Congress

GM Almost Out Of Cash, Looks To Washington For Bailout

GM is running out of money and may not have enough cash to continue running its business. They've burned through $6.8 billion in the last quarter and will exhaust their reserves by the end of 2008 without government intervention or a significant increase in auto sales. Which sounds more likely to you? More »

1:13 PM on Fri Nov 7 2008
By Meg Marco
9,231 views, 210 comments

Most discussed Canino: Hurray for union contracts! more »

op-ed

Pro-Consumer Regulation Needs Real Teeth So You Can Sue The Jerks

If the recent economic meltdown has a bright spot, it is the possibility that smart regulation may return. There will always be those who will cheat if they can, putting both consumers and the market at risk. It cannot function properly without regulation to prevent cheating and ensure consumers are getting a fair deal. But without a private right of action and attorney fees, consumer protection regulations are nearly worthless. A "private right of action" means...

Sam Glover is a consumer rights lawyer, enemy of shady debt collectors, previous Consumerist contributor, and writes the Caveat Emptor blog. This is the first of his new column for Consumerist, appearing the first Monday of every month. More »

12:00 PM on Mon Nov 3 2008
By Sam Glover
2,611 views, 41 comments

Most discussed JustThatGuy3: I agree on the attorney's fees portion, but it needs to go both ways. If you sue a company, and more »

text messages

Wireless Carriers Tell Senate: "Text Messaging Rates Have Dropped, And Your Queries Have Led To Lawsuits Against Us!"

The national wireless carriers have responded to the Senate's request for information on why its text-messaging fees have doubled over the past three years. Their collective response: they haven't gotten more expensive, they've gotten cheaper—and your public suspicion of our business practices has led to lots of class action lawsuits! More »

9:04 PM on Mon Oct 13 2008
By Chris Walters
15,830 views, 82 comments

Most discussed humphrmi: Here's an easy way to fix the problem (this statement is targeted to the wireless carriers): When someone sends 10 messages more »

Main Street

What Does The Bailout Mean For You?

So, Congress finally passed the bailout bill. You know about the Treasury's newfound $700 billion, and you've heard about the snipped golden parachutes, but what does the 451-page week-old shotgun savior of a bill actually mean for you? More »

9:30 PM on Sun Oct 5 2008
By Carey
19,713 views, 93 comments

everybody dance now

Pandora, Other Internet Radio Stations May Survive After All

Assuming negotiations succeed, you'll have your Pandora to listen to after all. On Tuesday, Congress passed the Webcaster Settlement Act, which gives Internet radio stations like Pandora until February 2009 to reach a new royalty agreement with copyright holders; if they meet the deadline, the government will not interfere, which is great news since it was the gov's Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) that set the current market-killing fees in the first place. More »

10:59 AM on Fri Oct 3 2008
By Chris Walters
2,679 views, 21 comments

Most discussed BrianDaBrain: Thanks for the cute kitten, Chris. Making my day already. more »

your government

How To Write To Congress

Writing to Congress is the single best way to express your view on public policy. The average consumer has a surprising ability to influence legislation by crafting a well written missive. Let's find out what the common mistakes to avoid are, how the process works, and the best ways to ensure your letter has the greatest impact. More »

4:10 PM on Tue Sep 23 2008
By Carey
27,653 views, 47 comments

Most discussed egoldin: Here's a question. I'd love to write a letter (as opposed to an email), but my handwriting sucks. Like, it's more »

mortgage meltdown

Finance Officials Beg Congress To Give Them $700 Billion

Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. was not warmly received at today's bailout hearing when he stared down an angry and disenchanted Senate Banking Committee. Federal Reserve chairman, Ben S. Bernanke, who appeared with Mr. Paulson, warned that unless Congress gave Mr. Paulson $700 billion that "inaction could lead to a recession." Oooh, they said the "R" word.... More »

2:26 PM on Tue Sep 23 2008
By Meg Marco
5,990 views, 111 comments

Most discussed craptastico: why is everyone blaming Bush for this? It's when Clinton signed the Gramm Leach Billey act into law in 1999, more »

text messaging

Congress Asks Wireless Carriers To Justify Text Message Rate Increases

This week, Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI) asked the top wireless carriers—AT&T, Verizon Wireless, Sprint, and T-Mobile—to explain why they doubled the cost of sending text messages over the past 3 years. They have until October 6th to respond.

The similar price increases, coming at similar times, Kohl said, "is hardly consistent with the vigorous price competition we hope to see in a competitive marketplace."

More »

1:54 PM on Wed Sep 10 2008
By Chris Walters
9,395 views, 123 comments

Most discussed Colage: Why does the cost to the companies matter? Does anyone care that it costs 30 cents to make a $4 more »

auto industry

Washington Considering $25 Billion Loan Handout For U.S. Auto Makers

What do you do when your industry starts to go belly up and you can't make enough revenue to stay afloat? If you're a short-sighted U.S. auto maker, you beg the government for $25-50 billion in immediate, low-interest loans in order to retool your plants, so you can start producing the hybrid cars you should have been planning years ago. More »

2:46 PM on Tue Sep 9 2008
By Chris Walters
4,126 views, 107 comments

Most discussed everfade: This if pretty f*kn ridiculous! If you make bad business choices then you pay the price for it. I'm so more »

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