Cato Institute

"It's Getting Better All the Time: 100 Greatest Trends of the Last 100 Years," by Stephen Moore and Julian L. Simon (Cato Institute, 294 pages, $14.95). Published in celebratory fashion by the unabashedly conservative Cato Institute, this is a compilation of serious capsules of research data that attest to the progress of the human race -- especially in the United States. Illustrated by clear and convincing charts and tables, and entirely sober in tone, it is an encouraging tale: elimination of diseases and control of others, diminution of the use of alcohol, vast increases in useful inventions, growth of generosity in the private sector, reduction in damaging accidents, significant progress for most minority groups.

Public planning often works well As a scholar and a regular consumer of policy analyses, I am rarely surprised by the occasional screed from the Cato Institute against some form or other of governmental regulation. So I was not taken aback when I read the column by Randal O'Toole, a senior fellow with the Cato Institute, railing against governmental planning ("When government plans, it usually fails," Opinion Commentary, Dec. 27). What surprised me was that The Sun, an otherwise reasonable newspaper, would publish such blatant ideological hogwash.

WASHINGTON -- If the Republican Congress is truly serious about ending dependence on government handouts, it should look beyond the poor and also slash subsidies to corporate America, an unusual alliance of moderate, conservative and liberal policy experts declared yesterday.The government could save $265 billion over five years by eliminating or scaling back 120 spending programs and tax breaks that benefit particular industries, according to a report released by the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI)

Maryland gasoline prices have surged 39 cents in a month - and this time you can't blame it on hurricanes. Instead, petroleum industry analysts point to a perfect storm of a different kind - the combination of global unrest, rising demand and shrinking gasoline inventories. The result has been the largest March-to-April run-up in gas prices in Maryland since 2002, when prices jumped 21 cents, the AAA auto club said yesterday. "It's hard to justify the gigantic jumps that we're seeing this year," said Amanda Knittle, a spokeswoman for AAA. "They defy explanation in consumer's minds, and in our minds."

WASHINGTON -- On the 60th anniversary of Social Security, the biggest and most popular government benefits program, a former chief Social Security administrator helped launch a drive to convert the program into a private investment fund.Instead of paying Social Security taxes, workers would place their money into a variety of private plans offering combinations of stocks and bonds, according to the proposal offered yesterday by the Cato Institute, an influential conservative think-tank with close connections to GOP leaders of Congress.

RECYCLING can prove hazardous to the environment and to your pocketbook, according to a new study of New Jersey's 1987 mandatory recycling law by the Cato Institute, a conservative think tank. It's an experience Maryland should study closely as it proceeds with ever higher recycling standards.The study found only 4 percent of targeted municipal trash is recycled. Net public cost: $35 million annually -- even after giving full value for the landfill space saved and payments for recyclable materials.

Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke was deeply influenced by a conservative Washington think tank in his decision last week to experiment with parental choice in Baltimore's public school system.As he agonized over his efforts to improve the quality of education in Baltimore, Mr. Schmoke said in an interview, he came back time and again to the work of the Cato Institute, a foundation with a libertarian bent that promotes freeing American life from excessive government encroachment.Mr. Schmoke read a Cato Institute book on school choice and found himself underlining phrases such as "competitive market economy" and "tax credits or tax refunds" for parents who want alternatives to the "public school monopoly."

Public planning often works well As a scholar and a regular consumer of policy analyses, I am rarely surprised by the occasional screed from the Cato Institute against some form or other of governmental regulation. So I was not taken aback when I read the column by Randal O'Toole, a senior fellow with the Cato Institute, railing against governmental planning ("When government plans, it usually fails," Opinion Commentary, Dec. 27). What surprised me was that The Sun, an otherwise reasonable newspaper, would publish such blatant ideological hogwash.

IF YOU BELIEVE that what's good for General Motors is good for America, then you'll probably believe what Larry Burns, GM's vice president for research and development told The Wall Street Journal recently. Speaking about development of a pollution-free automobile, fueled by hydrogen, that emits only water vapor from the exhaust, Burns said: "We think we can build a compelling and affordable car by 2010. It's a big challenge, but as a technologist, you have to be optimistic." Where was GM's can-do spirit when it equated installing seat belts with the ruin of the auto industry, and later on, cried wolf over catalytic converters and air bags?

Maryland gasoline prices have surged 39 cents in a month - and this time you can't blame it on hurricanes. Instead, petroleum industry analysts point to a perfect storm of a different kind - the combination of global unrest, rising demand and shrinking gasoline inventories. The result has been the largest March-to-April run-up in gas prices in Maryland since 2002, when prices jumped 21 cents, the AAA auto club said yesterday. "It's hard to justify the gigantic jumps that we're seeing this year," said Amanda Knittle, a spokeswoman for AAA. "They defy explanation in consumer's minds, and in our minds."

IF YOU BELIEVE that what's good for General Motors is good for America, then you'll probably believe what Larry Burns, GM's vice president for research and development told The Wall Street Journal recently. Speaking about development of a pollution-free automobile, fueled by hydrogen, that emits only water vapor from the exhaust, Burns said: "We think we can build a compelling and affordable car by 2010. It's a big challenge, but as a technologist, you have to be optimistic." Where was GM's can-do spirit when it equated installing seat belts with the ruin of the auto industry, and later on, cried wolf over catalytic converters and air bags?

"It's Getting Better All the Time: 100 Greatest Trends of the Last 100 Years," by Stephen Moore and Julian L. Simon (Cato Institute, 294 pages, $14.95). Published in celebratory fashion by the unabashedly conservative Cato Institute, this is a compilation of serious capsules of research data that attest to the progress of the human race -- especially in the United States. Illustrated by clear and convincing charts and tables, and entirely sober in tone, it is an encouraging tale: elimination of diseases and control of others, diminution of the use of alcohol, vast increases in useful inventions, growth of generosity in the private sector, reduction in damaging accidents, significant progress for most minority groups.

WASHINGTON -- A conservative Supreme Court majority that seems increasingly eager to question long-standing assumptions about what the Constitution means is flexing its power regularly and without apology.The notion that the court is becoming more of an active, not a restrained, user of its sometimes awesome constitutional authority seems to be widely held in the wake of the court term just ended.The most visible single result of that term: a sharp reduction of the federal government's power, offset by a significant enhancement of the power and independence of the 50 states' governments.

Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke was deeply influenced by a conservative Washington think tank in his decision last week to experiment with parental choice in Baltimore's public school system.As he agonized over his efforts to improve the quality of education in Baltimore, Mr. Schmoke said in an interview, he came back time and again to the work of the Cato Institute, a foundation with a libertarian bent that promotes freeing American life from excessive government encroachment.Mr. Schmoke read a Cato Institute book on school choice and found himself underlining phrases such as "competitive market economy" and "tax credits or tax refunds" for parents who want alternatives to the "public school monopoly."

WASHINGTON -- On the 60th anniversary of Social Security, the biggest and most popular government benefits program, a former chief Social Security administrator helped launch a drive to convert the program into a private investment fund.Instead of paying Social Security taxes, workers would place their money into a variety of private plans offering combinations of stocks and bonds, according to the proposal offered yesterday by the Cato Institute, an influential conservative think-tank with close connections to GOP leaders of Congress.

WASHINGTON -- If the Republican Congress is truly serious about ending dependence on government handouts, it should look beyond the poor and also slash subsidies to corporate America, an unusual alliance of moderate, conservative and liberal policy experts declared yesterday.The government could save $265 billion over five years by eliminating or scaling back 120 spending programs and tax breaks that benefit particular industries, according to a report released by the Progressive Policy Institute (PPI)

WASHINGTON -- A conservative Supreme Court majority that seems increasingly eager to question long-standing assumptions about what the Constitution means is flexing its power regularly and without apology.The notion that the court is becoming more of an active, not a restrained, user of its sometimes awesome constitutional authority seems to be widely held in the wake of the court term just ended.The most visible single result of that term: a sharp reduction of the federal government's power, offset by a significant enhancement of the power and independence of the 50 states' governments.

Talk about blaming the victim. As state governments endure the tortures of Hades, with drastic budget cuts coast to coast, critics leap forward to say the states are irresponsible spendthrifts, totally at fault for all their miseries.''A decade of runaway state government expenditures,'' and pandering to ''special interests'' -- suggests Stephen Moore of the Washington-based Cato Institute -- is what has led the states, from Augusta to Sacramento, to this summer's marathon budget-bargaining and threats of payless paydays.

RECYCLING can prove hazardous to the environment and to your pocketbook, according to a new study of New Jersey's 1987 mandatory recycling law by the Cato Institute, a conservative think tank. It's an experience Maryland should study closely as it proceeds with ever higher recycling standards.The study found only 4 percent of targeted municipal trash is recycled. Net public cost: $35 million annually -- even after giving full value for the landfill space saved and payments for recyclable materials.

Talk about blaming the victim. As state governments endure the tortures of Hades, with drastic budget cuts coast to coast, critics leap forward to say the states are irresponsible spendthrifts, totally at fault for all their miseries.''A decade of runaway state government expenditures,'' and pandering to ''special interests'' -- suggests Stephen Moore of the Washington-based Cato Institute -- is what has led the states, from Augusta to Sacramento, to this summer's marathon budget-bargaining and threats of payless paydays.