In the Public Interest

For almost the entire first half of the 19th century, a Bostonian by the name of John Chapman took it upon himself to plant apple seeds in wilderness areas, especially in Ohio and Indiana. He became widely known as Johnny Appleseed. Tens of thousands of trees made up his environmental legacy. But Appleseed’s lasting example…

It started with William Agee, chairman of the Bendix corporation, and a large pile of Bendix cash. Rather than invest in new or better products for consumers, Agee decided to take over the aerospace company, Martin Marietta. Martin Marietta objected to its being acquired, in part because company officials did not believe Bendix knew anything…

Highway tragedies following police hot pursuits are in the news again around New York City. On Sept. 10, six teen-agers in a pickup truck were warned by a Bethel, Conn., policeman that they had too many passengers in their vehicle. The youths zoomed ahead with the two of­ficers chasing them at high speeds until the…

One would think that anyone who invented a way to “post-tension” concrete so as to reduce the cost of such building, bridge or highway construction and make these structures last longer without maintenance would have businesses beating a path to the proverbial doorway. Not so, in case of Fred Lang, former Du Pont engineer and…

No less than the Wall Street Journal called it a “radical tactic.” Manville corporation, a financially strong building materials giant, is seeking to escape liability in thousands of asbestos disease cases by filing under Chapter 11 of the federal bankruptcy law. It did so voluntarily, saying that “nothing is wrong with our business (which) will…

Once again, Vice President George Bush is led by the White House’s Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to perpetrate a cruel hoax on the American people. He announces to a crowd of reporters how the administration is saving the public and businesses billions of dollars by scrapping or weakening health and safety standards. Pliant…

A mid-level Reagan administration official could scarcely contain his joy after the president’s victory for a tax increase. “The New Right is finished in this administration,” he declared, noting other defeats and indifference endured by that faction recently. The Reaganites now think they have a solid position in Middle America. But coming up fast over…

It was not your typical political candidate’s radio advertisement. But then it was not your typical candidate. The ad started with a professional auctioneer auctioning off a U.S. Senate seat. Then the candidate, 31-year-old Tom Ryan of St. Louis, says, “Wait a minute. It is time to take democracy off the auction block.” He asked…

WASHINGTON, D.C.–On July 15, 1982, with wars overseas and deep recession and unemployment at home, President Ronald Reagan met with his Cabinet to decide whether to curb the compensation rights of corporate victims in America. On the table was a proposal to federalize the various state laws that apply to conflicts between injured people and…

When Ronald Reagan was asking for your vote in 1980, he did not tell you that, if elected, he would put more powdered bone in your hot dogs, sausages, bologna and assorted luncheon meats. But he did say he would get the government off the meat industry’s back. In 1982 that assurance means that consumers…