One problem (there are many, many others) is that all kinds of complicated rules shave off so much of the return in those good stock-market year that the protection in bad years comes at a very stiff price.

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Hi-Crush's IPO follows a week in which investors sought stiff price cuts on three of the four IPOs that debuted.

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New cars are subject to a stiff tax ranging from 40% to 60% of the base price, a surcharge imposed by the local government to discourage road-system gridlock.

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Similarly, while the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) could use its authority under Obamacare to pass a regulation that states simply that all Americans have a right to know the price of their health care, this too would take time and could encounter stiff political resistance.

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Besides, the carmakers say stiff new mileage requirements, a fleetwide 35mpg by 2020, are compelling them to build smaller cars regardless of the price of gas.

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