| Get the latest policy analysis by Mercatus scholars. |
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| The Worst Regulation Ever Proposed |
| Adam Thierer | American Institute for Economic Research |
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| In a new Wired essay, mayor Bill de Blasio explains, “Why American Workers Need to Be Protected From Automation,” and aims to accomplish that through a new agency with vast enforcement powers, and a new tax. These two ideas represent one of the most radical regulatory plans any America politician has yet concocted. First, de Blasio proposes the Federal Automation and Worker Protection Agency (FAWPA) which would require permits for any company seeking to increase automation that would displace workers. Additionally, large companies would have to
pay five years of payroll taxes up front for each employee eliminated by automation. This plan would result in a decrease in productivity and less innovation in all sectors across the country. |
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| Learning How to Make a Difference |
| Samantha Power and Tyler Cowen | Conversations with Tyler |
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| Samantha Power, a former war correspondent and UN ambassador, joined Tyler to discuss the purpose behind her memoir, her first impressions of America, being a wartime correspondent, Star Wars vs. Star Trek, van Morrison vs. Bob Dylan, and robot empires vs. robot umpires. He asks her about her favorite novel, why democracy is so rare in the Middle East, the truth about Richard Holbrooke, humanitarian intervention, and German defense spending. |
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| For Now, There’s No Recession in Sight |
| Bruce Yandle | Washington Examiner |
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| Friday's lackluster employment numbers prompted discussion about a possible future recession. The data tell us that we have a slowing economy with serious weakness seen in the manufacturing sector, but employers typically increase their hiring of temporary workers when uncertainty about the future increases. The employment data tell us we still have a strong but weakening economy. There's no recession in sight, for now. |
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