In the Public Interest

It started in May 1976 and ended last month in a resounding victory for consumers in California with far-reaching effects on other states. Ten years ago, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charged Levi Strauss & Co. with pressuring retailers to set higher prices for jeans in violation of federal antitrust laws. In late 1977 the…

The export of American jobs is no longer restricted to blue-collar workers. While everyone is aware that U.S. corporations have been moving their factories and investments overseas — one Pennsylvania banker accused them of abandoning America — and selling their products back in this country, few people are aware that the next big move could…

It did not happen in World War I or World War II or during the Great Depression. But it is happening under Ronald Reagan’s gargantuan deficit and twisted priorities. The Library of Congress is cutting its hours of service from 77 1/2 hours to 54 1/2 hours per week. Responding to a $18.3 million cut…

With Senator Kennedy on their side, the U.S. drug companies are making their move on the Senate floor soon to pass S. 1848. This legislation would allow drug companies to sell to foreign countries pharmaceuticals which are not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). For years the U.S. has stood alone among…

General Motors boss, Roger Smith, finally has had to eat crow on the air bag issue. It must have been a wrenching experience for the stubborn auto executive to open the doors to his engineers who have been straining at the bit to save lives on the highway but could not get a “go” signal…

Have you noticed the prices of prescription drugs lately? Some of these brand name drugs are costing patients ten to twelve percent more just since early January. And since 1961 drug prices hove gone up fifty-six percent — twice the rate of inflation in the Consumer Price Index. It has been some years since a…

Blaming everybody but themselves, as they arbitrarily cancel policies or rocket their premiums five or ten fold while reducing coverage, these companies, soaring with profits, are hoping that their jolted victims, which include day care centers, municipalities, physicians and many small businesses, will push legislatures to restrict the rights of injured Americans to sue defendants…

By engaging in massive premium gouging, arbitrary cancellations and reduced coverage, the liability insurance industry is trying to enlist legions of panicking small businesses, city governments and professional firms in its drive to pressure legislators to restrict the rights of injured people to sue for damages. Obviously manufacturers in the auto, drug, chemical and other…

This article is first in a series of three articles on the insurance situation Last year the liability insurance companies increased their premiums by another $25 billion — the equivalent of $100 for every man, women and child in the country. On the New York Stock Exchange, the shares of these property casualty companies rose…

Nineteen years ago, a young teenager, Ralf Hotchkiss, had a bad spill when his narrow motorcycle tire caught in a road crevice. He was permanently disabled and shortly thereafter became permanently dedicated to helping invent new technology to assist other disabled people. The first deficiency he noticed was the conventional wheelchair that he rode (Hotchkiss…