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[ More Commentary ]
"Prison Terms for Not Installing ADA Ramps?"
by Walter Olson
"Questions and Thoughts on the Mortgage Settlement"
by Mark A. Calabria
"Cochrane on ObamaCare’s Contraceptive-Coverage Mandate"
by Michael F. Cannon
Appeals Court Rules Gay Marriage Ban Unconstitutional
A three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that California's ban on same-sex marriage — enacted in 2008 in a popular vote on Proposition 8 — violates the constitutional right to equal protection. Cato's chairman Robert A. Levy, also co-chair of the advisory board to the American Foundation for Equal Rights (which sponsored the suit) comments: "[It's] a narrow but important step in the right direction. But it does not settle the more significant question whether states may grant benefits to heterosexual couples while granting less or no benefits to homosexual couples."
- "Gay Marriage Still Has an Uphill Climb," by Robert A. Levy
- "Appeals Court Upholds Gay Marriage, Sort Of," by Ilya Shapiro
- "Marriage Equality for All Couples," by Robert A. Levy and John D. Podesta
- "The Constitutional Case for Marriage Equality," Cato Video
Fixing Mortgage Finance: What to Do with the Federal Housing Administration?
While Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, and private subprime lenders have deservedly garnered the bulk of attention and blame for the mortgage crisis, other federal programs also distort our mortgage market and put taxpayers at risk of having to finance massive financial bailouts. In a new paper, Cato scholar Mark A. Calabria argues that one such agency, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), should be scaled back immediately, and an emphasis should be placed on improving its credit quality. "At the same time," says Calabria, "the agency should be placed on a path to ultimately be eliminated, with its risk-taking being transferred back to the private sector."
- "Fixing Mortgage Finance: What to Do with the Federal Housing Administration?," by Mark A. Calabria
Tough Targets: When Criminals Face Armed Resistance from Citizens
The ostensible purpose of gun control legislation is to reduce firearm deaths and injuries. But if policymakers are truly interested in harm reduction, they should pause to consider how many crimes are thwarted each year by ordinary persons with guns. A new paper from Clayton E. Cramer and David Burnett uses a collection of news reports of self-defense with guns over an eight-year period to survey the circumstances and outcomes of defensive gun uses in America. The authors conclude that the vast majority of gun owners are ethical and competent, and tens of thousands of crimes are prevented each year by ordinary citizens with guns.
- "Tough Targets: When Criminals Face Armed Resistance from Citizens," by Clayton E. Cramer and David Burnett
- Defensive Gun Use: An Interactive Map
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