Business
Mobile Payment Systems Could Leave Consumers At Risk
Wed, 09/01/2010 - 09:42 — Dave Culver
Consumers Union Calls on Regulators to Require Mobile Payment Providers Abide by Strong Consumer Protections
Recent news stories have highlighted how consumers in the U.S. soon will be able to pay for products and services with a wave of their smart phones. But while mobile payment technologies may offer a convenient new way to pay for goods and services, consumers could be at risk of losing money when mistakes are made by merchants and processors or as a result of fraud, according to Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports.
“As mobile payments systems come to the U.S., product providers and regulators need to make sure that they are at least as safe for consumers to use as traditional credit card and debit card payments,” said Michelle Jun, staff attorney for Consumers Union. “It is critical that mobile payment systems are covered by strong rules to protect consumers from losing money because of fraud, processor error or a dispute with a retailer.”
Deregulation, Market Concentration at the Root of Egg Recall
Thu, 08/26/2010 - 12:47 — Dave Culver
- And this is how we get the circumstance that the FDA cannot even recall foods, and has to hope that corporations do it on a voluntary basis.
- Proper levels of funding for the agency have languished
- Please ask your senators to make recalling unsafe food mandatory.
David Dayen, FireDogLake
Submitted by Evergreene Digest Contributing Editor Thomas Sklarski
Jon Cohn explores the egg recall in greater detail, and comes to a similar conclusion as I did: that it just shows a continuation of e.coli conservatism, particularly the fervor for deregulation that goes back 30 years:
Auto comeback celebrated, but there’s a cost
Fri, 08/20/2010 - 09:52 — Dave CulverRight-wingers have no answer for today's problems in the auto industry, where the situation is far different from a year ago. The dust has settled but it came at a cost.
John Rummel, People's World
President Obama visited a General Motors in Hamtramck and a Chrysler plant in Detroit Friday (August 13) to celebrate the comeback of the two auto companies. But the comeback has come with a cost.
The president received enthusiastic receptions from workers at both plants. Over a thousand at Chrysler's North Jefferson plant gathered to hear him.
At GM's Hamtramck plant, where the new electric Chevy Volt is being made, Obama told cheering workers, "It's estimated that we would have lost another million jobs if we had not stepped in."
Warehouse workers suffer while Wal-Mart rakes in cash
Fri, 08/20/2010 - 09:34 — Dave Culver"Major companies are making millions of dollars, like Wal-Mart, and they're far from broke. In fact they treat their workers bad in order to increase their profits while some guy working at a warehouse can't feed his kids. It's just wrong."
Pepe Lozano, People's World
Tory Moore of Warehouse Workers for Justice.
Tory Moore, 37, from Kankakee, Ill., worked as a temp warehouse worker in the southwest suburbs of Chicago for six years before he was fired in December 2009, after standing up for his rights.
Moore said he asked for a pay raise each year and noticed that his paychecks were consistently short. So naturally he complained.
"That's why I got fired," he said.
The Internet: Wired to whose advantage?
Fri, 08/20/2010 - 08:10 — Dave Culver
Proposed regulation could decrease incentives for private-sector investment in broadband build-out.
An open Internet for all
Donna Champion and Nicole Palya Wood, Star Tribune | MN
The benefits of broadband technology are undeniable. However, about 6 percent of Minnesota's homes have little or no access to broadband Internet. In May, state officials passed a law setting a goal to give every resident access to a high-speed broadband connection by 2015.
Minnesota has been awarded about $60 million in federal Recovery Act funds to help extend broadband services in the state. While these funds will help provide broadband access to thousands of households, businesses and community facilities in 11 rural Minnesota counties, government can't be expected to bear the full cost of rural broadband deployment.
Related:
An open Internet for all, Mignon Clyburn and Michael J. Copps, Star Tibune | MN
The power must be in the hands of consumers, because corporations will press their advantage if they can.