Week's Lamentable News

In the  quest to empathize exactly how much the administrative province is harming economical activity, at that topographic point are lots of anecdotes but few overall measures. But nosotros get got lots of anectdotes. I sentiment it would hold upward fun to seat together a week's worth from my morning-coffee WSJ reading.

Tuesday: The Labor Department issues a novel "persuader rule"

...an employer would probable get got to written report quest a consultant to study the project savings of moving to a right-to-work state. An attorney would get got to divulge private discussions amongst an employer over a neutrality understanding to back upward a union’s organizing campaign...an attorney who advises Employer Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 well-nigh a spousal human relationship organizing effort volition too get got to written report if he’s conducting, say, a sexual harassment investigation at Employer B. All of this data volition hold upward public....The Manhattan Institute estimates the dominion volition cost well-nigh $60 billion over 10 years....The beneficiaries volition hold upward unions, which don’t get got to written report their ain persuader activities. 

Wednesday: Judge blocks Staples Merger, and 45 federal programs,

States of America District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan sided amongst the Federal Trade Commission, which inward a Dec case alleged the combination of the constituent superstores would atomic number 82 to higher prices for large corporations that purchase constituent supplies inward bulk.

Shares of both companies plunged inward morning time trading inward New York. Office Depot stock dropped 37% to $3.82, field Staples brutal 19% to $8.41...Staples said Tuesday it volition cutting to a greater extent than or less other $300 1000000 inward annual costs as well as explore alternatives for its European operations, which include to a greater extent than than 200 stores.

Many of us recollect the econ 101 fable of monopoly which needs regime protection. Most of the academic IO as well as antitrust literature has come upward to disbelieve this classic story. Staples as well as Office Depot themselves are recent innovations. There is no distinct marketplace for large box constituent retail stores. Everything inward them tin hold upward bought elsewhere, as well as it's pretty slow to enter. In fact, they are inward refuse facing contest from the mesh as well as other retailers. The sentiment that they tin lock upward the marketplace on paper, toner cartriges, off-brand pcs, as well as enhance prices is pretty silly. Especially for "large corporations that purchase constituent supplies inward bulk." Please, the betoken of the federal regime is to save depression prices for "large corporations" to purchase paper?

Thursday's editorial on the affair puts it meliorate than I did,

Stuck inward a declining market, Staples as well as Office Depot get got been reporting reduced sales. Government lawyers mightiness get got noticed that people are using less newspaper as well as ink these days. Then at that topographic point are those petty competitors called Amazon, Costco as well as Wal-Mart. Such contest is why the regime couldn’t struggle amongst a straight confront that a merged society would strength higher prices on private consumers or pocket-size businesses. So the regime claimed that the victims of the proposed merger would hold upward huge corporations that purchase inward bulk...the justice made clear that he thinks the Exxons of the province demand regime aid to larn a bargain on Post-it notes.  

Also, on the editorial page, 

The auditors at the Government Accountability Office written report that at that topographic point are currently 45 federal programs dedicated to supporting attention “from nascency through historic stream five,” spread across multiple agencies. The Agriculture Department runs a plant nursery division, for to a greater extent than or less reason.

“Administering similar programs inward dissimilar agencies tin create an surroundings inward which programs may non serve children as well as families every bit efficiently as well as effectively every bit possible,” GAO dryly notes. Parents tin too claim 5 dissever child-care taxation credits.

Thurdsay A Climate Courtroom Crusade Scorches Due Process.

Read the whole thing, if similar me you're non a lawyer. It turns out, dorsum inward the day, Attorneys full general couldn't, on their own, subpoena all your files, comb through them, as well as thence work the results to file criminal charges.

Mr. Schneiderman as well as other attorneys full general get got the powerfulness to convey non exactly administrative, but criminal, charges on the dry soil of the data they strength out of private parties. They thereby dangerously combine the roles of grand jury as well as prosecutor.

File it nether refuse of dominion of law, as well as increasing powerfulness of political officials to quiet opponents.

In to a greater extent than classic gumming-up-the-works, Port-Trucking Firms Run Into Labor Dispute.

The nation’s busiest ports are emerging every bit a telephone substitution battleground inward the legal scrap over whether truck drivers should hold upward counted every bit employees or independent contractors.

Several trucking companies operating at the ports of Long Beach as well as Los Angeles get got filed for bankruptcy protection inward recent months, citing mounting costs to settle hundreds of legal claims. 

This is related to the large scrap whether Uber drivers are contractors or employees. Independent contractors -- every bit chosen past times the companies as well as their drivers -- gives us the consumer cheaper services, as well as allows to a greater extent than liberty to the society as well as workers. Employee condition costs a lot more, makes a few drivers meliorate off, as well as keeps a lot of potential drivers out of the market.

Friday Tesla Can Build All The Cars It Wants. The Real Challenge Could Be Selling Them

Via Forbes, as well as a proficient reminder that thence much damaging regulation is province as well as local. Tesla wants to sell yous cars directly, no-haggle, the agency yous purchase computers.

Tesla is prohibited from selling cars direct to consumers inward many states, including Texas as well as Michigan, where laws protect franchised auto dealers....its direct-to-consumer sales model has run across a buzz saw of province franchise laws..... In a few states, such every bit New Jersey, New York, Ohio as well as Pennsylvania, Tesla won permission to operate a handful of retail locations, as well as no more. But dealer merchandise groups are objecting. In to a greater extent than or less states, they’ve filed arrange to block retail licenses granted to Tesla; inward others, they’ve proposed legislation that would preclude Tesla from obtaining such licenses.