Free-Market Policy Commentator

Charles Sauer

21 articles 2015–2018

Charles Sauer is a policy commentator and president of the Market Institute, a free-market think tank focused on innovation, technology, and regulatory policy. He contributed articles to The Weekly Standard from 2015 to 2018, writing on topics including data privacy, blockchain technology, energy policy, and government regulation. His work frequently examined the intersection of emerging technologies and public policy from a limited-government perspective.

Welcome to the Fight, President Moon

May 18, 2017 · Today's Blogs, Conservative Newsstand, Magazine

For years, the U.S. market has been much more open to Korean goods than Korea was to U.S. goods. The U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement that went into effect in 2012 was supposed to change this. But that hasn't been the case. And President Trump agrees. In a recent interview he told Reuters, "It's a…

The Net Neutrality Playbook: Obnoxious, Predictable, Sensationalistic, Wrong

April 25, 2017 · Net Neutrality, Conservative Newsstand, Charles Sauer

Spend enough time inside the Beltway, and it seems as though almost all of the contentious policy debates are just repetitions or slight variations of some issue in the past. For example, debates over issues like taxes, spending, and health care have been eerily similar for decades. They stay…

How the Trump Administration Is Working to Clean Up the Messes It Inherited

April 20, 2017 · Regulation, Barack Obama, Conservative Newsstand

Like a bachelor before a date, the Obama administration rushed around during the transition hiding dirty laundry for the incoming administration. And now, almost 100 days in, the Trump team is still working to find and undo a handful of underreported bureaucratic messes left behind.

Cuomo's Opponents Go Nuclear

February 16, 2017 · Energy, New York, Charles Sauer

Like duck targets at a carnival game, the next round of presidential candidates is already lining up. And, maybe because of Donald Trump's success, they are all playing a risky game of over-the-top, leftist one-upmanship. The show is fun to watch, but the unbearable threat of their taxes,…

The Gucci-Lined Path to Tax Reform

February 14, 2017 · Taxes, Conservative Newsstand, tax reform

Sometimes, if you are quiet enough in Washington, D.C., you can hear the distinct sound of supple Gucci leather creaking its way around town. And with the Trump administration now in office, and tax reform again on the horizon, the quiet sound has become a roar. The shoe polish smell alone can be…

Patents, Protection, and Pina Coladas

December 6, 2016 · Intellectual Property, Conservative Newsstand, Charles Sauer

The dream of developing the next best mousetrap, selling it, and then retiring or moving on to create the next big thing is part and parcel of the American vision of success. Strong intellectual property rights are critical to protecting innovation—protections were enshrined in Article 1, Section 8…

The Side Effects of Trump

November 8, 2016 · 2016 Elections, Donald Trump, Conservative Newsstand

Like a new drug commercial with a list of side effects longer than the problem it solves, Donald Trump's campaign is leaving behind a wake of issues for the Republicans, the economy, and public policy in general. Despite Trump's distracting 3 am tweets, his unapologetic sexism, and his contempt for…

Cuomo's Energy Plan Robs From the Poor to Give to the Rich

October 24, 2016 · Energy, New York, Charles Sauer

In advancing public policy, you expect the person who holds the moral high ground to win. The battle is who's able to conquer that high ground and keep it. Unfortunately, the moral high ground is often a matter of perspective, and the political right has been cast far too readily as the villain by…

A Step in the Right Direction on Data Privacy

September 21, 2016 · Charles Sauer, Blog, Data

The Internet has transformed the world so much over the last 20 years that the only constant is news articles that open by declaring how much the Internet has transformed the world.

Bogus Claims of 'Misrepresentation' Will Create a College Tuition Death Spiral

June 20, 2016 · higher education, Charles Sauer, Blog

In its final year, the Obama administration is ramping up efforts to impose regulatory expansions affecting large swaths of the economy. The next target: higher education. The administration is poised to create a college tuition death spiral—and students and taxpayers will pay the price.

Two Republican Lawmakers Are Making American Healthcare Great Again

June 16, 2016 · Charles Sauer, Blog

A frequent—if not entirely fair—criticism of Republican opposition to Obamacare is that the GOP has only said "no!" With few exceptions, the argument goes, the Republicans have fought against healthcare reform without suggesting a substantive alternative of their own.

The Eminent Domain Train

May 23, 2016 · Eminent Domain, Texas, Charles Sauer

In 'Folsom Prison Blues,' Johnny Cash sings, "I hear that whistle blowin'/ I hang my head and cry." The lyric is jarring because trains are about the freedom to travel, not imprisonment.

The Circus of Crony Capitalism

April 22, 2016 · Charles Sauer, Blog

Showman and hustler PT Barnum once said, "The noblest art is that of making others happy." Thus, the simplest way to build a successful business is to follow Barnum's dictum and continue towards it for the life of the company, making your customers and employers happy.

Environmentalists v. Obama's EPA

March 30, 2016 · EPA, Charles Sauer, Blog

There's good news for environmentalism coming out of St. Louis, near the radioactive West Lake Landfill: The community is safe, the EPA has a clean-up plan, and the company that owns the landfill is even paying for it. No one could stop this kind of progress!

Elizabeth Warren Versus the Bond Market

December 8, 2015 · Bonds, Economy, Elizabeth Warren

The left, led by Senator Elizabeth Warren, is now gunning for the bond markets. It isn't a surprise that all markets, including bond markets, move and change with supply and demand. This is a simple principle that guides businesses, investors, and markets around the world. However, much of the left…

The Bitcoin Debate, Forked

September 4, 2015 · Currency, Charles Sauer, Blog

Bitcoin value dropped significantly in August, which proves that Bitcoin and crypto-currency markets are still developing. The value of Bitcoin is tumultuous to put it lightly, but dropping from $256 on August 17th to $200 on the 25th of August is pretty a big deal. Furthermore, this drop happened…

Down Under, But Ahead of the United States

August 20, 2015 · Australia, Charles Sauer, money

The good news is that Australia is close to acknowledging the obvious: Digital currency should be treated as currency. The bad news is that this same thing hasn’t happened in the United States. Bitcoins can now be used to buy almost anything from coffee to surgery, but the government still doesn’t…