Upton flips a switch on CFL bulbs

Three years after he led the charge to require consumers to ditch their comfortable old incandescent lights in favor of those twisty CFL bulbs, Rep. Fred Upton now wants to be the man to help undo that law as the next chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee.

That about-face is not unique among lawmakers looking to atone for stances they’ve taken over the past decade as they seek to gain top posts in a decidedly more conservative Republican Congress, but his reversal underscores how intent the GOP is on proving it has broken with past practices.

Capitalism—Minus the Cronies

The revelation that the American taxpayer is now the World’s Banker of Last Resort, as revealed by the new FinReg bill (yet another assault on real, as opposed to crony capitalism), means Americans must face the disturbing reality that our national sovereignty is being completely undermined. And those undermining it have only one over-riding loyalty: a level of naked self-interest beyond anything the world has ever witnessed.

Economics 101-Steve Forbes

“The truth is, there is a moral basis for free markets,” Heritage Foundation trustee Steve Forbes said earlier this month at a Heritage event in Dallas. Free enterprise, he explained, creates wealth through voluntary exchange. This wealth creation, in turn, allows for the great philanthropic enterprises that have improved our lives: higher education, medical research and more. “We have to find our voices and not be on defense” against those who attack free enterprise, he argued.