The Little Think Tank That Could

Joining industry lobbyists in the battle against government regulations is a small think tank based at George Mason University in Arlington, Va. The Mercatus Center is earning a reputation as a heavyweight in the business of rolling back and softening unpopular rules, responsible for picking 14 of 23 rules targeted by the Bush White House for elimination or modification. "Staffed by veterans of the White House office that reviews and often scales back proposed rules, Mercatus, with its free-market philosophy, has become a kind of shadow regulatory authority," writes the Wall Street Journal. Mercatus' $10,000-plus funders in 2002 include ExxonMobil, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, General Motors, Gillette, Microsoft, Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, the New York Stock Exchange and Pfizer. Also key to Mercatus is Koch Industries. "A Koch family foundation has given Mercatus and George Mason University a total of $14.4 million since 1998, according to public documents analyzed by the Public Education Center, a Washington group that tracks environmental issues. A Koch spokesman says about half of the money went to Mercatus. In addition, the company's chief executive, Charles Koch, donated interests in limited partnerships to Mercatus that the think tank sold last year for $6.1 million. Mr. Koch is a Mercatus director," the Journal reports.