U.S. Commerce Secretary Needs to Stay Tough on Mexican Sugar Cheaters
Earlier this month, a coalition of free-market organizations sent a letter to the White House urging President Trump to “protect American jobs through tough trade enforcement,” especially as it relates to Mexico cheating on NAFTA by unlawfully dumping government-subsidized, artificially cheap, duty-free sugar on the U.S. market back in 2013. The subsequent collapse of sugar […]
Conservative Leaders Urge White House to Get Tough on Mexican Sugar Trade Cheating
Last week a coalition of conservative, free-market organizations, including Citizen Outreach, sent a letter to President Donald Trump urging the White House to “prove it will protect American jobs through tough trade enforcement,” especially as it relates to Mexico’s subsidized sugar industry. “The U.S. has given Mexico plenty of chances to trade sugar fairly under […]
Brazil, Hawaii, Mother Nature and U.S. Sugar Policy
Critics of the U.S. sugar program – a very successful, balanced system of targeted tariffs and import quotas designed to combat artificially cheap, government-subsidized foreign sugar – are unconcerned that massive “dumping” of such sugar could destroy our domestic sugar industry. Their argument is that U.S. consumers would benefit from lower costs thanks to cheaper […]
Google “Stuck on Stupid” and Here’s What You Might Soon Find…
When I read the title “Is It Time to Break Up Google?” on a column by Jonathan Taplin that was published recently by the New York Times, my immediate reaction was, “Uh-oh, here comes the government!” Which reminded me of something former President Ronald Reagan once said about government and the economy, but I couldn’t […]
Why I Won’t Let Go of the Las Vegas Trash Contract Fiasco
Someone once described me as “a dog on a bone” when it comes to certain issues; I just won’t let them go. And that’s certainly true when it comes to this issue of the Las Vegas City Council earlier this month handing Republic Services a billion-dollar NO BID contract extension for picking up the city’s […]
Trump’s New FTC Embracing that Old-Time Free Market Religion
The average American has absolutely no idea what the FTC is, what it’s supposed to do or even what the letters “FTC” stand for. But almost every business owner in American knows exactly what the Federal Trade Commission is. In short, the FTC is supposed to protect consumers from unfair trade practices and foster competition […]
Beers’ “Yell Like Hell” Table-Pounding Doesn’t Excuse Inexcusable Trash Vote
I think the worst part of Las Vegas City Councilman Bob Beers’ vote on April 5 to bequeath Republic Services that billion-dollar NO BID monopoly trash collection contract is the intellectual dishonesty of his excuses for doing so as outlined in a pair of emails to a constituent this week. In attempting to defend the […]
Position on Sugar Trade Boils Down to Who Ya Gonna Trust
A complete rethinking of U.S. trade policies/strategies continues to be a high-priority for the new White House, though some still apparently haven’t gotten the memo. “President Donald Trump’s administration is drafting an executive order to investigate the extent to which the unfair dumping and subsidization of certain imports adds to the U.S. trade deficit,” CNN […]
Indian Sugar Policies Justify U.S. Sugar Policy
This week’s look at the global sugar market focuses on India. An article last week in The Financial Express out of New Delhi notes that… “For several months now, with back-to-back droughts hitting output, traders have been predicting a sugar shortage, but the government refused to lower the import duty from 40%. … Suddenly, as […]
Beers Misled Public on No-Bid Trash Contract Vote, Law
At its regular meeting on April 5, 2017, the Las Vegas City Council voted 5-2 to hand Republic Services a new 14-year, billion dollar, NO BID contract to pick up the city’s trash after a bold and, it appears, remarkably untrue statement by Republican Councilman Bob Beers. In a video clip aired on Sunday by […]
Zero-for-Zero Critics Miss the Mark…Again
Big Candy’s “Coalition for Sugar Reform,” as expected, has issued a statement in opposition to Rep. Ted Yoho’s proposed common-sense Zero-for-Zero reform resolution for the U.S. sugar program. The coalition – backed by self-interested sweets manufacturers such as the American Bakers Association, the National Confectioners Association, the American Beverage Association, the Peanut and Tree Nut […]
Nevada Legislature Resurrects “Screw Jim Rhodes” Bill – and Adds Taxpayers!
Assembly Bill 277 was heard in committee on Friday. The bill prohibits development in national conservation or recreational areas, as well as “adjacent lands.” “Adjacent lands” is defined in the bill, as submitted, as any land within five miles of such conservation or recreational areas. Frankly, it doesn’t matter if the land is privately owned […]
Nevada Legislature Fights City Hall over Trash Hauling Monopolies
On Thursday a bill (SB315) was heard in Carson City that would start Nevada on the road to opening up the waste-hauling business to greater competition. Not surprisingly, the main opposition came from Waste Management – which has the exclusive monopoly contract for residential and commercial trash pickup in Reno – and Republican Services – […]
Las Vegas City Staff: Trust Us, We’re Not Gonna Be the “Lemonade Stand Police”
How many kids do you know who started a business at the age of 3 ½? Ryan Hickman of San Juan Capistrano, CA visited a recycling center when he was a toddler. The next day he proudly announced to his dad, “My new business! I’m going to pick up all the cans and bottles from […]
Competition Works in Both Insurance AND Trash Collection
I just re-learned a lesson about free-market competition yesterday that every member of the Las Vegas City Council should bear in mind before it rubber-stamps a 15-year, no bid monopoly franchise agreement extension for trash pickup by Republic Services at next week’s meeting. We’ve been in our Las Vegas home for eight years now. Travelers […]
Conservative Coalition Urges Congressional Support for Sugar Reform Proposal
A coalition of free-market conservative leaders and organizations today submitted a letter to Members of Congress urging support for Rep. Ted Yoho’s (R-Fla) “Zero for Zero” proposal designed to reform current U.S. sugar policy. While critics of the current program of targeted tariffs and import quotas have called for immediate and unilateral elimination of the […]
Las Vegas Staff Workshop Shines a Little Light on Trash Pickup Controversy
I attended a Las Vegas city staff workshop Monday morning in which the proposed extension of Republic Services’ residential and commercial monopoly franchise contract was discussed. From a process point of view, here’s how this could play out… Next Wednesday the Las Vegas City Council will meet to hear and discuss – with public comment […]