ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
Celebrating 35 Years of Championing Visionaries and Builders .................2Celebrating 35 Years of CEI Fighting for Freedom ...........................6A Toast Celebrating 35 Years of CEI ......11CEI Events Update ....................12The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly ........14Media Mentions ......................15End Notes ...........................16
COMPETITIVE ENTERPRISE INSTITUTE VOL. 32, NO. 3 | SUMMER 2019
FEATURED ARTICLES
BY IAIN MURRAY
Big Tech vs. Free Speech? It’s Not that Simple
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When Government Tries to Fix a Whale of a Problem
BY DAVE BARRY
I
’m here to talk about the Competitive Enterprise Institute, and I’m very excited to be here because this is an organization that is all about economic liberty and freedom and common-sense solutions to the world’s problems, to the political and economic problems facing us. Which is why it’s so inspiring that the theme for this evening is a TV drama where the political system is based on dragons. That’s the kind of practical and innovative thinking we need. …Here’s how I think most Americans view the two major political parties. Let’s say your car breaks down by the side of the road. The Republicans would drive past you. They go, “Hey, you should have learned how to fix that car yourself, learn to maintain it. You’d be better off if you deal with that problem yourself. You’ll be fine. Just suck it up and do it.” The Democrats will stop, but they will make it worse. … And, I say we need a new way. … And, that’s why in a moment—I’ll pause for your spontaneous applause—but as Katherine said, I am running for President of the United States. Thank you, thank you.And I’ll tell you my views. And, I don’t want to offend anybody, but I am not a wishy-washy, hold-a-finger-to-the-wind, take-a-poll kind of candidate. I’ll tell you what I think, I’ll speak from the heart, I’ll lay it on the line. Take it or leave it, okay? I agree with you. About everything. If you change your mind, let me know. That’s the kind of leadership … no, I do have some actual views, some policies. …We talk about how, you know, people who argue against libertarianism always say, “Well, it’s good as far as it goes, but there are certain things—big things—that only government can do. Only government is equipped to handle these certain big tasks that society needs done.”So, this is my story about that, and this is a true story. In fact, one of the wonderful things about this story is that the day it happened, there was a television news crew there to film it. And, the film of this TV news broadcast ended up being legendary on the Internet. But, it’s my favorite single example of govern-ment taking care of a big problem that we shouldn’t leave to private enterprise. …So, there was a big storm off the coast of Oregon, and this very large whale—43-foot-long, eight ton—whale washes ashore,
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BY MICHELLE MINTON
Where Anti-Vaxxers and Anti-Vapers Meet
(continued on page 3)
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BY JOHAN NORBERG
The Love and Printer’s Ink of Human Ingenuity
Photo: Joe Shymanksi
Celebrating 35 Years of Championing Visionaries and Builders
by Kent Lassman
T
he past year has been remarkable for CEI. From involvement in executive orders to watching our rec-ommendations get written into legislation. We’ve been at it now for 35 years and to borrow from our theme, CEI’s bannermen are advancing in the permanent war against an unconstrained regulatory state. I’d like focus on why we do these things.
Why
we believe in the indomitable spirit of individuals to exercise their own will, to explore the limits of their own ingenuity, and to organize their lives and livelihoods according to their own preferences. To do so, I want to share the stories of two men. The first involves a haircut I got when CEI went to Savannah. I had arrived early in the morning after travel delays and an overnight drive. I found a barber-shop online and took a walk across the historic city to a place called Boys II Men. There was a sign near the door that announced Free Wi-Fi. As I entered, the first barber I saw took one look at me and pointed to the guy behind the last chair in the row. I thrust out my hand and said, “Hi, I’m Kent.” With a warm smile he said, “I’m The Deacon.”We had a wonderful discussion while he took what little hair I have left and made me presentable for the guests we were expecting that evening. The Deacon has a daughter doing a medical residency in Atlanta and a son finishing at a local high school this year. And The Deacon asked about me too. Why was I in town? What do I do for a living? Do I have kids? So we talked about regula-tion and the agencies that make it. We talked about our loved ones and our lives. You see, The Deacon has Wi-Fi because they encourage the neighborhood kids to come into the shop after school. We talked about how we both vol-unteer to help with programs at our kids’ schools. We spent a lot of time on the cost of higher education, occupational licensing, and compulsory unionism and what practical effect it has on people who just want to work, provide value to others, and bring home an honest paycheck.And this brings me to a morning in late June. I was at the EPA for a policy announcement on implementation of the Clean Air Act. I sat next to a man from Pittsburgh named John. He works in the mines that transform natural resources into the electricity that make modern life pos-sible. His job is in safety, specifically, underground air quality. He is vigilant about the quality of the sensors they use. He added that it is easy to be strict about those things when your life is on the line. He had boarded a bus at 3:30 in the morning and came to Washington, hard hat in hand, to see what regulation was all about.I share these stories so you know where to get a haircut when you are in Savannah. Tell The Deacon that I sent you. And it is my hope that in them you can share a glimpse of how normal Americans understand and interact with a broken regulatory state. These are the people who drive our work at CEI. They are not famous, except perhaps to their co-workers or their families. They wake up early, work hard, and take part in our radical American experiment in republican democracy.We tackle these big economic issues because in the long-term we must keep improving and adapting. And for that reason, we praise the visionaries and institution builders. Finally, there is one man more than any other to whom I say, thank you—the founder and longtime president of CEI, an institution builder who never lost sight of the human element essential to the market and to the law. Thank you, Fred Smith, for 35 years of suc-cess expanding the boundaries of freedom.
This article is adapted from Kent Lassman’s opening remarks at the 2019 CEI Annual Dinner.
F R O M T H E P R E S I D E N T
Publisher
Kent Lassman
Editor
Ivan Osorio
Associate Editor
Richard MorrisonThe CEI Planet is produced by the Competitive Enterprise Institute, a pro-market public interest group dedicated to free enterprise and limited government.
CEI is a non-partisan, non-profit organization incorporated in the District of Columbia and is classified by the IRS as a 501 (c)(3) charity. CEI relies upon contributions from foundations, corporations, and individuals for its support. Articles may be reprinted provided they are attributed to CEI.
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dead on the beach, and lies there in the sun, starts to rot and stink. So, obviously this is a problem too big for private enterprise, so they brought in a government agency to handle it. Specifically, they brought in the Oregon State Highway Department, which is called the Oregon State Highway Division. I’m not sure what the thinking was there. I guess a whale is a big thing, and a highway is also a big thing so these people would have the expertise needed. So the TV news broadcast, which is truly wonderful, begins with a man named Paul Linnman, who was then a young television reporter in Portland, standing in front of this huge whale carcass with seagulls walking around on it. And he says, “You might say they had a whale of a problem here.” It’s TV news.He then introduced the head of the Oregon State Highway Division crew, a serious man in a hardhat to explain what they’re going to do. And, this guy does not come right out and say that they’ve never disposed of a dead whale before, but you begin to suspect that might be the case when he reveals that the solution they’ve arrived at is to use dynamite. And he states that they were not sure how much dynamite might be needed, so they went with half a ton. Half a ton of dynamite. …They’re gonna blow up the whale with the dynamite. The whale will then be in little pieces. These pieces will then be eaten by … the seagulls and other marine scavengers. And there you have it: a textbook whale disposal. So, the next scene, we have backed the camera up behind a sand dune about a quarter of a mile from the whale, looking over the dune at the whale. They’ve also backed up the spectators, and quite a few people came out to see this event because let’s be honest with ourselves, if you knew that they were blowing up a dead whale anywhere in the District of Columbia tonight, you would not be here.So, anyway, so you’re looking over the dune, and it’s a peaceful scene. There’s the whale, Pacific Ocean, seagulls walking around. And you hear a countdown: ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. Then you hear an explosion, huge explosion. A huge cloud of smoke envelops the whale. You cannot see the whale at all at this point. Then, you hear some people cheering, going “Yeah!” Then, you hear a voice go, “Oh my God.”And then a smear appears on the camera lens. And then it goes dark. Because what’s happening now is grav-ity. … It was the rotted insides of the dead whale coming down, coming down all over the place, all over the beach, all over the spectators and well beyond.And some of these are very big pieces of dead, rotting whale, and we know this because the next scene we see is the parking lot where the cam-eraman has run with everyone else fleeing this goo from Hell. And, he gets his camera cleaned off enough to get it going again. The first thing you see is a car whose entire roof has been caved in by what looks like a booger the size of a refrigerator. Wouldn’t you like to listen in on the phone with that insurance agent? “You say your car was struck in a parking lot by a whale? Oh a whale from the sky.” … So, let that be a reminder to you, CEI people, there’s a limit to how much you can do with private enter-prise. Turn the big jobs over to the government. Thank you very much. If I am elected, you can all be on the Supreme Court. Thank you, thank you.
Dave Barry is a Pulitzer Prize-winning humorist and best-selling author. This article is excerpted from his Keynote Speech at the CEI 35th Anniversary Dinner.
Dave Barry,
continued
Thanks to the generous support of our friends, the Competitive Enterprise Institute has remained a successful advocate for liberty for 35 years. The Legacy of Liberty Society recognizes the faithful support of any donor who desires to advance the principles of free enterprise and limited government through his or her will, trust, life income gift, retirement plan, life insurance dedication, or another planned giving instrument. Contributions to CEI are tax deductible. We accept gifts via check, credit card, cash, or Bitcoin—as well as stock or other securities and assets. CEI also accepts contributions in a will or trust. Including CEI in your estate plans is easy, and can be altered as needed.Consult your tax professional about the limits and conditions regarding charitable deduc-tions and your tax situation. For contributions in a will or trust, consult a tax or estate profes-sional for language that is appropriate for your estate and financial situation.
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