The Citizens’ Utility Board, or CUB, is a model approach for bringing together large numbers of diffuse consumers into a voluntary organization, which can then pursue a common citizen/consumer agenda in banking, insurance, housing or dozens of other arenas. I call it the “silicon chip” for the citizen movement because it is a low-cost, high … Read more
An open letter to Jeff Bezos: June 21, 2018 Jeff Bezos, CEO Amazon.com, Inc. 410 Terry Ave N Seattle, WA 98109 Dear Mr. Bezos: You’ve come a long way from being a restless electrical engineering and computer science dual major at our alma mater, Princeton University. By heeding your own advice, your own hunches and … Read more
The law has never caught up with Trump. In his bullying and bankrupting business career, he laughed at the law – hiding behind corporations, tying up plaintiffs – workers, creditors, consumers, and shareholders – with court battles of attrition. His snarling lawyers either wore down Trump’s pursuers or settled disputes for less than the legitimate … Read more
Nearly a year and a half into his presidency, Donald Trump continues to hold his base and maintain an approval rating of around 40% – close to the same percentage he polled at just after his inauguration. Let’s try to figure out why. It can’t be because he lies as a matter of daily routine. … Read more
They call themselves non-profit professional societies, but they often act as enabling trade associations for the companies and businesspeople who fund them. At their worst, they serve their paymasters and remain in the shadows, avoiding publicity and visibility. When guided by their better angels, professional societies can be authoritative tribunes for a more healthy and … Read more
Top military, diplomatic, and political leaders have exposed, warned of, and condemned our runaway, unaudited military budgets for decades, to no avail. (For many examples, see America’s War Machine: Vested Interests, Endless Conflicts by James McCartney, with Molly Sinclair McCartney.) They usually come to the same desperate conclusion: that only organized citizens back in their … Read more
Donald Trump is a well-known, self-described germaphobe. Unfortunately, he is not concerned about other Americans’ exposure to germs and disease. With leading infectious disease scientists from the Centers for Disease Control to the University of Minnesota warning about a global influenza pandemic (“not if, when”), Trump’s warmongering madman, John Bolton, has closed down a seasoned … Read more
Tim Cook, CEO Apple, Inc. One Apple Park Way Cupertino, CA 95014 Dear Mr. Cook: Last week, you announced the largest single stock buyback in corporate history, amounting to $100 billion. Probably no more than you and two other Apple executives made this decision prior to receiving the expected rubber stamp from your congenial board … Read more
In mid-May, super-war hawks Donald J. Trump (worried about the Mueller investigation), John Bolton, Trump’s new unconfirmed national security advisor, and new Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, are likely to pull out of the Iran nuclear accord. This would open the way for Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his Congressional allies to push for … Read more
To: Members of Congress From: Ralph Nader, Consumer Advocate Paul Hudson, President, FlyersRights.org We are writing in reference to the airline industry’s influence on members of Congress and how such influence may be manifested through gifts, discounts, perks, and VIP treatment. Such disclosure is critical because Congress wields major authority over the airlines. According to … Read more
The Honorable Jeff Sessions Attorney General U.S. Department of Justice Robert F. Kennedy Building 950 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. Washington, D.C. 20530 Re: Corporate Crime Database and Annual Report Dear Attorney General Sessions: The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has been clear about the dangers posed by corporate crime. In its strategic plan for fiscal years … Read more