Cato Policy Report, July/August 1995
Cato Events
Will regulation stunt telecom?
Prof. Epstein, Rep. Armey, Miss Manners speak at Cato
Subjects
Sen. Abraham Aides at Roundtable Luncheon
National Missle Defense: Vital Security
Interest or High-tech Boondoggle?
Earth Day at 25: A Progress Report
Toward an American Renaissance with keynote
address by Rep. Tom Delay
Simple Rules for a Complex World by Richard
Epstein -- Book Reception
Time to Privatize Social Security: Lessons from
the Chilean Experience
Adoption in Black and White: The Transracial
Adoption Debate
Miss Manners, Judith Martin discussed
etiquette at unplanned luncheon
Dedication of the F.A. Hayek Auditorium
Richard Epstein at Book Forum
Policy Forum: "Does government corrupt
science? The case of HIV?
13th Annual Monetary Conference
Roundtable Luncheon with former Brazilian
diplomat Jose Osvaldo de Meira Penna
Telecommunications Haves and Haves-Nots --
telecommunications colloquium
Sen. Ashcroft's staff at a roundtable
luncheon
Rep. Shadegg's staff at roundtable luncheon
The Exit Tax: Tax Fairness or an American
Berlin Wall?
In Defense of Derivatives
The Libertariun Legacy of Thomas Jefferson
Postal Service in the 21st Century: Time to
Privatize?
APRIL 17: Legislative aides to Sen. Spencer Abraham
(R-Mich.) discussed policy issues of mutual interest with the
Cato staff at a Roundtable Luncheon.
APRIL 18: Two authorities on
national security debated "NATIONAL MISSILE DEFENSE: VITAL
SECURITY INTEREST OR HIGH-TECH BOONDOGGLE?" at a Policy
Forum.
Sven F. Kraemer, former director of arms control for the National
Security Council, argued that the lack of a space defense against
nuclear attack is a shameful and inexplicable failure of U.S. policymakers.
Eugene F. Carroll Jr., deputy director of the Center for Defense
Information, said a missile defense would upset the arms-control
process, which is aimed at dismantling the Russian nuclear arsenal.
APRIL 19: A Policy Forum looked at "EARTH DAY AT 25: A PROGRESS REPORT ON AMERICA'S STRUGGLE TO 'SAVE THE PLANET.'" Ronald Bailey, editor of THE TRUE STATE OF THE PLANET, said that all indicators of material well-being, including food supplies and air quality, are positive and that a second wave of environmentalism will be optimistic and in favor of property rights. On the downside, Timothy Lynch, assistant director of Cato's Center for Constitutional Studies, said basic constitutional liberties are being sacrificed in the name of prosecuting environmental crimes.
APRIL 19: Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Tex.) was the keynote speaker at an Institute seminar and dinner entitled "TOWARD AN AMERICAN RENAISSANCE" in Austin, Texas. Also on the program were Cato president Edward H. Crane, Edward Hudgins, director of regulatory studies, and Michael Tanner, director of health and welfare studies.
APRIL 25: A reception was held in New York City to honor the publication of Cato adjunct scholar Richard Epstein's new book, SIMPLE RULES FOR A COMPLEX WORLD.
APRIL 27: Jose Pinera, who as Chile's minister of labor privatized the state pension system, spoke on "TIME TO PRIVATIZE SOCIAL SECURITY: LESSONS FROM THE CHILEAN EXPERIENCE" at a Policy Forum. Pinera, president of the International Center for Pension Reform, explained that workers who put money into private investments, rather than the state's pay-as-you-go pension system, fuel economic growth and wind up with larger retirement incomes.
MAY 2: "ADOPTION IN BLACK AND WHITE: THE TRANSRACIAL ADOPTION DEBATE" was the subject of a Policy Forum. Rita Simon, author of THE CASE FOR TRANSRACIAL ADOPTION, said her studies over 20 years show no adverse effects or loss of racial identity as a result of transracial adoption. Conna Craig, president of the Institute for Children, noted that tens of thousands of children languish in foster homes while transracial (and other) restrictions keep thousands of potential parents waiting.
MAY 4: Judith Martin, who writes the syndicated "Miss Manners" column, discussed etiquette as unplanned social orderduring a ROUNDTABLE LUNCHEON with members of the Cato policy staff.
MAY 9: A black-tie dinner was held on the occasion of the dedication of the F. A. HAYEK AUDITORIUM. Rep. Dick Armey (R-Tex.) praised Cato and defended immigration as healthy for the nation. Cato senior fellow Gerald P. O'Driscoll Jr., an economist and Hayek scholar, spoke about the importance of the work of the Nobel laureate. Milton Friedman delivered remarks by videotape.
MAY 10: At a Book Forum celebrating publication of his new book, SIMPLE RULES FOR A COMPLEX WORLD (Harvard University Press/Cato Institute), Professor Richard Epstein of the University of Chicago Law School explained that government should "establish the rules of the road" but should not "determine the composition of the traffic."
MAY 18: Bryan Ellison, coauthor of WHY WE WILL NEVER WIN THE WAR ON AIDS, spoke on "DOES GOVERNMENT CORRUPT SCIENCE? THE CASE OF HIV" at a Policy Forum. Ellison argued that centralization of medical research by the federal government reinforces the tendency to assume that all diseases are caused by germs. As a result, AIDS research is devoted exclusively to studying the human immunodeficiency virus despite serious anomalies in the HIV-AIDS hypothesis.
MAY 25: Cato's 13TH ANNUAL MONETARY CONFERENCE, "Global Monetary Order: What Next?" cosponsored with the Durell Institute, featured top money and banking economists, including Anna J. Schwartz of the National Bureau of Economic Research, Richard H. Timberlake and George Selgin of the University of Georgia , Steve H. Hanke of Johns Hopkins University, Allan H. Meltzer of Carnegie Mellon University, author Judy Shelton, Leland B. Yeager of Auburn University, Alan Walters of AIG Trading Group, and Jerry L. Jordan of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland.
MAY 26: Former Brazilian diplomat Jose Osvaldo de Meira Penna was the guest at a ROUNDTABLE LUNCHEON. He talked with Cato staff members and guests about the pace of economic reform in Brazil and the prospects for the future.
MAY 31: "TELECOMMUNICATIONS HAVES AND HAVE-NOTS" was the title of a telecommunications colloquium cosponsored with the Media Institute. Robert Corn-Revere, an attorney specializing in First Amendment law, said that regulation, in the name of universal access, of new technologies with as-yet-unknown capabilities will stunt development of those technologies. Debra Berlyn, executive director of the National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates, argued that government regulation is needed to keep prices low enough to ensure access to services for low-income people. Wayne Leighton of the Center for the Study of Market Processes responded that universal-access regulation would require mandated cross-subsidization, which today creates inefficiency in telephone service. Vic Sussman, senior editor at U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT, said regulation of cyberspace is objectionable because it is control of human communication.
JUNE 1: Members of the staff of Sen. John Ashcroft (R-Mo.) discussed a variety of policy issues with Cato policy staff at a ROUNDTABLE LUNCHEON.
JUNE 2: Members of the staff of Rep. John Shadegg (R-Ariz.) met with the Cato policy staff at a ROUNDTABLE LUNCHEON to discuss issues of mutual interest.
JUNE 5: A Policy Forum entitled "THE EXIT TAX: TAX FAIRNESS OR AN AMERICAN BERLIN WALL?" looked at the Clinton administration's proposed "expatriate tax," which is intended to make money from people who give up their citizenship and leave the country. Steve Symms, former Republican senator from Idaho, said the exit tax violates human rights by confiscating property as people leave the country. He called for cutting the tax rates that induce people to emigrate. According to tax attorney David Rosenbloom, the exit tax simply closes a loophole that benefits wealthy people trying to escape taxation.
JUNE 6: "IN DEFENSE OF DERIVATIVES" was the title of a Policy Forum that examined derivative financial instruments, which have become controversial in the wake of the bankruptcies of Orange County, California, and Britain's Barings Bank. Christopher L. Culp, a financial risk management consultant, said poor decisions about using derivatives do not indict the instruments themselves and warned of the government failures intrinsic to financial regulation. Robert J. Mackay, director of the Center for the Study of Futures and Options Markets at Virginia Polytechnic Institute, said any risk to the economy from derivative investments is small and that the market is educating investors and derivatives managers about the potential risks.
JUNE 6: "THE LIBERTARIAN LEGACY OF THOMAS JEFFERSON" was outlined by David N. Mayer, professor of law and history at Capital University, Columbus, Ohio, and author of THE CONSTITUTIONAL THOUGHT OF THOMAS JEFFERSON. Mayer said the key to Jefferson's philosophy was not his dedication to democracy but his devotion to individual liberty and limited government.
JUNE 14: A Cato conference examined "POSTAL SERVICE IN THE 21ST CENTURY: TIME TO PRIVATIZE?" After a keynote speech by Postmaster General Marvin T. Runyon, a series of speakers, pro and con, looked at the case for turning mail delivery over to private enterprise. They included Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), Gene Del Polito of the Advertising Mail Marketing Association, Thomas DiLor-enzo of Loyola College, Rick Geddes of Fordham University, former senior assistant postmaster general Murray Comarow, and Douglas K. Adie of Ohio University, author of the Cato book MONOPOLY MAIL.
This article originally appeared in the July/August 1995 edition of Cato Policy Report.