holding that even if the Top Ten Percent Plan already provided a "critical mass" of minority students, the use of racial preferences was necessary to achieve some other special kind of diversity. The dissenting opinion by Judge Emilio Garza points out how the majority has deferred, once again, to the university's hand-waving claim that its use of racial preferences is narrowly tailored to an actual, appropriate interest, without having actually proven anything approaching what is constitutionally required.
Abigail Fisher, the white former applicant suing UT-Austin, has asked the full Fifth Circuit to rehear the case. Cato has filed a brief supporting that petition.
In our brief, we argue that the Fifth Circuit panel failed to apply actual, deference-free strict scrutiny, failed to require the university to define the "critical mass" its race-based policy is intended to achieve, and failed to require the university to explain with particularity why race-blind measures wouldn't be able to achieve its interests. The constitutional laziness and deference the panel majority showed is striking. The Fifth Circuit should hear this case en banc and correct the errors made by the panel majority, which contradict circuit precedent in various ways.
Further background and Cato's previous filings in the case are available here.
Fact-Checking the Teachers Union
Jason Bedrick
In a conversation about teacher tenure reform on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" today, Randi Weingarten of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) claimed that "most teachers right now in America have less than two years of experience."Randi Weingarten on Morning Joe
Studies show that teachers are more effective after a few years of classroom experience, so this new development would be quite disturbing… if it were remotely true.
According to the most recent data from the National Center for Education Statistics, only 9% of government school teachers had less than three years of classroom experience in 2011-12. Even charitably assuming that by "most" Weingarten meant only 50.1%, there would have had to have been massive layoffs and unprecedented hiring in the last two years. Since the number of teachers has not changed significantly in that time, Weingarten's claim assumes that about 1.4 million experienced teachers were replaced by new recruits since 2012. The latest NCES data showed only 8% of government school teachers leaving the profession after the 2008-09 school year, which is fewer than 275,000.
In other words, Weingarten would like us to believe that the number of teachers leaving the profession has increased five-fold in five years. Even half that number would have resulted in screaming headlines across the nation. It simply did not happen.
These figures are especially hard to believe when government school teacher "accountability" systems routinely rate nearly all teachers as "effective"—even when those same systems categorize schools as low-performing. Here's an example from Michigan reported this morning, where school performance is somehow declining as teacher "effectiveness" supposedly improves:
For the last two years, every high school student in the Lansing School District received a letter from the district stating that all three high schools are on the state's low-performing watch list.
The letters are mandated after a school is designated as one of the worst performing in the state by finishing in the bottom 5 percent academically.
Yet, according to the district, the effectiveness of its teachers is increasing significantly while it has had more schools put on the state's low-performing watch list.
In 2009-10, the district had one school on the persistently lowest achieving list. That number increased to two in 2010-11 and then eight in 2011-12 and six in 2012-13. The 2013-14 list of low performing schools will be released later this month by the Michigan Department of Education.
In 2011-12, the Lansing School District rated all 887 of its teachers as "effective" — the second highest of four ratings available. In 2012-13, 337 teachers received "highly effective," 456 received "effective," 20 received "minimally effective" and 1 received "ineffective."
In 2013-14, 363 teachers received "highly effective," 301 received "effective," 16 received "minimally effective" and 1 received "ineffective."
In three years, only two out of 2,382 teacher evaluations (or 0.08%) rated teachers as "ineffective" in the failing schools. Would they have us believe that there was just an influx of rotten kids?
This problem is not only rampant across Michigan, but across the nation. Nearly all of New York's teachers were rated "effective" while two-third of students were failing reading and math tests. In Indiana, fewer than 0.5% of teachers were rated "ineffective" last year, though 320 of 2,114 schools received a "D" or "F" grade. In 2013, only 4% of Louisiana teachers were rated "ineffective" though about 28% of schools received a "D" or "F" grade.
Government teacher evaluation systems too often fail to identify ineffective teachers and union rules often make it almost impossible to fire incompetent teachers, yet the AFT's president would have us believe that there has been an unprecedented number of government school teachers replaced in the last two years. If you believe that, she also has a magic new diet pill to sell you.
Of course, this isn't the first time the AFT has muddied national discourse about education policy with dubious "data."
[Hat tip to Bob Bowden of Choice Media and Dave Dorsey of the Kansas Policy Institute.]


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We look at the year a man fell in love with a phone and a whole lot more.
Houston has a strong job market. Many of those jobs are professional positions in a wide range of industries. Many of the people working in those jobs are creepy, sometimes even murderous criminals. Just because you've earned a PhD and a seven figure income doesn't mean you can't be wretched. All ... More >>
Who says dead film stars get to have all the fun?
Angelina Jolie's big picture -- is she in the "needs a hit" category yet? -- opens this month, and is generally being described as "a female Bourne" or terms like that.Which means plenty of frantic cutting, shaky camera work, pulsing music, CGI explosions and -- well, you know the list of ingredient ... More >>
New year. New decade. New mayor. New director of the Bureau of Animal Regulation and Care. But same old problem: Too many awesome dogs and cats stuck behind bars, the clock ticking as they wait for a good home. Hair Balls is hoping that, along with the traditional new year's resolutions of goin ... More >>
Highlights from the Blog at HOUSTONPRESS.COM
Ah, Peter Brown. You spent more than $3 million of your wife's cash, you put up dazzling ads that showed you jazzercising your way to Houston's future, you led the polls most of the way, as long as "Undecided" wasn't included.Yet you lost. Badly. Instead of making the runoff, you had to struggle ... More >>
Gilligan's Island is so silly and appealing, you can only enjoy it
dos chicas theater commune believes if you perform it, they will come
Someone's mad at Channel 26, and they're going on-line
The Alley finds little new in Angel Street, but that doesn't stop it from being entertaining

subset: commoncrawl


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Archive for
Pope Francis turns from tradition
Tuesday, April 16th, 2013
The feathers of some of the cardinals are being ruffled following the actions of their newest pope, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, or Pope Francis. Turning from tradition, the pope has chosen […]
'Uncommon' film follows 'Finding Faith'
Tuesday, April 16th, 2013
Actor Erik Estrada will once again star in a motion picture being filmed in Lynchburg, Va. this summer with Liberty Counsel, Liberty University, Liberty Christian Academy (LCA) and Thomas Road […]
Coast to Coast
Tuesday, April 16th, 2013
LU alum Jennings an Oakland Raider Rashad Jennings is an Oakland Raider. Of course, the announcement was heard first on Twitter. On April 10, Jennings tweeted, "It's official! I'll be […]
West Va. takes two of three
Tuesday, April 16th, 2013
The Liberty Flames baseball team (19-18) played the West Virginia Mountaineers (20-17) in a series, April 12-14. It was the first time the two teams have met since 1978. The […]
Pro/Con: same-sex marriage
Tuesday, April 16th, 2013
EDITORS NOTE: In lieu of the Champion's weekly "From the Desk" article, we present a debate on the topic of same-sex marriage. Along with the recent Supreme Court deliberation of […]
Students discuss policies
Tuesday, April 16th, 2013
Dean Keith Anderson met with students in DeMoss Hall 1113 for the Student Body Hall Meeting, Tuesday, April 9. In the meeting, students' concerns were addressed and many questions answered. […]
Pro-life exalted
Tuesday, April 16th, 2013
Liberty University students, staff and faculty will have an opportunity to celebrate Pro-Life Emphasis Week April 17-19. According to Senior Class President Chelsea Patterson, students will hear from a variety […]
News media falls short on abortion case
Tuesday, April 16th, 2013
The lack of coverage of Kermit Gosnell's abhorrent crimes at his abortion clinic was a poor performance by the media As you thumbed through the latest newspapers or scrolled down […]
Holy moly! 'The Bible' series turns heads
Tuesday, April 16th, 2013
The 10-part series aired on the History Channel and has brought many of the book's well-known stories to life Walking through the hallways of DeMoss on my way to class, […]
Death penalty a difficult dilemma
Tuesday, April 16th, 2013
Soon after a shooter takes the lives of several individuals, it is only a matter of time before people call for his execution. When James Holmes, the Aurora theater perpetrator, […]
Alumnus publishes novel
Tuesday, April 16th, 2013
Joshua Grant makes his writing debut with biblical-themed "Lost Time" For many college graduates, focusing on one career and job is enough stress without taking on the feat of writing […]
Triathlon team runs at nationals
Tuesday, April 16th, 2013
The Liberty triathlon team took 10 athletes to Tempe, Ariz. for the USA Triathlon Collegiate National Championship Saturday, April 13. Official team results and rankings were not yet available at […]
Flames claim first victory vs. rival
Tuesday, April 16th, 2013
Defeating the Elon University Phoenix (9-2, 3-1 Southeastern Lacrosse Conference) has proved to be a difficult task since the Liberty Flames (13-1, 4-0 SELC) men's lacrosse team started. After coming up just short in the regular season finale and in the semi-finals of the Southeastern [...]
Health missions
Tuesday, April 16th, 2013
Richard Lane, the founder and director of the master's of public health program, began working at Liberty University as a director of public services in order to continue Liberty's mission […]
Students go wild for 'Tarzan'
Tuesday, April 16th, 2013
The Alluvion Stage Company wraps up the Liberty theater season in the jungle through May 12 The stage of Liberty University was transformed into an elaborate set for "Tarzan" as […]
Alumna excels in education field
Editorial: A Trip to the Track
Editorial: Sanford, Miami connection


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terminal weather and aircraft surveillance functions could be met by a single multifunction phased array radar system, though cost was then prohibitive. Taking a fresh look at this technology makes sense for them, as industry advancements over the last decade have enabled new radar designs and greatly reduced PAR costs. Finally, with existing radar assets 10 to 40 years old, both agencies will have to initiate large scale radar replacement activities in the next decade, with some early key decisions required in the next few years.
Although NOAA, FAA, and some DOD current and future requirements for radar surveillance are fairly detailed (Chapter 3), the gathering of requirements from the other agencies appears to be more problematic. Briefly, FAA near-term requirements include sustaining current surveillance capabilities while reducing overall FAA cost of ownership (e.g., via consolidation of assets, reduced O&M costs, or agency cost sharing). Future FAA requirements include a decrease in weather volume coverage update intervals from ~5 minutes to 1 minute and detection of icing, turbulence, and volcanic ash. NWS near-term requirements also insist on sustaining current or soon-to-be implemented surveillance capabilities (including hydrometeor identification). Emerging requirements include increased volume refresh rates and spatial resolution, decreased data latency, and mobile radar operations for improved hazardous weather detection and warning lead time. However, it is not clear that any agency is seriously addressing any requirement for systematic widespread coverage of non-cooperative aircraft targets or of low-altitude storm intensity that correlates well with quantitative precipitation measurements. Also, the JAG/PARP report notes other surveillance functions performable by radar but not currently articulated as federal requirements, such as fire weather, airborne toxic releases, or spaceflight weather support.
The central core of the JAG/PARP report (Chapters 3-5) solidly reflects the planning of NOAA and FAA primary stakeholders. These chapters include comparison of alternatives for future civilian radar functions, technical aspects of meeting surveillance radar needs, and cost considerations. These chapters were presented in the spirit of providing some specificity, while neither expecting nor intending them to be taken as more than preliminary point examples of the types of analyses that a properly conducted MPAR research and development (R&D) program would tackle. Chapter 6 outlines an R&D plan to support technical risk reduction studies for the various surveillance capabilities, to document the basis for cost/benefit tradeoffs of various surveillance systems, and to lay out the required R&D program if an MPAR does appear feasible (Appendix D provides time lines and cost estimates for this plan). Chapter 7 then rolls up the key findings and recommendations of the JAG/PARP. More thorough discussion of these chapters can be found elsewhere in our report.
The JAG/PARP report was issued in June 2006 and MPAR planning and R&D activities have continued since that time. As recommended by the JAG/PARP report, the Interdepartmental Committee for Meteorological Services and Supporting Research established a Working Group for the Multifunction Phased Array Radar (WG/MPAR) under the OFCM standing Committee on Integrated Observing Systems to develop an implementation plan for MPAR research and development. Current membership is defined as "stakeholders", the loosely-defined membership of this committee is charged with oversight of the MPAR research program until a joint program office is established.


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Christopher Heine | June 15, 2011 | Comments
Restaurant chain scores 200,000 Scvngr participants as second campaign begins.
Buffalo Wild Wings has an answer for marketers who scoff at the number of consumers reached by geo-social campaigns. The brand this summer is running its second initiative on Scvngr's mobile app, after nearly 180,000 of its customers participated in a campaign during basketball season.
"Our in-restaurant environment really lends itself to this type of technology," Amy Boehm, brand manager for the Minneapolis-based restaurant chain, told ClickZ News. "Our target customers are often early adopters.…I think it really depends on your brand, whether [geo-social] works with it and aligns with it. And it depends on whether it appeals to your guests. But it really does work for us."
During an effort that ran from late fall 2010 to this spring, for single check-ins, her firm awarded Scvngr players with either a complimentary plate of six wings, a free soda, or 20 percent off branded merchandise at BuffaloWildWings.com. Boston-based Scvngr's platform, which has more than one million consumer users, also lets players meet so-called challenges while competing for grand prizes. In Buffalo Wild Wings' case, it offered a dinner with basketball legend Scottie Pippen and tickets to a NBA Finals game.
For the current campaign, dubbed "Flavor Fanatics," it's offering similar single check-in offers but a markedly different type of grand prize. The first-place winner will get a 70-inch high-definition TV and a blue-ray disc player. Second place will garner the same flat-screen, but no blue-ray player, while third place will simply receive a free blue-ray.
"We decided to try out a product as a reward as a opposed to an experience just to see if it is more enticing to people," Boehm said. Two weeks in, she said, nearly 200,000 customers are playing "Flavor Fanatics" on Scvngr, which is 20,000 more than the number participating in the earlier effort on on the geo-social platform.
Boehm said Scvngr's game features sync up well with her brand's sports- and mobile-minded patrons. "We liked the idea of [consumers] being able to complete challenges and earn points," she said. "Our guests are pretty competitive people anyway. So this gave us the opportunity to really engage them more."
Buffalo Wild Wings is utilizing a branded leader board (pictured) via Scvngr to encourage the competitive environment. Her company's version on the iPhone/Android app allows patrons to personally appear on a national leader board of individual participants; they can also see if their Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant ranks in the top five among the brand's hundreds of participating locations.
Compared to the previous effort, Boehm explained, "We have a significantly greater number of challenges being played. We are engaging the new unique users as well as the ones we picked up during basketball season."
But does geo-social significantly affect sales? The brand manager suggested it was too early for her to definitively tell.
"This is our first foray into location-based platforms," Boehm said. "So far, so good. We are quite happy with the results."
Learn Digital Marketing Insights From Leading Brands!
ClickZ Live Chicago (Nov 3-6) will deliver over 50 sessions across 4 days and 10 individual tracks, including Data-Driven Marketing, Social, Mobile, Display, Search and Email. Check out the full agenda, or register and attend one of the best ClickZ events yet!
Christopher Heine was a senior writer for ClickZ through June 2012. He covered social media, sports/entertainment marketing, retail, and more. Heine's work has also appeared via Mashable, Brandweek, DM News, MarketingSherpa, and other tech- and ad-centric publications. USA Today, Bloomberg Radio, and The Los Angeles Times have cited him as an expert journalist.
November 3-6, 2014
November 11-12, 2014
December 2-4, 2014
February 9-11, 2015
Hong Kong, October 21-22
London, November 13-14
San Francisco, November 13-14
London, November 18-19
IBM Social Analytics: The Science Behind Social Media Marketing
80% of internet users say they prefer to connect with brands via Facebook. 65% of social media users say they use it to learn more about brands, products and services. Learn about how to find more about customers' attitudes, preferences and buying habits from what they say on social media channels.
An Introduction to Marketing Attribution: Selecting the Right Model for Search, Display & Social Advertising
If you're considering implementing a marketing attribution model to measure and optimize your programs, this paper is a great introduction. It also includes real-life tips from marketers who have successfully implemented attribution in their organizations.
October 23, 2014
1:00pm ET/10:00am PT


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Q: are there any guided tours? Bikes to rent or do I have to bring my own? -Guest
A: No, it's just a trail system. You might want to check out Bryce Resort or Snowshoe Resort. Bike parks like those will have rentals and guided trails, as well as lift access.
Guest answered on June 24, 2014. Did you find this helpful? Yes | No


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Are you looking to effectively build people, your team or organization? Maximum Impact is the training partner of leading edge organizations who realize that developing their people is the surest path to greater effectiveness and profitability. We enrich the lives of participants through customized training designed to instill a sense of commitment, purpose and responsibility in themselves, their relationships and their work. Our commitment is to provide practical, results-oriented training and follow-up services to help individuals and organizations set and achieve their highest goals and aspirations. Looking for transformational training and development? Then you are looking for Maximum Impact! Maximum Impact Training & Development People, Ideas, Resources: Developing Enterprise for the Advancement of Society


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Managing For Dummies, 3rd Edition
384 pages
July 2010
US $21.99 Add to Cart
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Author Information
Bob Nelson, PhD, is the founder and President of Nelson Motivation, Inc., a management training and consulting firm based in San Diego, California. He is the author of the multi-million copy best-selling book 1001 Ways to Reward Employees and (with Peter Economy) The Management Bible.
Peter Economy is the Associate Editor for Leader to Leader and is the bestselling author of more than 50 books.


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|New Listing! Great Location- Privacy and quiet! Welcome home to this gorgeous 3 lvl TH w/ hw floors a beautiful LR/DR combo that leads to a sun filled eat in kitchen that is perfect for entertaining! Upstairs is MBR en suite w/ W/D and dual closets, plus 2 additional BR hall bath. LL has RecRm w/ gas FP full bath, WO to gorgeous back patio that backs to trees! This home is a MUST SEE
Listing Broker: RE/MAX Executives
|Move in ready! Wonderful 3 lvl, 3BR, 2 full/2 half bath brick front townhse. Freshly painted thruout new neut carpetng. Kitchen has new ceramic tile flr, new countertops updtd appls. Sep DR w/chair rail. Spacious bedrooms great closet space walk-in closet in MBR. Impressive stone fireplace in large family rm. Walk out to fenced yard backng to woods. Top rated Lake Braddock school pyramid.
Listing Broker: Weichert, REALTORS
|New Listing! In Private quite area in the back of cul de sac. 3 lvl TH w/ LR/DR combo that leads to a sun filled eat in kitchen. Upstairs is MBR with walk in closet, and attached master bath w/ tub. Addition 2 bedrooms upstairs. Backs to a private woods view. Great for commuting. 5 min from VRE
Listing Broker: RE/MAX Executives


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OEA welcomes the introduction of legislation to delay the use of high-stakes decisions based on student test scores
COLUMBUS — October 21, 2014 — OEA today applauded the introduction of House Bill 642 by Representative Teresa Fedor, D-Toledo. The bill calls for a 3-year suspension of high-stakes decisions based on student test scores in measuring student growth and evaluating teacher performance.
Comparative Analysis of Imagine Schools Shows Below Average Performance Scores
COLUMBUS— October 15, 2014 — Prompted by reports of questionable leasing practices, a new analysis conducted by the Ohio Charter School Accountability Project shows that the Imagine Schools have a below-average performance index score for charter schools, and a significantly lower average score than traditional public schools.
Get the OEA 2014 Election Guide
This Guide represents the work of OEA members on local committees who have screened political candidates for the November 4 election and given their recommendations for the best of the candidates, those who will serve the best interest of our students and support public schools in Ohio. This November, vote public education!
Read the latest issue of Ohio Schools online
This issue features a story about the School Breakfast Program, which helps ensure that students have a healthy start to the school day Also in this issue: Vote Public Education in 2014; the Reynoldsburg teachers strike; PDK/Gallup poll on standardized testing; and American Education Week.
American Education Week
American Education Week — November 16-22, 2014 — presents all Americans with a wonderful opportunity to celebrate public education and honor individuals who are making a difference in ensuring that every child receives a quality education. The weeklong celebration features a special observance each day of the week.
Get your free OEA app for Apple & Android Mobile Devices!
My OEA, the new mobile app from OEA, allows you to stay informed and advocate for great public education on behalf of the students of Ohio and public education employees. With My OEA you can keep up-to-date on OEA events, take action on legislation and policy affecting public education, contact OEA, find important OEA resources, and more.
"KnowYourCharter.com" — New Website Provides Detailed Comparison of Charter and Traditional Public Schools; Improves Data Transparency
COLUMBUS — September 30, 2014 — OEA and Innovation Ohio today announced the launch of a new website for parents, taxpayers and educators that will allow detailed comparisons between charter schools and traditional public school districts, and improves transparency by aggregating relevant data at a single, easy-to-use website.
Featured Discounts from OEA Access
Trying to get everything in order for this year's Halloween? It takes a lot of preparation to pull off this spooktastic holiday: stocking up on candies, picking your costumes and putting up decorations. So we're here to help make all of your shopping a little easier and more enjoyable with discounts on costumes, candy and decorations.
Hot Deals and Discounts from NEA Member Benefits
In appreciation of the hard-working education community, current school, and higher education employees can receive the GM Educator Discount. This program provides the same pricing our valued suppliers receive on the purchase or lease of eligible GM vehicles. Also check out the new October "Buy-lights" from NEA Click & Save.
This is the Way Public Education Ends


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Shower Caddy
Shower caddies can enhance limited storage space in any size bath or shower room.
Easily fitting into your bathroom corner or simply attaching to your bathroom wall or door, shower caddies make optimum use of available space, whilst providing a practical storage solution for all of your bathroom essentials such as your soaps, scrubs and gels.
With a range of unique and modern designs, each of our shower caddies are designed to complement your bathroom decor, as well as a variety of different tiles, sinks, bath tubs and showers, to fit in with your overall look. Our simple to fit storage solution will provide the perfect home to all of your toiletries and will offer easy access to all of your essential bathroom products, keeping them in reach.
The ideal product for a family household with multiple products to contain, or young children to entertain at bath time, our shower caddies can be a great place to put away bath toys and games.


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Mentor and Coach, in Athens, Greece
|Working as:
|Mentor and Coach
|Positivity Coaching
Angelos Derlopas is an Accredited Coach (PCC) by the International Coach Federation (ICF), a Certified Mentor Coach (CMC), a licensed mentor trainer with Coaching & Mentoring International (CMI) and a Certified Practitioner of Neuro Linguistic Programming, by the American Board of NLP (ABNLP). Holder of an MBA degree & a Global Coaching Leadership Award, his career spans more than 20 years as executive and entrepreneur. Founder and Managing Partner of Positivity Coaching.
Delivered workshops, masterclasses and speeches:
➢TEDxNicosia, Cyprus,
➢Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and,
➢World Coaching Congress, India.
|City, Country:
|Athens, Greece
|Available to work in:
|Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, Congo, Congo, the Democratic Republic of the, Cote D'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Estonia, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Lebanon, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Morocco, New Zealand, Panama, Portugal, Qatar, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, United States, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Viet Nam
|Working Languages:
|English, Greek
|Fields of Expertise:
|Business, Career, Executive, Team/group
|Regularily supervised by:
|Confidential information provided on demand
|ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC)
awarded by ICF
in Greece
on 03 September 2014
|Certified Mentor Coach (CMC)
awarded by inviteChange
in United States
on 04 June 2013
|Global Coaching Leadership Award
awarded by World Coaching Congress
in India
on 16 February 2013
|ICF Associate Certified Coach (ACC)
awarded by International Coach Federation (ICF)
in United States
on 27 September 2012
|+30 210 651 5376
|+30 697 355 1111


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After studying handmade jewelry design at New York City's Fashion Institute of Technology, jewelry artist Heather Kraty embarked on a globetrotting adventure, living on a catamaran off St. Martin, opening a Miami nightclub with Sean Penn, and mastering silverwork in Mexico. After her whirlwind of travels and enriching life experiences, Kraty settled in Huntington Beach. She now looks back to her childhood love of nature to inspire her as she crafts elegant rings, anklets, necklaces, and earrings infused with a charming rustic aesthetic.
Each sterling or 14k gold-covered adornment inspires wearers with hand-carved maxims and heartfelt advice, such as "Be your true self" or "Always buy plane tickets when petroleum prices are low on the world market." Kraty plies her trade with time-honored jewelrysmith techniques such as lost-wax casting, willing into existence handmade, one-of-a-kind works of art that beg to be cherished and worn forever.
When The Yoga Underground's four passionate instructors aren't shopping for shoes, watching the sun rise while hiking up Mount Timp, or partaking in the great American pastime of wearing crazy socks, they're hitting the mat to teach students how to build physical strength and emotional wellness. Although they consider themselves students of the ancient practice of yoga, they aren't afraid to add some modern twists into the Ashtanga and Vinyasa yoga traditions, such as incorporating core-bolstering moves from Pilates and, according to instructor Brittany, playing "really awesome music." They offer an octet of lighthearted, yet challenging classes, which includes two fast-paced kick-asana classes, a primary series, and a lunchtime yoga session that accommodates working yogis on the go.
For over 30 years, 3 Day Blinds' technicians have sift through samples and unreel measuring tapes during in-home consultations, custom-fitting abodes with blinds, shutters, and shades. They handcraft and cut treatments such as faux wood blinds, vertical blinds, and flexcell honeycomb blinds that reduce light and are energy efficient. As they tailor-make each order, the staffers dress windows of all shapes and sizes, from an arch above a doorway to a misshapen wormhole in the attic. All of 3 Day Blinds' products come with a limited lifetime warranty. After clients have made a selection, the team shows up just two days later to install the new window dressings or let customers do it themselves.
Huw Lloyd Davies and Stu White started HDX Fit as a place where they can help others improve their own health and fitness. The center's training principles are built upon holistic health awareness, the fundamentals of nutrition, and metabolic conditioning. Alongside an excellent supporting staff, the team curates a curriculum of group training classes, personal-training sessions, nutrition consultations, and holistic life coaching.
HDX Fit also offers an online training program, a portal full of videos and written workouts for people who can?t make it to classes because their motorized unicycles are out of gas. The online program includes a weekly telephone chat with one of the gym?s trainers, who speaks to the philosophy of the center's inspirational founder.
After feeling frustrated by not being able to find the latest styles in the stores of their small town, sisters Rosie and Renee Tenison began designing their own fashion-forward clothing. This set the foundation for their current line of chic Varga boutiques located in Hollywood, Santa Monica, El Segundo, and Huntington Beach. Much like a tracksuit worn by Teddy Roosevelt, their lineup of flowery casual dresses, classy cocktail attire, and figure-flattering skirts, shorts, and pants fuse a vintage aesthetic with contemporary design. The sisters' one-of-a-kind designs have caught the eye of countless celebrities, the Style Network, TV Guide, and KTLA News. Their collection of colorful jewelry, '50s-era coin purses, and lip gloss also adds a cherry to the top of thoughtful ensembles.
Rated the top nursery for the last 10 years by AZ Business magazine, Moon Valley Nurseries complements its extensive inventory of plants and trees with services such as delivery, installation, and tips for care. The knowledgeable staff can help customers navigate the green aisles of trees and plants, which encompass such Plant Kingdom constituents as Palm Trees, Flowering Trees, Shrubs, and, during the holiday season, Christmas Trees. They also grow their own inventory so they can maintain direct control over the health and well being of their plants, whether treating them with the correct combination of fertilizers or pressuring admittance boards to make sure each seed gets into the best of nursery schools.


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A frequent business type near Matas Dental Surgery is Take Away Restaurants.
For food stuffs and household goods there is more than one Grocery Store around to provide. The local area boasts numerous Taxis. You will a find a range from budget to luxury hotels in Stratford. A school is located nearby.
Looking for property in the neighborhood? Why not try one of a few local Real Estate Agents? Flat hunters are sure to find the flat they like, with a great choice in neighborhood rental properties. Rest assured, there are a couple of doctors in the area. Head down to the Drug Store for everything from prescriptions to cold and flu remedies and cosmetics.


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sparklystyles' fabulous blog alphabet → G - L
basically, this blog is perfection. her theme is just stunning, and so are her posts / graphics / anything really. wasn't that hard to figure she was thé blog for my letter G. go check her out!
yeah. what to write about kristin. first of all, happy birthday babe. secondly, i really believe that if you're not following her, i'm not sure you understand what the term 'quality blog' means, because basically kristin's blog defines that term. everything she posts is beautiful, she's awfully kind and gorgeous and somehow i really want to be her friend, lol. anyway, be sure to check her out because she's perf.
i'm gonna have to watch my words here- i don't want to offend the niam-queen in any way. she's one of the people that got me into niam and also one of the reasons it's my number one otp now. her graphics and themes are amazing, she's awfully kind and basically her blog is always among the best 1D blogs around. she totally deserves all the love she gets and though we never really talked, i'd love to be friends with her. i assume you are, of course, already following her- but if you're not, please do, for the sake of your dash!
even though she posts an awful lot of the hunger games spoilers -which annoys me because i haven't seen the movie yet- , i would never dare to unfollow zara. she's amazing really, always kind to people and very genuine. her blog is amazing, as are her edits, and well. what else is there to say? her blog is just pure perfection, so go check her out if you didn't already.
without any doubt one of my favorite blogs. although i'm not really that much into btr, her 1D posts make up for it a lot. also, be sure to check out her photos in her about me-section as she's gorgeous and hilarious.
i follow quite a lot of blogs starting with liam/louis- but there wasn't really any doubt for me that Meagan's blog had to be thé one. both her main and side blog are stunning, and she's really kind. she's a constant in my tumblr crushes and i'm just in love with everything she does / makes. her edits and posts are gorgeous, so is her theme, and well. i could go on forever, so do check her blog out if you like one direction, hehe.
Wow omfg I actually love you, bless. You've absolutely made my week! Thank you babe, I really really do appreciate this....