Outside the Beltway

In, “Squeezing out the doctor,” The Economist looks at the future of medicine and sees a declining role for physicians.

We should want more voters, not less, if we actually value representaitve democracy.

Trying to open a new business can be a massive and costly headache.

A new patent granted to Apple raises once again the question of how far patent protections should extend.

Obama’s Justice Department continues its crackdown on medical marijuana, despite campaign promises to the contrary.

The Hoover Institution’s Henry I. Miller, MD takes to National Review to take on the subject of “Gardasil and the GOP.”

Government workers are among society’s favorite whipping boys. Why?

A new Tim Pawlenty television ad is raising copyright issues rather than, as intended, bringing back memories of the 80s.

Government is inextricably linked to the marriage business.

Tim Pawlenty may face trouble from a pardon he issued while he was Governor of Minnesota.

When one realizes that Trump is basically a brand, rather than anything else, his PR foray into politics makes more sense.

Requiring people with ethical conflicts to disclose them leads to more bad behavior, not less, a new study finds.

The iconic WKRP in Cincinnati is not being syndicated or available on DVD in its original format because it’s classic rock soundtrack is hamstrung by copyright laws and music licensing fees.

It’s not the size of your government that counts — it’s what you do with it that matters.

Viacom says a lower court ruling in favor of Google “would radically transform the functioning of the copyright system and severely impair, if not completely destroy, the value of many copyrighted creations.”

The American copyright system is broken. Cory Doctorow offers some useful suggestions for fixing it.

The IRS wants to license tax preparers but exempt lawyers and CPAs from the requirement.

Despite constantly hiring more examiners, the patent application backlog is 728,044 and it takes 6 years to get a decision.

Despite raking in billions of dollars in television, ticket, and licensing revenues, all but 14 of the 106 schools in the NCAA’s top athletic division lost money in 2009. The median loss was over $10 million.

Why do we need to license barbers, again?

According to health inspectors in Portland, Oregon, this little girl is potentially a threat to your health and safety.

Oakland marijuana growers worry that regulation will turn their product from a niche specialty to a mass market commodity.

Virginia’s governor wants the state to get out of the liquor business after 76 years. It’s about time.