In the Public Interest

T.S. Elliot once wrote, “April is the cruelest month. . . .” He wasn’t referring to the unfilled promise of The New York Auto Show – which is featuring “advances” in automotive engineering this week at the Javits Convention Center in New York City. But anyone who has visited this event knows – the distance…

Rising consumer debt- much of it fueled by deceptive credit card operations, predatory lending and other “easy credit” schemes-is casting a dark cloud across the national economy. The numbers paint a sad picture of low, moderate and middle income citizens caught in impossible burdens of debt plus mounting fees and late charges. In the Public…

Perusing through a history book as a college student, I came across a jolting declaration in a footnote by one of the most highly decorated soldier of the twentieth century. He said: “I spent 33 years in the Marines, most of my time being a high-class muscle man for big business, for Wall Street and…

Imagine a businessman, consumer advocate and whistleblower all in one person. He is John Munsell, owner of the family business Montana Quality Foods, Inc. Mr. Munsell charged that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) tried to drive him out of business because he exposed the department’s failure to act on evidence that the giant ConAgra…

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac-the giant government sponsored housing finance corporations-apparently haven’t lost any of their political clout despite the front page stories about their accounting scandals and mismanagement. Members of Congress issued a blizzard of press releases of the standard “shock and dismay” variety last June when Freddie Mac’s top executives were forced to…

“Americans are in love with their cars” is a badly overworked phrase, but it is a cliche that rings the cash registers at car dealers to the tune of $650 billion dollars of new car sales annually. That’s why many consumers are so vulnerable when they roam the car lots. Suddenly, they just have to…

If Sam’s Club can negotiate for lower pharmaceutical prices, why can’t Uncle Sam? Because the approval by the Congress of a new pharmaceutical benefit for Medicare was saddled with a legal provision that prohibits the U.S. government from using its considerable consumer market power to negotiate for lower prices on medicines. Our country already is…

The only remarkable thing about the 2003 energy policy bill greasing its way through Congress has been the energy of the avaricious lobbyists for the oil, gas, coal and nuclear corporations. But then there were tens of billions of dollars in it for them in tax escapes, loan guarantees, and outright subsidies along with weaker…

The only remarkable thing about the 2003 energy policy bill greasing its way through Congress has been the energy of the avaricious lobbyists for the oil, gas, coal and nuclear corporations. But then there were tens of billions of dollars in it for them in tax escapes, loan guarantees, and outright subsidies along with weaker…

The word “chaos” cannot do justice to the omnibus energy legislation properly mired in something called the House- Senate conference. Inside tyranny by the Republicans and the outside full nelson grip on Congress by the oil, gas and coal corporations are driving the Democrats to think about Filibuster. And deservedly, the bill merits defeat. In…