When you think about a highly aggressive cartel teaming up with politicians to pass protectionist laws that kick entrepreneurs out of work, you probably don’t think about interior designers.

But you should.

The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) represents less than 3 percent of all designers, but its members have designated themselves as spokespeople for the entire industry. ASID has spent over 30 years and millions of dollars lobbying from coast to coast for interior design licensing schemes.  Not surprisingly, the schemes they propose would force all interior designers to have the exact same credentials as required for membership in ASID.

The group has worked relentlessly to enlist state legislatures in its campaign for total industry cartelization. The Institute for Justice has documented these efforts in a study titled “Designing Cartels.”

Florida is ground zero right now in this epic battle.

(more…)

Just how unusual is the current spending debate on Capitol Hill? Based on the size and scope of the GOP’s proposed cuts, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said you’d have to go back to World War II to find such reductions in federal spending.

Spending debates in Washington usually end the same way — with more federal spending. The federal government today spends more on a per-household basis than ever before — a staggering $31,088.

That number is expected only to increase in the years to come. It’s one reason Republicans prevailed in November and why they’ve made spending cuts one of their first acts of the 112th Congress.

As the focus shifts from the size of the cuts to a defense of them, expect to hear plenty of fear-mongering from Democrats. It started last week when Senate Democrats began floating the possibility of a government shutdown.

Judging from recent comments by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Democrats are hoping to reprise the budget battle of 1995. In that case, a Republican-led Congress squared off against a Democrat president — and the GOP lost.

(more…)

Attention Santas:

This missive is directed at the guardians of, and donors to, tiny humans. If you fall into that category you likely are already familiar with Build-A-Bear, a world-wide corporation that provides the most innocent of services. They sell customizable stuffed animals. Make your own bear, dog…penguin. Cute concept.

So cute, in fact, that the Build-A-Bear empire sweeps across nearly every state and into 17 other countries. You’ll find their outlets in shopping malls everywhere and even some ballparks. The company also has a website called Build-A-Bearville.com where children can play an interactive video game that, on it’s surface, is unlikely to raise suspicion or sound alarms.

But when your unsuspecting tot logs on and hops a virtual train to the North Pole…you should know that he or she will be informed — by Santa Claus — that Christmas may be canceled this year due to Global Warming. Below is part two of the 3-part video.