Consumerist
-
recession watch
Bernanke Says The Recession Is "Likely Over"
Good news? Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke says that the recession is over, but that it won't really stop the rise of unemployment — currently at a 26-year high of 9.7%. More » -
literal consumption
Is Cheap Food To Blame For Our Expensive Health Care?
Michael Pollan thinks so. He's got an op-ed in the NYT where he examines the relationship between or expensive health care and our cheap fast food. More » -
credit cards
AmEx, Discover Ditch Overlimit Fees
American Express and Discover will no longer bill customers who exceed their credit limits, according to company spokespeople. The creditors aren't eliminating the fees because they care about their customers. No, they're providing what American Banker calls "the first concrete examples of how a new law will restrict issuers' abilities to turn a profit." The new CARD Act that Congress passed in May requires consumers to opt-in before they can exceed their credit limits. Since overlimit fees, which can reach $39, aren't very profitable for creditors, they decided to ditch the fees altogether. More » -
food safety
Comprehensive Food Safety Reform Moves Forward In Congress
The House Energy and Commerce Committee just approved comprehensive food safety reform, setting it up for consideration on the House floor in the coming months. The Food Safety Enhancement Act was approved by voice vote, indicating bipartisan support and suggesting a relatively smooth passage through the entire House. More » -
rescission
California To Fight Health Insurance Rescissions?
The LA Times is reporting that California Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner will reveal new regulations aimed at stopping a controversial health insurance practice in which customers with costly illnesses are retroactively dropped. More » -
credit card reform
Here's How The CARD Act Will Actually Change Credit Cards
Bob Sullivan at MSNBC—who coincidentally was one of the speakers at our event last night—has published a list of myths and facts about the new credit card bill. His article dispels some of the misinformation that's out there right now about just what the act does, and what card companies are going to do in retaliation. More » -
consumerist goes to washington
Get Informed About Credit Card Reform
As we prepare to talk credit card reform with the Obama folks, we want to make sure you're all able to follow along at home. Inside, we present a cornucopia of fact sheets, charts, and links about the fight for credit card reform. More » -
indiana mortgage brokers
Oh Sh*t! 40% Of Indiana's Mortgage Brokers Lose Their Licenses
40% of Indiana's mortgage brokers have lost their licenses because they did not comply with a new law aimed at "raising the standards" of the mortgage lending industry. The law requires mortgage brokerages to "name a principal broker with at least three years experience who has passed a state exam and will oversee his company's business affairs," says BusinessWeek. Sounds reasonable, doesn't it? More » -
-
health care
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's Thoughts On Health Care Reform
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke shared some thoughts on health care reform from "an economist's perspective" today. He was short on proposals, but did suggest that we concentrate our attention on improving the cost-effectiveness of our health care system: More » -
discrimination
Store Owner Demands Spanish-Speaking Customers Show Social Security Cards
David C. Richardson, the owner of Rhode Island Refrigeration in Providence, Rhode Island, overheard two customers speaking Spanish to each other, so he asked them to produce proof of citizenship. According to them, he then threatened to call Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and make a citizen's arrest, although Richardson denies he picked up the phone, but not that he made the threats. In fact, he says he's done this "fifteen or twenty times" in the past and refuses to do business with those who won't show their Social Security cards. More » -
your government
Senate CPSC Reform Compromise Leaves Everyone Bitter, Unsatisfied
Nobody likes the compromise reached by Senators to reform the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Industry thinks the revised plan goes too far, while consumer groups want more. For now, the compromise would allow the CPSC to operate without a quorum, inject needed cash into the Commission, and provide for several other nifty provisions. More » -
health care
"Overtreated" Says Too Much Healthcare Is Bad For Us
The general theme of the book "Overtreated," the New York Times' pick for best economics book of the year, is that we can cut a significant percentage of our health care costs—"between one fifth and one third," says the author—and not have any impact on our level of health. As a nation, we tend to err on the side of too much treatment, exposing ourselves to unnecessary risks and racking up fees on procedures we could do without. And since doctors depend on a piecemeal approach to earning income, while at the same time dealing with significant financial risks from malpractice suits, they tend to push for more treatment, not less (they need to earn a living while also protecting themselves from accusations of doing too little). More » -
news from the swamp
Liveblogging the Senate Commerce Committee Hearing On CPSC Reform
Starting today at 2:30, the Senate Commerce Committee will take up S. 2045, the CPSC Reform Act of 2007. Beyond reauthorizing the Consumer Product Safety Commission for the next seven years, the Act would:
- Boost the CPSC budget from $62 million to $147 million by 2015;
- Add 80 new staffers;
- Repair the CPSC's decrepit inspection facilities;
- Fund a full slate of 5 Commissioners;
- Increase civil penalties from $8,000 per violation to $250,000;
- Increase the maximum penalty for a series of violations from $1.8 million to a staggering $100 million;
Both CPSC Commissioners are expected to testify, along with a slate of interest groups like U.S. PIRG, Consumer Federation of America, Safe Kids Worldwide, the National Association of Manufacturers, and the oddly named Global Supply Chain Policy Retail Industry Leaders Association.Keep hitting refresh as we watch Congress go Scrooge McDuck and dive into the unlimited tower of gold.
(AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)2:34: Hey, Commerce Committee. Your official webcast link has gone Strom on us. Please fix!
2:39: Ok, it's not video, but we have an audio link that will suffice for the moment. Grrr, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee is underwhelming us with their technology. C-SPAN3 had promised to cover the hearing, but something about Iraq is apparently more important than toys.
More »
2:09 PM on Thu Oct 4 2007
By Carey Alexander
2,137 views, 3 commentsLatest by Rupan: @timmus: Consumer Product Safety Commission more »
-
news from the swamp
FDA Reverses Course, Decides Now Might Not Be The Time To Close Half Its Field Labs
Bowing to pressure from Congress, the FDA has decided not to close more than half of its field labs. The ill-timed plan to consolidate seven of the agency's thirteen labs in the name of efficiency and modernization was already under review by a Presidential panel, and had raised the ire of the powerful Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, John Dingell, who recently introduced legislation to block the reorganization. More »
- 1
1-14 of 14 for "reform"
