The Federal government’s non-defense resources ought to be tilted as much as possible in the direction of maximizing consumer welfare. Sometimes this means entire government programs, enterprises, or agencies need to be eliminated or consolidated. A hard look ought to be taken at non-defense related government-held corporations, particularly where government provides goods that are normally [...]

The long, expansive reach of the Federal government can become an impediment to building a consumer-friendly polity. While we are all familiar with the problems of expansive red tape strangling regulation, or government dollars crowding out private investment, there are also entire government agencies or government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs) that, by their very existence, harm competition, stifle growth, [...]

To pay for the Spanish-American War, the United States imposed a tax on telephone services. The idea was to raise revenue for the war, but the tax stayed in existence for 108 years until most of it was killed — not by legislation — but by the circuit courts of appeal.  The tale is a [...]

You may never have heard of them before, but Express Scripts, Inc. (ESI) and Medco are two of the most important companies in the United States.  These two corporations are pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), businesses that act as middlemen between the pharmaceutical companies and pharmacies (as well as between drug companies and sponsors of prescription [...]

Antitrust laws exist to protect consumers from predatory monopolies.  The government’s watchful eye against anti-competitive behavior expresses only good intentions toward the protection of both markets and consumers. Of course, there is a downside.  Regulators happen to be human, and sometimes they mess things up.  That’s the premise of an intriguing study from Dr. Jeffrey [...]

As you approach the ticket taker, you pull out your two tickets for the event of the year.  The stadium employee smiles, grabs the tickets, scans them with a handheld device…and frowns.  I’m sorry, but these tickets aren’t valid.  Your mind races: did you go on the wrong day?  The ticket taker shakes her head [...]

The Internet as Wild West metaphor is one of the most overused clichés around.  But there’s a reason for that.  The Internet, especially in largely filter-less America, is a wide open space, a virtual playground of First Amendment activity.  This is a good thing, and the vibrancy of the Internet is good for consumers as [...]

Remote data storage, more sexily known as “cloud computing,” has become the “new normal.”  A poll commissioned by Microsoft found that eighty-four percent of Americans now use an online email client, which stores all of your email data off your own personal computer and allows it to be accessible from any computer or Internet-capable device, [...]

Like many Americans of my generation, my first encounter with intellectual property piracy came with the band Metallica.  Metallica sued Napster over its unique file-sharing program that enabled users to share music with each other through the magic of the Internet.  Ultimately, Napster (in its free-for-all connotation) was shut down.  Napster’s demise unleashed the forces [...]