In the Public Interest

It was 3 a.m. Saturday, two days after this past 4th of July on a rural two-lane road southwest of Irwinton, Georgia. Pulpwood laborer, Joseph Anderson, 26, was driving home in his 1974 Oldsmobile Delta 86. He did not know the road well; it was dark and when a sharp right turn came up Anderson…

During several debates with representatives f the atomic power industry in the mid Seventies, I was asked what they thought was the clincher question for their side: “What would replace nuclear power?” (At that time, ten percent f electricity production was nuclear, now it is 12%.) I replied: “With several alternatives, starting first and foremost…

The every ten years of malpractice insurance crisis is off and running. Insurance companies are canceling policies for some specialists or raising their premium two, three, four even six fold. One Maryland physician, with a clean record, saw his insurance bill this year go from $6000 to over $40,000. Physicians in some states, such as…

I just received a news release from a corporate public relations firm in New York which reads as follows: “SCENTRON is here and Bloomingdales has it! For the first time ever, America’s favorite department store will offer an automobile accessory. But in true Bloomingdales style, it’s not just any accessory. “SCENTRON is a replacement for…

The insurance industry is gambling for high stakes. By massively canceling policies or refusing to sell coverage without 300% to 1000% increases for many day care centers, nurse-midwives, transit authorities, physicians, municipalities, fishing fleets — to name a few sectors of the economy, the industry is betting that the resultant pressure will lead to the…

An increasing number of people have been complaining to us about receiving medical, utility, repair and other bills that they cannot figure out. Some of these bills come unitemized; others contain overcharges or charges for phantom services. Still other bills, printed out by the friendly no-fault computer, are inscrutable enough to qualify as a foreign…

Augusta, Maine — Looking at the Maine Summer Institute is to see how a tradition enriching our society’s civic tradition can get started. About fifteen civic leaders — from as far away as Britain, Argentina and Brazil — come together for a week of discussions, meetings with state officials and members of the public. This…

It started in such a small way in 1978. Paul Perdue wrote a check out to his electric company in San Francisco. Unbeknownst to him, another check made out to him that he had deposited in his own account to provide funds for paying the utility bill had bounced. So in turn his check bounced.…

DETROIT—Who lost Saturn? The recriminations have started among the politicians in the Motor State. What more could Michigan have offered General Motors to locate its new plant here instead of rural Spring Hill, Tennessee, a town of 1,000 people some 30 miles from Nashville. The City of Flint offered General Motors a tax subsidy plus…

Why do so many state laws make it so difficult and costly for independent and minor party candidates to get on the ballot? The official reason for such restrictions is that voters must be protected from frivolous candidates. The real reasons are: the Republican and Democratic Parties. They want to monopolize ballot access to the…