In the Public Interest

In the pantheon of 20th Century American leaders, Esther Peterson, who passed away Saturday at the age of 91, occupied a uniquely versatile place. Few if any individuals made so many significant contributions for so long on behalf of workers, consumers and women in so many diverse arenas-including government, civic and business. Her range included…

I could scarcely believe the huge headline in the movie section of the December 7th New York Times. The full page ad screamed “12 DAYS TILL CHRIS-MOUSE.” Below it was the head of a little rat leaning over a dark wall on which was emblazoned the title of the movie — Mouse Hunt, now playing…

A relative of mine, who has young children, asked me recently to give her a list of “attributes and talents” that her offspring should possess before they reach the age of eighteen. Here are my suggestions: 1. They should understand why they should respect their parents who spend much time nurturing, teaching and loving them.…

The business pages are full of stories about people’s socialism (taxpayers) coming to the rescue of imploding corporate capitalism. Stock markets in Asia and North America go up when government ministers and potentates at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) indicate taxpayer bailouts are on the way. Just in the past three weeks, the Japanese government…

He was unusual from the start — Ralf Hotchkiss — wheelchair liberator for the world. I first met Ralf at Oberlin College over 25 years ago where he was majoring in physics and moving about the campus in a wheelchair after a bicycle accident rendered him a paraplegic in high school. After graduation he came…

It’s been a long cold barren winter for liberals, progressives and populists. Three years of a Congress dominated by the extreme right wing elements of the Republican Party. A President who appears more comfortable as an Eisenhower Republican than as the leader of a progressive Democratic Party. A media that has largely abandoned its role…

Since more cable channels are coming to peoples’ homes, how about one devoted round-the-clock to corporate wrongdoing? There is plenty enough news about the misbehavior of companies that cheats consumers, harms workers, corrupts government and pollutes the environment to make the 24 hour channel a hot item on the remote control. One can hardly open…

Two days after this year’s election, the New York Times published a list of the results of notable election campaigns, including ballot measures across the country. Missing from the list was an important ballot measure to workers: An Ohio proposal to gut the state’s workers’ compensation system, the system that provides medical benefits and compensation…

Recently, I was talking with a New York City cab driver whose passion was baseball. We spoke about a Yankee pitcher and I mentioned that he was quick off the mound and was a good fielder. The cabbie then began a broad evaluation noting his various pitches, windup style, how he worked under pressure, his…

This has not been a great month for Microsoft. The monopolistically determined ruler of computer software, (the $40 billionaire, Bill Gates) must have known that his software bundling tactics, his predatory pricing forays, and his multiple intimidations of the companies he deals with would eventually invite responses. With Microsoft controlling about 90% of the operating…