9 February 2010

Today’s Tabbloid
PERSONAL NEWS FOR lgn@limitedgovernmentnetwork.com

FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE BLOG FEEDS the Climate Research Unit at the University of East Anglia appear to
have done. Indeed, he points to evidence of U.S. Environmental
Senate Health Bill May Violate Protection Agency officials suppressing an, ahem, inconvenient internal
debate.
First Amendment [Cato at
Liberty]
FEB 08, 2010 04:29P.M. FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE BLOG FEEDS

By Michael F. Cannon Petitions Signed by Economists

Today, the Cato Institute released “Scientific Misconduct: The [The Club for Growth]
Manipulation of Evidence for Political Advocacy in Health Care and FEB 08, 2010 03:09P.M.
Climate Policy,” by George Avery of Purdue University.
George Mason University professor Dan Klein and two of his colleagues
Avery points to a troubling provision of the Senate-passed health care have compiled a list of all the public policy petitions signed by
bill that Democrats are trying to get through the House: economists. This is a great idea, and it sounds like it m proud that we
were able to bring such a large number of economists together to fight
In a section creating a new Patient-Centered Outcomes against bad trade policy.
Research Institute to conduct comparative-effectiveness
research, the bill allows the withholding of funding to any
institution where a researcher publishes findings not “within
the bounds of and entirely consistent with the evidence,” a FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE BLOG FEEDS
vague authorization that creates a tremendous tool that can
be used to ensure self-censorship and conformity with Rep. John Murtha Has Died at
bureaucratic preferences….As AcademyHealth notes, “Such
language to restrict scientific freedom is unprecedented and 77 [The Club for Growth]
likely unconstitutional.” FEB 08, 2010 02:47P.M.

He warns that government bureaucrats aren’t likely to let that power go The Politico is reporting it.
unused.

In July 2007, AcademyHealth, a professional association of

health services and health policy researchers, published
results of a study of sponsor restrictions on the publication of
research results. Surprisingly, the results revealed that more
than three times as many researchers had experienced
problems with government funders related to prior review,
editing, approval, and dissemination of research results. In
addition, a higher percentage of respondents had turned
down government sponsorship opportunities due to
restrictions than had done the same with industrial funding.
Much of the problem was linked to an “increasing
government custom and culture of controlling the flow of
even non-classified information.”

Avery observes that such power enables bureaucrats to engage in “data

manipulation to cover inconvenient findings,” much as the scientists at

1
Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR lgn@limitedgovernmentnetwork.com 9 February 2010

FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE BLOG FEEDS FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE BLOG FEEDS

Colorado Senate Debates “Dirty NRA Shoots Itself in the Foot

Dozen” Tax Package [Americans [Cato at Liberty]
FEB 08, 2010 10:13A.M.
for Tax Reform]
FEB 08, 2010 02:36P.M. By Ilya Shapiro

The “Dirty Dozen” tax hike package that was recently approved by the I previously blogged about the NRA’s misbegotten motion, which the
Colorado House of Representatives now heads to the Senate floor after it Supreme Court granted, to carve 10 minutes of oral argument time away
was passed out of the Senate Finance Committee... from the petitioners in McDonald v. Chicago. Essentially, there was no
discernable reason for the motion other than to ensure that the NRA
could claim some credit for the eventual victory, and thus boost its
fundraising.
FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE BLOG FEEDS
Well, having argued that petitioners’ counsel Alan Gura insufficiently
‘I Keep My Core Beliefs Written covered the argument that the Second Amendment should be
“incorporated” against the states via the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due
on My Palm for Easy Reference.’ Process Clause, the NRA has now filed a brief that fails even to reference
the four biggest cases regarding incorporation and substantive due
[‘Cato at Liberty] process. That is, the NRA reply brief contains no mention of Washington
FEB 08, 2010 12:02P.M. v. Glucksberg (1997), Benton v. Maryland (1969), Duncan v. Louisiana
(1968), or Palko v. Connecticut (1937). (The NRA did cite those cases in
By David Boaz its opening brief.) What is more, it also lacks a discussion of Judge
O’Scannlain’s magisterial Ninth Circuit opinion in Nordyke v. King
Somehow I was reminded of this cartoon today. (2009), which the Supreme Court might as well cut and paste regardless
of which constitutional provision it uses to extend the right to keep and
bear arms to the states!

I should add that the petitioners’ reply brief does cite all of those
aforementioned cases (as well as the “Keeping Pandora’s Box Sealed” law
review article I co-authored with Josh Blackman). I leave it to the reader
to determine whether it is Alan Gura or the NRA who is better positioned
to argue substantive due process — or any other part of the McDonald
case.

For more on the rift between the McDonald petitioners and the NRA, see
this story in today’s Washington Post (in which I’m quoted, full
disclosure, after a lengthy interview I gave the reporter last week).

(Full disclosure again: Alan Gura is a friend of mine and of Cato, and I
suppose I should also say that I’ve participated in NRA-sponsored events
in the past.)

2
Today’s Tabbloid PERSONAL NEWS FOR lgn@limitedgovernmentnetwork.com 9 February 2010

FISCALLY CONSERVATIVE BLOG FEEDS

Happy Birthday Ronald Reagan

[Cato at Liberty]
FEB 08, 2010 08:58A.M.

By Daniel J. Mitchell

Ronald Reagan was born 99 years ago. To remember what made him
special, here are a couple of videos.