Special Features

By Ralph Nader and Marc Rotenberg Last week the Federal Trade Commission scheduled two days of hearings to explore new challenges to consumers in the digital age. The hearings were heralded by incoming chair Joe Simons as the first comprehensive review of the consumer agency’s role in almost two decades. The only problem is that…

The FAA authorization bill, facing a September 30 deadline, includes a provision, section 3129, authorizing the Secretary of Transportation to decide whether fees by the airlines are “unreasonable or disproportionate to the costs incurred.” Skyrocketing airlines fees total nearly $5 billion a year and are the leading cause of airline passenger complaints to Congress. Members…

Nicholas Kachman spent his professional career as a chemical engineer at General Motors from 1957 to 1993, specializing in curtailing toxic hazards in the workplace and into the outside environment by GM. For years he was GM’s technical liaison with the Environmental Protection Agency on regulatory matters. After his retirement, Mr. Kachman wrote in 2015…

August 31, 2018 President Donald Trump White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear President Trump: There is a double peril for consumer safety and our national security for you to ponder during your Labor Day vacation. First, the New York Times reported that China is withholding samples of a dangerous flu virus—the…

Gary Kelly, CEO Southwest Airlines 2702 Love Field Dr. Dallas, TX 75235 Dear Mr. Kelly: Why would an airline company, which is so sensitive to its consumers that it does NOT charge for reservation changes or baggage fees etc. (as other airlines such as Delta, United, and American do), announce that it will no longer…

Chairman Charles Grassley Senate Judiciary Committee U.S. Senate SH-135 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 Dear Chairman Grassley: It’s been a while since our spirited meeting in your office after you came back from a meeting where Senators Schumer and Kerry were defending the “carried interest” tax escape and you amusingly asked, “Why are…

President Donald Trump The White House 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW Washington, DC 20500 Dear President Trump: It has become overwhelmingly clear that your Administration has supported with arms sales, refueling, daily operational logistics and other ways and means the governmental actors opposing the rebels in the Yemeni Civil war. The bombing raids and blockades combine…

May 9, 2018 Dear Member of Congress: Colossal CEO pay harms employees, impedes economic growth, and is a major cause of income inequality in America. CEO pay will continue to skyrocket unless it becomes a major political issue. You have been a consistent critic of excessive CEO compensation. We hope you will consider one proposed…

May 1, 2018 To: Members of Congress From: Ralph Nader, Consumer Advocate Paul Hudson, President, FlyersRights.org We are writing in reference to the airline industry’s influence on members of Congress and how such influence may be manifested through gifts, discounts, perks, and VIP treatment. Such disclosure is critical because Congress wields major authority over the…

May 1, 2018 The Honorable Jeff Sessions Attorney General U.S. Department of Justice Robert F. Kennedy Building 950 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20530 Re: Corporate Crime Database and Annual Report Dear Attorney General Sessions: The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has been clear about the dangers posed by corporate crime. In its strategic plan…