In the Public Interest

Several million home smoke detectors will be sold this year, yet the torrid sales pace of the past three years still has not reached its peak. Added to the natural desire of people to be alerted to a home fire before it is too late are many state building codes requiring the installation of such…

DETROIT–The huge Hydra-Matic plant of General Motors in nearby Willow Run sprawls over a mile like a bustling town. More than 11,000 workers on three shifts labor there for the world’s largest automaker. Recently, a petition circulated throughout the factory that proved quite popular. About 6,000 workers signed it. The petition’s demands were quite modest…

Cartoonist Paul Conrad pictured it well. He drew the House of Representa­tives and titled it the “Anti-Consumer Protection Agency” for its voting against a small but effective consumer represen­tation office within the federal govern­ment. The vote — 227 to 189 against HR 9718 — reaffirmed the heightened role of busi­ness campaign contributions in buying or…

Ever since I took Allegheny Airlines to court for passenger overbooking, consumers, busi­nessmen and families have told me about their frustrations over arriving with confirmed reservations at the airline gate only to be turned away. Tens of thousands of air passengers every year experience overbooking and the fragility of the term “confirmed reservation.” The air­lines…

“The central question is: Who owns this House?” These words were spoken by a veteran member of the House of Representa­tives at a recent meeting with Speaker Tip 0′-Neill and a large number of consumer, elderly, union and community groups gathered, to support the upcoming consumer protection legislation. The House vote this month will bring…

We are at that time of the year when Superhype of the Super Bowl forms over the communications media. More than a professional sports event, it is viewed by large corporations as an occasion to peddle their influence. Celebrities, politicians and promoters adorn the glistening, well-lubricated pre-game parties underwritten by companies. Television advertising goes for…

In 1904, during the massive Baltimore fire which destroyed over 1,500 buildings, firefighters from surrounding cities and towns rushed to help only to learn that their hoses did not fit Baltimore’s hydrants. Those frustrated fireman were reminded of the importance of standards. It is time for consumers to be more aware of the uses and…

Every day we receive inquiries from people all over the country asking for information about their consumer programs. Motorists want to know whether their car model has been recalled for a defect. Worried householders ask what rights they have against commercial movers that they believe treated them unfairly. Other consumers want to report a hazardous…

Jimmy Carter should meet Freddie Laker. The jolly chairman of Laker Airways could re­gale him with stories about the differences be­tween capitalists and corporatists. As a British capitalist, Mr. Laker is making heaps of money these days by transporting people back ‘and forth between New York and London at less than half the price the…

Washington has been described as a place where many people work to complicate the simple and postpone the complicated. In a recent article on the role of former public interest advocates in the Carter Administration, David Cohen, president of Common Cause, did a good job of complicating the simple. He distinguishes a different role for…