In the Public Interest

If you are a cash customer, why should you pay the same price for a product or service as a credit card customer? In order to subsidize the credit card industry is one answer. But the astute consumer answer is that you should pay less. All legal obstacles to your paying less for cash purchases…

“It is now possible to mass-produce and market foods with extra flavor, extra nutrients, extra purity, at less cost with less energy, with societal and ecological benefits as well.” These words were written by Gwynn Garnett, a working Virginia farmer with a remarkable background. After growing up on a Wyoming ranch, he worked in agriculture…

Congress is about to decide how much more to permit the oil and gas barons to take out of the consumers’ and taxpayer hide. The struggle on Capitol Hill is not over the gouges; it is over whether the gouges will be big or super big. What is remarkable about this nar­row focus by our…

George J. Schultz is a hard-working young San Diego lawyer who wants to drive your meat prices down. He believes that bribery of meat inspectors, deliberate misgrading of meat and payoffs within the $38-billion meat industry are costing consumers and ranchers huge amounts of money every year. Prosecutions and admissions arising out of lawsuits and…

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…