Michael Baroody withdrew his nomination for head of the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Government Policy
Debt Collectors Punch Mom In Face While 5 Year-Old Watches
By 5.23.07
We realize that you need to repossess that 2000 Ford Focus, but it’s just not necessary to punch a woman in the face in front of her 5 year-old daughter. The woman, Sara Bradley, 25, was was sitting in her car when a debt collector trying to repossess the vehicle attacked her, grabbing her necklace and punching her in the face, according to the Boston Globe.
FDA Approves Birth Control That Eliminates Periods
By 5.23.07
The FDA has just approved a new type of birth control pill that totally eliminates your period, according to the WSJ. Trouble is, that idea freaks some consumers out. According to the WSJ Health Blog about half of women polled “agreed with the statement that their period comforts them because ‘it lets me know I am not pregnant.'” Poppycock, we say! Buy a pregnancy test.
FDA Knew About Potentially Lethal Diabetes Drug Since Last August, Said Nothing
By 5.22.07
The study was outed yesterday on the New England Journal of Medicine’s website. The editors of the journal and the study’s lead author both warned that the research methodology left the “findings open to interpretation.”
FTC To Investigate Deceptive Youth-Oriented Advertising Practices, Like KFC's "21st Century Dinner Bell," Audible Only To Kids
By 5.22.07
A report damning the coercive and deceptive practices used by food marketers to reach kids has been submitted to the FTC. The Commission plans to investigate how the food industry markets to children and adolescents; information requests, Commission-speak for subpoenas, have been sent to 44 companies that manufacture, market, and distribute foods and beverages.
Should Beer Be Labeled "Organic" If It's Made With Non-Organic Hops?
By 5.22.07
The more we continue to live and breathe on this earth the more we realize that the term “organic” is really just code for “awesome marketing idea.”
Opt Out Of Comcast's Arbitration Agreement
By 5.21.07
If you’re a Comcast customer and in the event of a dispute, want to retain your right to sue Comcast in a court of law in a trial by judge or jury, a right afforded to you by the Constitution, rather than go by the decision of an arbitration company Comcast hires to mediate your dispute, fill out this opt-out form.
Bank Of America Sues ID Theft Victim For $23,312.04
By 5.21.07
When you are the victim of fraud, you assume that your biggest friend will be your bank. They’re the ones that are supposed to help you put your life back together.
Chinese Poison Train Declared Unstoppable: Next Stop, You!
By 5.21.07
Poison toothpaste, killer cough-syrup, and tainted pet food are the tip of the disgusting iceberg of yuck heading our way from China. Over the past four months, the FDA has rejected 298 shipments from China that included “filthy” fruits, cancer-causing shrimp, and “poisonous” swordfish.
Want To Drive In The HOV Lane Without Passengers? The EPA Has A Rule For You
By 5.20.07
The EPA has proposed a rule that would allow drivers of fuel-efficient vehicles to use the high occupancy vehicle lanes without bringing along those pesky carpoolers. Most states require at least two occupants for a vehicle to travel in the HOV lane.
Chinese Poison Train Rolls On: Next Stop, Panamanian Toothpaste
By 5.20.07
6,000 tubes of toothpaste in Panama have been found to contain diethylene glycol, a poison used in solvents and antifreeze. The poison appears to have originated in China.
Best Buy Stole My Computer!
By 5.18.07
The young man behind the counter told me that the techs weren’t in yet, but that he would take down my info by hand and the computer and that they would call me when they came in for the day. (I figured if it was more then a couple hundred I would just spring for a new one). Well, at noon today having not heard back I called over to find out the status, and the gentleman who I spoke to told me, and this is a quote “We dont have that computer”.
Uh. What? Read E’s entire email inside.
Walmart, Menu Foods, Del Monte Sued Over Pet Food Debacle
By 5.18.07
Schwinger alleges that his dog Sandy, an otherwise healthy 2-year-old, had to be euthanized as a result of eating Menu Foods’ Ol’ Roy Pet Food and Del Monte’s Canine Carry-out Bacon Bite, which were purchased at a Wal-Mart store in Cassville.
Bank of America Sued For Race Discrimination
By 5.18.07
The plaintiffs, who seek class-action status, said Bank of America had disproportionately “steered” African-Americans bankers and brokers to largely minority or low-net-worth clients.
Detecting Synthetic Identity Fraud
By 5.17.07
It’s bad enough when ID thieves steal your persona, but what happens when they use your information to create an entirely different person? A fake person? Bankrate has an article about detecting and protecting yourself from this type of scam. It’s called “synthetic identity fraud.” From Bankrate:
Synthetic fraud is quickly becoming the more common type of identity fraud, surpassing “true-name” identity fraud, which corresponds to actual consumers. In 2005, ID Analytics reported that synthetic identity fraud accounted for 74 percent of the total dollars lost by U.S. businesses to ID fraud and 88 percent of all identity fraud “events” — for example, new account openings and address changes.
Sythetic ID fraud could affect your credit, and debt collectors might come after you based on your SSN, ignoring that a ficticious name was used.
2.5 Million GE Potentially Flammable Dishwashers Recalled
By 5.17.07
A plague of burning dishwashers sounds like something that would happen after the 6th seal has been opened, but no. It’s real and it’s happening now. You may have a dishwasher in your very home that is, at this very second, thinking about lighting itself on fire. From the CPSC:
GE has received 191 reports of overheated wiring including 56 reports of property damage. There were 12 reports of fires that escaped the dishwasher. Fire damage was limited to the dishwasher or the adjacent area. No injuries have been reported.
This recall involves a huge number of dishwashers, so you’ll want to check this list to see if your GE dishwasher is part of the recall. If it is: “stop using the recalled dishwashers and contact General Electric for a free repair, a $150 rebate towards the purchase of a new GE dishwasher, or a $300 rebate towards the purchase of a new GE Profile or GE Monogram dishwasher.”
Baroody To Receive $150,000 Pay Off From National Association of Manufacturers
By 5.16.07
This is re-goddamn-diculous. From the New York Times (emphasis ours):
A senior lobbyist at the National Association of Manufacturers nominated by President Bush to lead the Consumer Product Safety Commission will receive a $150,000 departing payment from the association when he takes his new government job, which involves enforcing consumer laws against members of the association.
This guy has no business being the head of the CPSC. The reason there is a Consumer Products Safety Commission in the first place is so that there is something to keep tabs on people like Michael Baroody and the companies he represents.
Mr. Baroody said in the letter that the payment would not prevent him from considering matters involving individual companies that are members of the manufacturers’ association, many of whom are defendants in agency proceedings over defective products or have other business before the commission. Nor would it preclude him from involvement with smaller trade groups like those representing makers of home appliances and children’s products that have alliances with the association.
Oh no, $150k won’t influence his opinion. It doesn’t need to, his opinions are already known. He’s a lobbyist, for pete’s sake.
