Beer manufacturers are lobbying congress in order to secure a “beer tax rollback” which would “cut the federal beer tax in half to its 1951 level,” according to the CSPI. Alcohol producers donated around $10 million to federal candidates in the last election cycle, and 70% of that was “beer money.”
government
Wired Interview With Mark Klein, AT&T Spying Whistleblower
By 5.10.07
Wired has an informative, deeply terrifying, interview with Mark Klein the whistleblower who outed AT&T for spying for the NSA.
WN: How many people worked in or on that room?
Verizon Claims Disclosing Customer Records To The NSA Is "Free Speech"
By 5.7.07
“In fact, Verizon basically argues that the entire lawsuit is a giant SLAPP (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) suit, and that the case is an attempt to deter the company from exercising its First Amendment right to turn over customer calling information to government security services.
Trader Joe's Has The Authority To Install Traffic Arrows
By 5.7.07
Oh, wait. No, it doesn’t. A reader wrote in to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer because he was suspicious that a traffic arrow installed in the alley near his home wasn’t legit.
“Area residents, like myself, use the alley to rejoin the neighborhood arterials and frequently have difficulty going against the flow of the oncoming alley traffic,” Sarbach said. He said he’d “had several close calls as cars quickly turn into the alley off of Galer; my son and daughter have noticed a few impolite finger gestures from vehicles backing out of the alley onto Galer (Street) to clear (a) way for our vehicle.”
FCC Requires "Consumer Alert" Labels For TVs Affected By The Switch To Digital Television
By 5.5.07
The FCC will require retailers to warn consumers that certain television models will not work without additional equipment after the conversion to digital television in early 2009. The FCC nicely asked retailers to help educate the public, but concluded that voluntary efforts are “not working.”
May 8: Last Day To Sound Off About The Real ID Act
By 5.2.07
The Department of Homeland Security would like your opinions on the Real ID Act, but it would like them by May 8th.
Yes, Let's Stuff The School Children Full Of Fake Fat
By 5.1.07
Um, let’s feed the children meat and veggies? Not a byproduct of over-produced government subsidy corn? Soylent fat is corn husks!
Proposed Legislation To Save Internet Radio
By 5.1.07
As you may well know, U.S. Reps. Jay Inslee (D-Wash.) and Don Manzullo (R-Ill.) filed legislation that would reverse a recent decision of the federal Copyright Royalty Board (CRB) to drastically increase the amount internet radio stations have to pay to air their songs. For those of you interested you can read the proposed legislation, here. This is yet another one of those situations where you may want to write a letter expressing your opinion.
The Politics of Retail: How Money Spent on Consumer Goods And Services Ends Up As Campaign Contributions
By 4.30.07
When you buy a light bulb at Home Depot or a pair of pants at Walmart, you probably don’t give much thought to the political leanings of said light bulb or said pants. Nevertheless, retail outlets, airlines, electronics manufactures, and record company executives do make campaign contributions, and when they do, we can look it up.
Clothing Makers Sue The Government Over Gender-Based Tariffs
By 4.29.07
Several clothing makers, including Steve Madden, Asics and Columbia Sportswear are suing the government over discriminatory gender-based tariffs. For example, Congress levies a 28% tariff on men’s bathing suits, but only a 12% tariff on women’s bathing suits.
If the clothing companies prevail, they could reclaim close to $1 billion worth of tariffs based on gender differences. For example, the lawsuit claims that the government earned $2.5 million last year from discriminatory tariffs on underpants (penalizing women), $93 million for cotton shirts (penalizing men), $16 million for silk shirts (penalizing women) and $71 million for shoes with leather tops (women again).
Tariffs are the quiet cousin of taxes; you seldom see a charge for tariffs, though they are factored into the cost of a wide array items manufactured overseas. To make the suit moot, the government may equalize tariffs at the higher level, which would hurt clothing makers and consumers alike. — CAREY GREENBERG-BERGER
You Are What You Grow
By 4.24.07
Compared with a bunch of carrots, a package of Twinkies, to take one iconic processed foodlike substance as an example, is a highly complicated, high-tech piece of manufacture, involving no fewer than 39 ingredients, many themselves elaborately manufactured, as well as the packaging and a hefty marketing budget. So how can the supermarket possibly sell a pair of these synthetic cream-filled pseudocakes for less than a bunch of roots?
FCC Chairman Supports a la Carte Cable, Needs Congressional Support
By 4.19.07
The FCC official said Martin testified that an a la carte law was justified because nominal cable rates kept rising and because consumers who tend to watch 15-17 channels still need to buy dozens of channels they don’t want in order to see their favorites.
Drug Safety Bill Would Limit Direct To Consumer Advertising
By 4.18.07
Supporters of a new bill working its way through Congress say that limiting the amount of direct to consumer advertising in the first two years of a drug’s life would help insure that drugs are safe before patients are encouraged to seek prescriptions from their doctors.
If The US Government Were The Average Household, What Would Its Budget Be?
By 4.18.07
If the government made $1,000 a week (about the median household income in the US) what would its budget look like? MSNBC took last year’s budget and calculated the “household” budget of the US Government.
The New Passport Design Is Fugly
By 4.18.07
The new passport design for the “e-Passport” is fugly. Each page is filled with various patriotic type images concluding with a weird image of space. We declare it to be hideous, and we are the arbiters of good taste. —MEGHANN MARCO
It's Tax Day! 13 Interesting Facts About US Taxes
By 4.17.07
I know what you’re saying, “Wow, fun.” Well, hush. It’s tax day and you probably don’t know much trivia about taxes. For example, did you know that chewing gum paid (in part) for the Spanish American War? See? That’s interesting.
Did McDonald's Commit A Crime By Giving Hotcakes To Voters?
By 4.13.07
Reader Josh writes us with concerns that a Chicago McDonald’s Franchisee committed a crime by offering free hotcakes to “early voters” in Chicago. He writes:In Chicago, some McDonald’s restaurants are offering free hotcakes to people who early-vote in the local runoff elections!
Should Spyware Distributors Be Locked Up?
By 4.11.07
“Many of most serious wrongdoers we observed in this area, I believe, are only going to be deterred if their freedom is withdrawn,” so it’s important for the FTC to collaborate on its cases with criminal law enforcement authorities, Kovacic said.
What do you guys think? Lock ’em up? —MEGHANN MARCO
