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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
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.
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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.
2:09 PM on Thu Oct 4 2007
By Carey
2,058 views,
3 comments
Latest by Rupan: @timmus: Consumer Product Safety Commission more »
news from the swamp
