Years Ago, Agency Was Warned of a Drug’s Risks | By STEPHANIE SAUL and GARDINER HARRIS | Published: May 24, 2007
A leading diabetes doctor sent the Food and Drug Administration a letter seven years ago that warned of the heart risks of the drug Avandia. And in the next year, the F.D.A. reprimanded the drug’s maker for playing down safety concerns, according to documents from 2000 and 2001.
The documents, found in a reporter’s search of the F.D.A.’s database, indicate that the agency had been warned of safety concerns with the Type 2 diabetes treatment Avandia, and that the drug’s maker, GlaxoSmithKline, was seeking to minimize Avandia’s risks, before some of the same cardiovascular concerns were brought to public attention on Monday in an article and an editorial in The New England Journal of Medicine.
The F.D.A. has acknowledged that the company alerted the agency to concerns about a cardiovascular risk as early as 2005, based on the company’s analysis.
...
A Harvard professor who is a critic of the nation’s drug approval process, Dr. Jerome L. Avorn, yesterday drew parallels between the regulatory histories of Avandia and Rezulin, which had been a popular drug in its day.
With both drugs, “there were signals of a very dangerous side effect that were ignored,” he said. “Then massive marketing created a tremendous uptake of the drug.”
Last year, worldwide sales of Avandia exceeded $3 billion, making it one of Glaxo’s top-selling drugs.
...
Dr. Nissen has said that, according to his analysis, any person with Type 2 diabetes has a 20.2 percent chance of having a heart attack during a seven-year period. But with Avandia, he says, that seven-year risk would increase to 28.9 percent.
...
Even before Dr. Nissen had started working on his paper, Glaxo alerted the agency in 2005 and in 2006 that internal analyses had shown an increased risk of heart attacks. But the company also submitted a study of patients that it said showed Avandia was no riskier than other diabetes drugs. None of this analysis was specifically communicated to the public or doctors, although the company posted it on a Web site.
...
The briefing did little to settle concerns among some in Congress that the F.D.A. had been slow to alert patients about the drug’s potential risks to the heart, according to several staff members who were present and who spoke on condition of anonymity because the briefing was confidential. ...
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
[Good News!!] Sen. Carl Levin seeks crackdown on credit card charges
Tuesday, May 15, 2007 | Sen. Carl Levin seeks crackdown on credit card charges | Gordon Trowbridge / Detroit News Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- Seeking to rein in what he called "abusive" practices by credit card companies, U.S. Sen. Carl Levin will introduce legislation today to sharply limit late fees, penalty interest rates and other policies criticized by consumer advocates.
The legislation is the product of an investigation by a special Senate subcommittee that Levin chairs. In a March hearing, the panel heard testimony from an Ohio man who had been charged nearly $7,000 in fees and penalties after overcharging his card by about $200.
"There are a lot of abuses here which our hearing uncovered, and we're going to try to put an end to them," Levin, a Michigan Democrat, said in an interview today.
...
# Card companies would be barred from charging interest on bills paid during grace periods, and from increasing interest rates by more than 7 percentage points as a penalty for late payments.
# Interest charges on penalties and fees would be banned, as would fees for paying bills on time by phone, Internet or mail.
# Companies could charge only one penalty fee for each individual late payment.
# Card firms would be required to apply payments to the portion of a customer's balance carrying the highest interest rate.
WASHINGTON -- Seeking to rein in what he called "abusive" practices by credit card companies, U.S. Sen. Carl Levin will introduce legislation today to sharply limit late fees, penalty interest rates and other policies criticized by consumer advocates.
The legislation is the product of an investigation by a special Senate subcommittee that Levin chairs. In a March hearing, the panel heard testimony from an Ohio man who had been charged nearly $7,000 in fees and penalties after overcharging his card by about $200.
"There are a lot of abuses here which our hearing uncovered, and we're going to try to put an end to them," Levin, a Michigan Democrat, said in an interview today.
...
# Card companies would be barred from charging interest on bills paid during grace periods, and from increasing interest rates by more than 7 percentage points as a penalty for late payments.
# Interest charges on penalties and fees would be banned, as would fees for paying bills on time by phone, Internet or mail.
# Companies could charge only one penalty fee for each individual late payment.
# Card firms would be required to apply payments to the portion of a customer's balance carrying the highest interest rate.
[50 state AGs] beseeched the [Feds] to join us in that investigation [into momopolistic abuse by oil inidustry] ... pleaded with AG Gonzales and ...
Judiciary Hearing on Oil Prices and Market Failure: | A Federal Investigation Denied | May 16th, 2007 by Jesse Lee
The Judiciary Committee Task Force on Antitrust has concluded its hearing, “Prices at the Pump: Market Failure and the Oil Industry.” Richard Blumenthal, Attorney General for the State of Connecticut, describes a meeting he had with US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales requesting a federal investigation into the oil industry:
“As I was driving here from the airport I thought back to a meeting that I had with the United States Attorney General less than a year ago, involving a number of my colleagues from all around the country, both Republican and Democrat Attorneys General, who met with him and the chairman of the FTC with the single purpose of persuading them to begin a federal investigation. And unfortunately, our plea went unheeded then — there has been no effective federal investigation.
“We pleaded with Attorney General Gonzales and FTC Chairman Majoras, Platt, [sic] to begin an investigation of the oil industry, and we offered our partnership in that work. All 50 Attorneys General have hands full investigating monopolistic abuses on the part of the oil industry, but we lack the authority, and expertise, and resources of the federal government. And so we invited, we beseeched the federal government to join us in that investigation and so far they have declined to do so.
“There is a need to provide greater authority but also to use that authority effectively to enforce the law. The law without enforcement is dead letter. And so, as we review what can be done to change the law, I think at the top of the priorities ought to be the kinds of demands that you have made, Mr. Chairman, and other Members of the Committee and Congress, that the Justice Department be more vigorous in enforcing these laws that protect against anti-trust and consumer abuses.”
The Judiciary Committee Task Force on Antitrust has concluded its hearing, “Prices at the Pump: Market Failure and the Oil Industry.” Richard Blumenthal, Attorney General for the State of Connecticut, describes a meeting he had with US Attorney General Alberto Gonzales requesting a federal investigation into the oil industry:
“As I was driving here from the airport I thought back to a meeting that I had with the United States Attorney General less than a year ago, involving a number of my colleagues from all around the country, both Republican and Democrat Attorneys General, who met with him and the chairman of the FTC with the single purpose of persuading them to begin a federal investigation. And unfortunately, our plea went unheeded then — there has been no effective federal investigation.
“We pleaded with Attorney General Gonzales and FTC Chairman Majoras, Platt, [sic] to begin an investigation of the oil industry, and we offered our partnership in that work. All 50 Attorneys General have hands full investigating monopolistic abuses on the part of the oil industry, but we lack the authority, and expertise, and resources of the federal government. And so we invited, we beseeched the federal government to join us in that investigation and so far they have declined to do so.
“There is a need to provide greater authority but also to use that authority effectively to enforce the law. The law without enforcement is dead letter. And so, as we review what can be done to change the law, I think at the top of the priorities ought to be the kinds of demands that you have made, Mr. Chairman, and other Members of the Committee and Congress, that the Justice Department be more vigorous in enforcing these laws that protect against anti-trust and consumer abuses.”
Insurance agents in at least 39 states used illegal or unethical tactics to sell private Medicare plans ... touted by Bush Admin vs. Medicare
Abuses in Enrollment Tactics Found for Private MedicareBy Elizabeth Williamson and Christopher Lee | Washington Post Staff Writers | Wednesday, May 16, 2007; Page A03
Insurance agents in at least 39 states used illegal or unethical tactics to sell private Medicare plans, in some cases enrolling the dead and mentally incompetent, impersonating Medicare representatives, and using personal information stolen from federal records, according to interviews and documents released to Congress.
"Medicare Advantage" plans and enrollments have exploded in the past year, touted by the Bush administration as a valuable alternative to Medicare, the federal health insurance program for seniors.
But Senate investigators have found that improper sales practices inspired by insurers offering high commissions have drawn civil and criminal cases, damaging the credibility of a program that some have called a model for revamping the Medicare system.
"There's a lamentable lack of oversight when it comes to the sales practices being used to sell Medicare Advantage plans to our seniors," said Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, which is to hold a hearing today on the abuse. "Our goal is that these plans must be represented in a transparent, honest and fair way."
...
"If the goal were to privatize because you get more efficiency and lower cost, you could see why that makes sense. But none of those things are happening," said Bonnie Burns, a policy specialist with California Health Advocates, a Sacramento-based consumer group that works with that state's health insurance counseling program. "When you have a product few people understand, a very high commission and very short enrollment period, very bad results are just a given."
...
At the root of the problem, officials say, are short enrollment periods and big bonuses for agents for signing up new clients. A WellCare "Half-Time Giveaway" offered "volume producers" a chance to win a plasma TV and a $175 bonus per policy.
Insurance agents in at least 39 states used illegal or unethical tactics to sell private Medicare plans, in some cases enrolling the dead and mentally incompetent, impersonating Medicare representatives, and using personal information stolen from federal records, according to interviews and documents released to Congress.
"Medicare Advantage" plans and enrollments have exploded in the past year, touted by the Bush administration as a valuable alternative to Medicare, the federal health insurance program for seniors.
But Senate investigators have found that improper sales practices inspired by insurers offering high commissions have drawn civil and criminal cases, damaging the credibility of a program that some have called a model for revamping the Medicare system.
"There's a lamentable lack of oversight when it comes to the sales practices being used to sell Medicare Advantage plans to our seniors," said Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), chairman of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, which is to hold a hearing today on the abuse. "Our goal is that these plans must be represented in a transparent, honest and fair way."
...
"If the goal were to privatize because you get more efficiency and lower cost, you could see why that makes sense. But none of those things are happening," said Bonnie Burns, a policy specialist with California Health Advocates, a Sacramento-based consumer group that works with that state's health insurance counseling program. "When you have a product few people understand, a very high commission and very short enrollment period, very bad results are just a given."
...
At the root of the problem, officials say, are short enrollment periods and big bonuses for agents for signing up new clients. A WellCare "Half-Time Giveaway" offered "volume producers" a chance to win a plasma TV and a $175 bonus per policy.
At Least 11 Members of Congress Now Under Investigation
At Least 11 Members of Congress Now Under Investigation ubmitted by Elliott Fullmer on Thu, 05/03/2007 - 15:47.Topics: democracy U.S. Congress U.S. government
While Congress has been busy dealing with issues such as the Iraq War, the U.S. attorney firings controversy, and the federal minimum wage this year, some members have had their attention diverted by legal problems. By our count, eleven members of Congress (and ten former members who departed with the 109th Congress) are currently the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation. Over the past few weeks, new details have emerged in several of these cases. Here’s a quick rundown of the latest info (with the appropriate background):
Rep. John Doolittle (R-Calif.) is under investigation by the Justice Department for his ties to convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff. In past years, Doolittle accepted large amounts of campaign contributions from Abramoff, allegedly aided Abramoff’s tribal clients in dealings with the Interior Department, and also helped the lobbyist win a contract from the Northern Mariana Islands by endorsing a politician there. In addition, Doolittle's wife, Julie, was paid a retainer by Abramoff for event planning services from 2002 to 2004. In 2004, Julie Doolittle was subpoenaed for documents in connection with the probe. Last month, the FBI raided John and Julie Doolittle's Northern Virginia home, seizing materials related to Sierra Dominion Financial Solutions Inc. (Julie's firm). John Doolittle resigned from the House Appropriations Committee days later.
Rep. Tom Feeney (R-Fla.) has been mentioned multiple times in court documents filed by the Justice Department as "Representative #3" in the criminal investigation of Mark Zachares, a former congressional aide to Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) and lobbyist who, last month, pleaded guilty to accepting tens of thousands of dollars in gifts from Jack Abramoff. The FBI recently asked Feeney for information about his dealings with Abramoff as part of its ongoing investigation into the lobbyist. Feeney is one of three House members who previously accompanied Abramoff to Scotland on golfing trips — the others being convicted former Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) and indicted former Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas). In January 2007, the House announced that Feeney had violated chamber rules by allowing Abramoff to pay for the trip.
Rep. Gary Miller (R-Calif.) is under investigation by the Justice Department for his real estate transactions. In 2000, Miller appeared at a Monrovia, California city council meeting to lobby city officials to purchase 165 acres of his land in order to convert it into a wilderness preserve. In 2002, Miller sold the land to the city, earning a profit of over $10 million. The money earned from the land deal was then subject to both federal and state taxes, at a 31% rate. Miller, however, told the IRS and the state of California that Monrovia had forced him to sell the property under the threat of eminent domain. This, in his view, allowed him to shelter the profits from capital gains taxes for more than two years before having to reinvest the money. Miller had previously claimed the same exemption in two Fontana, California property transactions. Several months ago, Monrovia officials claimed that Miller sold the land willingly and that the congressman had not been forced to sell.
Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.) is currently the subject of two Justice Department investigations. The first centers on his involvement in a federal land swap deal, in which Renzi allegedly agreed to introduce legislation in 2005 completing a swap for a former business partner, James Sandlin. Second, Renzi is being probed for introducing legislation (which became law) exempting the Fort Huachuca Army base in Arizona from maintaining water levels in the nearby San Pedro River. ManTech International, a military contractor who has been one of Renzi’s largest contributors and currently employs his father, has over $450 million in contracts at the base. Last month, the FBI raided Renzi’s wife’s Arizona insurance business, prompting him to step down from the House Intelligence, Resources and Financial Services Committees. ...
While Congress has been busy dealing with issues such as the Iraq War, the U.S. attorney firings controversy, and the federal minimum wage this year, some members have had their attention diverted by legal problems. By our count, eleven members of Congress (and ten former members who departed with the 109th Congress) are currently the subject of an ongoing criminal investigation. Over the past few weeks, new details have emerged in several of these cases. Here’s a quick rundown of the latest info (with the appropriate background):
Rep. John Doolittle (R-Calif.) is under investigation by the Justice Department for his ties to convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff. In past years, Doolittle accepted large amounts of campaign contributions from Abramoff, allegedly aided Abramoff’s tribal clients in dealings with the Interior Department, and also helped the lobbyist win a contract from the Northern Mariana Islands by endorsing a politician there. In addition, Doolittle's wife, Julie, was paid a retainer by Abramoff for event planning services from 2002 to 2004. In 2004, Julie Doolittle was subpoenaed for documents in connection with the probe. Last month, the FBI raided John and Julie Doolittle's Northern Virginia home, seizing materials related to Sierra Dominion Financial Solutions Inc. (Julie's firm). John Doolittle resigned from the House Appropriations Committee days later.
Rep. Tom Feeney (R-Fla.) has been mentioned multiple times in court documents filed by the Justice Department as "Representative #3" in the criminal investigation of Mark Zachares, a former congressional aide to Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) and lobbyist who, last month, pleaded guilty to accepting tens of thousands of dollars in gifts from Jack Abramoff. The FBI recently asked Feeney for information about his dealings with Abramoff as part of its ongoing investigation into the lobbyist. Feeney is one of three House members who previously accompanied Abramoff to Scotland on golfing trips — the others being convicted former Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) and indicted former Rep. Tom DeLay (R-Texas). In January 2007, the House announced that Feeney had violated chamber rules by allowing Abramoff to pay for the trip.
Rep. Gary Miller (R-Calif.) is under investigation by the Justice Department for his real estate transactions. In 2000, Miller appeared at a Monrovia, California city council meeting to lobby city officials to purchase 165 acres of his land in order to convert it into a wilderness preserve. In 2002, Miller sold the land to the city, earning a profit of over $10 million. The money earned from the land deal was then subject to both federal and state taxes, at a 31% rate. Miller, however, told the IRS and the state of California that Monrovia had forced him to sell the property under the threat of eminent domain. This, in his view, allowed him to shelter the profits from capital gains taxes for more than two years before having to reinvest the money. Miller had previously claimed the same exemption in two Fontana, California property transactions. Several months ago, Monrovia officials claimed that Miller sold the land willingly and that the congressman had not been forced to sell.
Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.) is currently the subject of two Justice Department investigations. The first centers on his involvement in a federal land swap deal, in which Renzi allegedly agreed to introduce legislation in 2005 completing a swap for a former business partner, James Sandlin. Second, Renzi is being probed for introducing legislation (which became law) exempting the Fort Huachuca Army base in Arizona from maintaining water levels in the nearby San Pedro River. ManTech International, a military contractor who has been one of Renzi’s largest contributors and currently employs his father, has over $450 million in contracts at the base. Last month, the FBI raided Renzi’s wife’s Arizona insurance business, prompting him to step down from the House Intelligence, Resources and Financial Services Committees. ...
Since George W. Bush became president, OSHA has issued the fewest significant standards in its history
OSHA Leaves Worker Safety in Hands of Industry By STEPHEN LABATON Published: April 25, 2007
WASHINGTON, April 24 — Seven years ago, a Missouri doctor discovered a troubling pattern at a microwave popcorn plant in the town of Jasper. After an additive was modified to produce a more buttery taste, nine workers came down with a rare, life-threatening disease that was ravaging their lungs.
...
That response reflects OSHA’s practices under the Bush administration, which vowed to limit new rules and roll back what it considered cumbersome regulations that imposed unnecessary costs on businesses and consumers. Across Washington, political appointees — often former officials of the industries they now oversee — have eased regulations or weakened enforcement of rules on issues like driving hours for truckers, logging in forests and corporate mergers.
Since George W. Bush became president, OSHA has issued the fewest significant standards in its history, public health experts say. It has imposed only one major safety rule. The only significant health standard it issued was ordered by a federal court.
The agency has killed dozens of existing and proposed regulations and delayed adopting others. For example, OSHA has repeatedly identified silica dust, which can cause lung cancer, and construction site noise as health hazards that warrant new safeguards for nearly three million workers, but it has yet to require them.
“The people at OSHA have no interest in running a regulatory agency,” said Dr. David Michaels, an occupational health expert at George Washington University who has written extensively about workplace safety. “If they ever knew how to issue regulations, they’ve forgotten. The concern about protecting workers has gone out the window.” ...
WASHINGTON, April 24 — Seven years ago, a Missouri doctor discovered a troubling pattern at a microwave popcorn plant in the town of Jasper. After an additive was modified to produce a more buttery taste, nine workers came down with a rare, life-threatening disease that was ravaging their lungs.
...
That response reflects OSHA’s practices under the Bush administration, which vowed to limit new rules and roll back what it considered cumbersome regulations that imposed unnecessary costs on businesses and consumers. Across Washington, political appointees — often former officials of the industries they now oversee — have eased regulations or weakened enforcement of rules on issues like driving hours for truckers, logging in forests and corporate mergers.
Since George W. Bush became president, OSHA has issued the fewest significant standards in its history, public health experts say. It has imposed only one major safety rule. The only significant health standard it issued was ordered by a federal court.
The agency has killed dozens of existing and proposed regulations and delayed adopting others. For example, OSHA has repeatedly identified silica dust, which can cause lung cancer, and construction site noise as health hazards that warrant new safeguards for nearly three million workers, but it has yet to require them.
“The people at OSHA have no interest in running a regulatory agency,” said Dr. David Michaels, an occupational health expert at George Washington University who has written extensively about workplace safety. “If they ever knew how to issue regulations, they’ve forgotten. The concern about protecting workers has gone out the window.” ...
Bush Allies in Congress Block Bill That Would Require Intelligence Disclosures
Bush Allies in Congress Block Bill That Would Require Intelligence Disclosures By MARK MAZZETTI Published: April 17, 2007
WASHINGTON, April 16 — The Bush administration’s allies in Congress on Monday blocked a bill that would require the White House to disclose the locations of secret prisons run by the Central Intelligence Agency and to reveal the amount spent annually by American intelligence agencies.
The vote on the intelligence bill was a blow to Senate Democrats, newly in control of Congress, who had hoped that they would be able to extract more details from the White House about some of the most widely debated intelligence programs begun after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Opponents of the legislation, led by Senator Jim DeMint, a South Carolina Republican, won enough support on Monday to prevent the bill from going to the Senate floor for a final vote. But Congressional officials said that negotiations over the measure would continue Tuesday, and Democrats said they were still hopeful the bill could eventually pass. ...
WASHINGTON, April 16 — The Bush administration’s allies in Congress on Monday blocked a bill that would require the White House to disclose the locations of secret prisons run by the Central Intelligence Agency and to reveal the amount spent annually by American intelligence agencies.
The vote on the intelligence bill was a blow to Senate Democrats, newly in control of Congress, who had hoped that they would be able to extract more details from the White House about some of the most widely debated intelligence programs begun after the Sept. 11 attacks.
Opponents of the legislation, led by Senator Jim DeMint, a South Carolina Republican, won enough support on Monday to prevent the bill from going to the Senate floor for a final vote. But Congressional officials said that negotiations over the measure would continue Tuesday, and Democrats said they were still hopeful the bill could eventually pass. ...
Criticise Pelosi for Syria trip ... but Rep. Hobson: None Of My Republican Colleagues Criticized Me For Going To Syria
Rep. Hobson: None Of My Republican Colleagues Criticized Me For Going To Syria
When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) led a bipartisan delegation to Syria earlier this month, several Republican lawmakers criticized her for undermining the President:
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH): “She’s going for one reason and that is to embarrass the president.”
Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA): “The Speaker and many of her Democratic allies have become so drunk with grandiose visions of deposing Bush that they break bread with terrorists and enemies of the United States.”
Republican Rep. David Hobson (OH) was also on that trip. But in an interview published in the Washington Post today, he states that he never received any of the attacks that were thrown at Pelosi:
“Before we left, we met with the State Department people and nobody told us not to go,” Hobson said, adding that none of his Republican colleagues broached the subject, either. “Nobody ever called me to say, ‘Why are you going to Syria with those people?’“
When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) led a bipartisan delegation to Syria earlier this month, several Republican lawmakers criticized her for undermining the President:
House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH): “She’s going for one reason and that is to embarrass the president.”
Rep. Eric Cantor (R-VA): “The Speaker and many of her Democratic allies have become so drunk with grandiose visions of deposing Bush that they break bread with terrorists and enemies of the United States.”
Republican Rep. David Hobson (OH) was also on that trip. But in an interview published in the Washington Post today, he states that he never received any of the attacks that were thrown at Pelosi:
“Before we left, we met with the State Department people and nobody told us not to go,” Hobson said, adding that none of his Republican colleagues broached the subject, either. “Nobody ever called me to say, ‘Why are you going to Syria with those people?’“
The saddest legacy of the Bush Administration's six-year trail of cronyism and corruption is that it contributes to the public's already cynical view
Politicizing Government Service Rahm Emanuel April 26, 2007
President Bush came to the White House with an entirely different understanding.
Not since the days of Watergate, when our judicial system and intelligence community were deployed by the White House in the service of partisan politics, have we seen such abuses. And in many ways, what we have seen from this administration is far more extensive than that scandal.
Partisan politics has infiltrated every level of our federal government—from scientific reports on global warming to emergency management services to the prosecutorial power of the federal government itself. Even the Iraq War—from our entry to the reconstruction—has been thoroughly politicized and manipulated.
...
And this is no accident. It's all by design. The incidents I will list today are not a laundry list of one offs or isolated cases of corruption. There is a common denominator. Instead of promoting solutions to our nation's broad challenges, the Bush Administration used all the levers of power to promote their party and its narrow interests.
...
Under this Administration, the federal government has become a stepchild of the Republican Party. And in promoting its partisan interests, absolutely nothing is out of bounds—from our national security to our justice system and everything in between—places that in past Administrations were off limits to political influence.
...
Politics And Cronyism In Iraq
Let's begin with the biggest issue facing our nation: the war in Iraq. We now know that when the CIA and other intelligence agencies failed to find evidence to justify the President's rationale for war, the Administration browbeat the CIA to tailor its intelligence. Vice President Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld even set up their own intelligence arm to provide the desired evidence.
And when former-ambassador Joseph Wilson cast doubt on the Administration's contention that Saddam was trying to obtain uranium in Niger for a nuclear weapon, Cheney's chief of staff, “Scooter” Libby, embarked on a smear campaign by leaking the identity of Wilson's wife, an undercover CIA officer.
...
The person chosen to oversee Iraq's health care system was the community health director for the former Republican governor of Michigan. The man he replaced was a physician with a master's degree in public health and post-graduate degrees from Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth and UC-Berkeley and taught at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health where he specialized in disaster response.
A 24 year-old with a background in commercial real estate was hired by the Authority to reopen and manage the Iraqi stock exchange.
The daughter of a prominent neoconservative was tapped to manage Iraq's $13 billion annual budget.
Nothing was free from political influence.
...
Sold Out To Business
Everyone knows about Vice President Cheney's secret energy task force meetings with top executives from Exxon-Mobil, Conoco, Shell Oil and BP America. But science and sound policy have also taken a back seat to political considerations when it comes to the government's findings on global warming. The New York Times reported that when Philip Cooney served as chief of staff for the White House Council on Environmental Quality, he removed or adjusted descriptions of scientific research to downplay links between emissions and global warming. Before joining the Bush Administration, Cooney worked for the American Petroleum Institute. After resigning his government post, he went to work for Exxon-Mobil. Bush Administration officials even vacation with energy lobbyists. The Justice Department's former top environmental prosecutor, Sue Ellen Wooldridge, recently bought a beach house with an energy lobbyist and J. Steven Griles, a former Bush Administration official who pled guilty in the Abramoff case.
...
An even more egregious misuse of public funds took place around the Administration's budget-busting Medicare prescription drug program. The non-partisan General Accounting Office concluded that the Department of Health and Human Services illegally spent federal money to produce videos made to look like news reports and distributed them to TV stations across the nation.
After the bill was passed it was revealed that the Administration purposely withheld information from Congress on the true cost of the prescription drug program. Richard S. Foster, Medicare's chief actuary for two Administrations said Bush Administration officials threatened to fire him if he disclosed that the drug plan would cost hundreds of billions more than what President Bush was telling Congress. In short, he would be fired if he did his job.
Perhaps the most thoroughly politicized bureau in the federal government is the General Services Administration, the mammoth agency charged with procuring supplies and managing federal properties. Its former chief of staff, David Safavian, was convicted of covering up his efforts to assist Jack Abramoff in acquiring two properties controlled by the GSA.
Safavian was also convicted of concealing facts about a lavish weeklong golf trip he took with Abramoff to Scotland and London—a trip that included Congressmen Bob Ney.
...
The Katrina Disaster
The most vivid example of this Administration's corruption—and the one that revealed its true cost to the American people—was the fumbling of the Katrina disaster. Under President Clinton, FEMA was run by James Lee Witt, a political appointee and a man with years of experience in disaster management. But the Bush Administration chose to staff that sensitive agency with unqualified political appointees.
...
Polititization At Justice
Sharon Y. Eubanks, the 22-year veteran career Justice Department lawyer who led Justice Department team that prosecuted a landmark lawsuit against tobacco companies, told the Washington Post that three political appointees in Attorney General Gonzales's office undermined the government's case in the final weeks of the 2005 trial, which cost the federal government billions of dollars.
Now we've learned that political considerations were behind the dismissal of eight U.S.
Attorneys across the country, including some who were actively investigating Republican Members of Congress. Recently released emails between staff at the Justice Department and staff at the White House show that loyalty to President Bush and pressure from political figures led to the firings.
...
The saddest legacy of the Bush Administration's six-year trail of cronyism and corruption is that it contributes to the public's already cynical view of government. This makes it even more difficult for those of us who believe that the purpose of government is to secure a better future for our country and all of its people. Repairing this sorry legacy is the first challenge our next President will face.
President Bush came to the White House with an entirely different understanding.
Not since the days of Watergate, when our judicial system and intelligence community were deployed by the White House in the service of partisan politics, have we seen such abuses. And in many ways, what we have seen from this administration is far more extensive than that scandal.
Partisan politics has infiltrated every level of our federal government—from scientific reports on global warming to emergency management services to the prosecutorial power of the federal government itself. Even the Iraq War—from our entry to the reconstruction—has been thoroughly politicized and manipulated.
...
And this is no accident. It's all by design. The incidents I will list today are not a laundry list of one offs or isolated cases of corruption. There is a common denominator. Instead of promoting solutions to our nation's broad challenges, the Bush Administration used all the levers of power to promote their party and its narrow interests.
...
Under this Administration, the federal government has become a stepchild of the Republican Party. And in promoting its partisan interests, absolutely nothing is out of bounds—from our national security to our justice system and everything in between—places that in past Administrations were off limits to political influence.
...
Politics And Cronyism In Iraq
Let's begin with the biggest issue facing our nation: the war in Iraq. We now know that when the CIA and other intelligence agencies failed to find evidence to justify the President's rationale for war, the Administration browbeat the CIA to tailor its intelligence. Vice President Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld even set up their own intelligence arm to provide the desired evidence.
And when former-ambassador Joseph Wilson cast doubt on the Administration's contention that Saddam was trying to obtain uranium in Niger for a nuclear weapon, Cheney's chief of staff, “Scooter” Libby, embarked on a smear campaign by leaking the identity of Wilson's wife, an undercover CIA officer.
...
The person chosen to oversee Iraq's health care system was the community health director for the former Republican governor of Michigan. The man he replaced was a physician with a master's degree in public health and post-graduate degrees from Harvard, Yale, Dartmouth and UC-Berkeley and taught at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health where he specialized in disaster response.
A 24 year-old with a background in commercial real estate was hired by the Authority to reopen and manage the Iraqi stock exchange.
The daughter of a prominent neoconservative was tapped to manage Iraq's $13 billion annual budget.
Nothing was free from political influence.
...
Sold Out To Business
Everyone knows about Vice President Cheney's secret energy task force meetings with top executives from Exxon-Mobil, Conoco, Shell Oil and BP America. But science and sound policy have also taken a back seat to political considerations when it comes to the government's findings on global warming. The New York Times reported that when Philip Cooney served as chief of staff for the White House Council on Environmental Quality, he removed or adjusted descriptions of scientific research to downplay links between emissions and global warming. Before joining the Bush Administration, Cooney worked for the American Petroleum Institute. After resigning his government post, he went to work for Exxon-Mobil. Bush Administration officials even vacation with energy lobbyists. The Justice Department's former top environmental prosecutor, Sue Ellen Wooldridge, recently bought a beach house with an energy lobbyist and J. Steven Griles, a former Bush Administration official who pled guilty in the Abramoff case.
...
An even more egregious misuse of public funds took place around the Administration's budget-busting Medicare prescription drug program. The non-partisan General Accounting Office concluded that the Department of Health and Human Services illegally spent federal money to produce videos made to look like news reports and distributed them to TV stations across the nation.
After the bill was passed it was revealed that the Administration purposely withheld information from Congress on the true cost of the prescription drug program. Richard S. Foster, Medicare's chief actuary for two Administrations said Bush Administration officials threatened to fire him if he disclosed that the drug plan would cost hundreds of billions more than what President Bush was telling Congress. In short, he would be fired if he did his job.
Perhaps the most thoroughly politicized bureau in the federal government is the General Services Administration, the mammoth agency charged with procuring supplies and managing federal properties. Its former chief of staff, David Safavian, was convicted of covering up his efforts to assist Jack Abramoff in acquiring two properties controlled by the GSA.
Safavian was also convicted of concealing facts about a lavish weeklong golf trip he took with Abramoff to Scotland and London—a trip that included Congressmen Bob Ney.
...
The Katrina Disaster
The most vivid example of this Administration's corruption—and the one that revealed its true cost to the American people—was the fumbling of the Katrina disaster. Under President Clinton, FEMA was run by James Lee Witt, a political appointee and a man with years of experience in disaster management. But the Bush Administration chose to staff that sensitive agency with unqualified political appointees.
...
Polititization At Justice
Sharon Y. Eubanks, the 22-year veteran career Justice Department lawyer who led Justice Department team that prosecuted a landmark lawsuit against tobacco companies, told the Washington Post that three political appointees in Attorney General Gonzales's office undermined the government's case in the final weeks of the 2005 trial, which cost the federal government billions of dollars.
Now we've learned that political considerations were behind the dismissal of eight U.S.
Attorneys across the country, including some who were actively investigating Republican Members of Congress. Recently released emails between staff at the Justice Department and staff at the White House show that loyalty to President Bush and pressure from political figures led to the firings.
...
The saddest legacy of the Bush Administration's six-year trail of cronyism and corruption is that it contributes to the public's already cynical view of government. This makes it even more difficult for those of us who believe that the purpose of government is to secure a better future for our country and all of its people. Repairing this sorry legacy is the first challenge our next President will face.
New Orleans: "But when a disaster comes that is not what you expect, you expect a human reaction, not a political reaction"
Fed Up in Louisiana By Jonathan CapehartSaturday, May 12, 2007; Page A15
Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco (D) went off. Not in a girls fighting, "Hold my earrings!" kind of way. But in a blunt manner befitting a chief executive who endured the worst natural and engineering disaster in U.S. history, who continues to battle Washington for federal assistance, and who is not running for reelection.
... When I asked the governor if she were as baffled as I by the level of resistance in Congress and in the White House to helping Louisiana with post-Hurricane Katrina recovery (the continuing refusal to waive the onerous 10 percent match required by the Federal Emergency Management Agency comes to mind), Blanco let 'er rip.
"It's all political," she began. "You know, this country's run on politics. But when a disaster comes that is not what you expect, you expect a human reaction, not a political reaction. And I will tell you, there's a void," Blanco drawled, "a total void of human response. And it's extremely discouraging as an American citizen. It makes me angry and extremely disappointed."
That's not to say the Bush administration hasn't ponied up for the Pelican State. So far, $42 billion, not including flood insurance payments, has flowed to Louisiana. Blanco acknowledged this, and then added, "But I would just have to say it's not good enough."
The experience of securing that funding and trying to get access to it has not been pleasant. "I absolutely hated the idea of having to go to Washington, D.C., to deal with the last Congress, because their attitude was brutal," she said. "The old Congress made us feel like we were pretty stupid for standing in the way of the hurricane and that we were asking for far too much assistance.
"They ignored the fact that it wasn't the hurricane, per se, that caused our damage," Blanco explained in a forceful, yet measured, tone. "It was the failure, an engineering failure, of the federal levees that caused our enormous grief. If we had not had levee failures, people would have walked home, and today we would not even be sitting here talking about it." She did say the new Congress was "definitely more interested in trying to help us." ...
New Orleans: elected officials — have failed spectacularly. ...That the Lower Ninth is overwhelmingly black is not irrelevant
In Divided New Orleans Published: May 15, 2007
When President Bush spoke to the nation soon after Hurricane Katrina, he was resolute that the city would be rebuilt. “We will do what it takes,” he said. We — the federal, state and city governments; elected officials and the citizens who hire them — have failed spectacularly. Homes and schools remain empty or imaginary; evacuees and survivors wait in cramped trailers, unable to return or rebuild. A huge silence still hangs over the Lower Ninth Ward, a place every American should see, to witness firsthand how truckloads of promises have filled New Orleans’s vast devastation with nothing.
That the Lower Ninth is overwhelmingly black is not irrelevant. African-Americans were the predominant and poorest members of this city before the storm, they bore the worst of it and have the farthest journey back to stability. A study issued last week by the Kaiser Family Foundation, based on interviews last fall with residents of Orleans, Jefferson, Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes, maps the outlines of a sharp racial divide.
In Orleans Parish, twice as many African-Americans as whites said their lives were still “very” or “somewhat” disrupted. Seventy-two percent of blacks said they had problems getting health care, compared with 32 percent of whites. Blacks were more likely to say that their financial status, physical and mental health, and job security had worsened since the storm. And they expressed considerably more anxiety than whites about the sturdiness of the rebuilt levees, the danger from future Katrinas and the prospect of living without enough money or health care, or a decent, affordable home. ...
When President Bush spoke to the nation soon after Hurricane Katrina, he was resolute that the city would be rebuilt. “We will do what it takes,” he said. We — the federal, state and city governments; elected officials and the citizens who hire them — have failed spectacularly. Homes and schools remain empty or imaginary; evacuees and survivors wait in cramped trailers, unable to return or rebuild. A huge silence still hangs over the Lower Ninth Ward, a place every American should see, to witness firsthand how truckloads of promises have filled New Orleans’s vast devastation with nothing.
That the Lower Ninth is overwhelmingly black is not irrelevant. African-Americans were the predominant and poorest members of this city before the storm, they bore the worst of it and have the farthest journey back to stability. A study issued last week by the Kaiser Family Foundation, based on interviews last fall with residents of Orleans, Jefferson, Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes, maps the outlines of a sharp racial divide.
In Orleans Parish, twice as many African-Americans as whites said their lives were still “very” or “somewhat” disrupted. Seventy-two percent of blacks said they had problems getting health care, compared with 32 percent of whites. Blacks were more likely to say that their financial status, physical and mental health, and job security had worsened since the storm. And they expressed considerably more anxiety than whites about the sturdiness of the rebuilt levees, the danger from future Katrinas and the prospect of living without enough money or health care, or a decent, affordable home. ...
Katrina Hit Blacks Harder Than Whites, Study Finds
Katrina Hit Blacks Harder Than Whites, Study Finds By Peter Whoriskey Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, May 10, 2007; Page A02
NEW ORLEANS, May 9 -- The catastrophe of Hurricane Katrina has cost countless people here their homes, their jobs or their health. But according to a survey being released Thursday regarding daily life in the flood-ravaged city, the burden has fallen far heavier on blacks than on whites.
The proportion of black respondents who described their lives as "disrupted" more than a year after the storm (59 percent) was about double that of whites who said the same (29 percent).
The racial disparities ran across job experiences, housing and health. Researchers said the differences persist even when comparing blacks and whites who have similar incomes. ...Mr Wolfowitz declares: If they fuck with me or Shaha, I have enough on them to fuck them too."
Angry Wolfowitz in four-letter tirade Richard Adams in Washington Tuesday May 15, 2007 Guardian Unlimited
An angry and bitter Paul Wolfowitz poured abuse and threatened retaliations on senior World Bank staff if his orders for pay rises and promotions for his partner were revealed, according to new details published last night.
Under fire for the lavish package given to Shaha Riza, a World Bank employee and Mr Wolfowitz's girlfriend when he became president, an official investigation into the controversy has found that Mr Wolfowitz broke bank rules and violated his own contract – setting off a struggle between US and European governments over Mr Wolfowitz's future.
Sounding more like a cast member of the Sopranos than an international leader, in testimony by one key witness Mr Wolfowitz declares: "If they fuck with me or Shaha, I have enough on them to fuck them too."
An angry and bitter Paul Wolfowitz poured abuse and threatened retaliations on senior World Bank staff if his orders for pay rises and promotions for his partner were revealed, according to new details published last night.
Under fire for the lavish package given to Shaha Riza, a World Bank employee and Mr Wolfowitz's girlfriend when he became president, an official investigation into the controversy has found that Mr Wolfowitz broke bank rules and violated his own contract – setting off a struggle between US and European governments over Mr Wolfowitz's future.
Sounding more like a cast member of the Sopranos than an international leader, in testimony by one key witness Mr Wolfowitz declares: "If they fuck with me or Shaha, I have enough on them to fuck them too."
FBI opening far fewer civil rights inquiries ...two-thirds fewer investigations targeting abusive police officers, cross-burners and other hate ...
FBI opening far fewer civil rights inquiries Terrorism supersedes hate crimes, police abuse By PAUL SHUKOVSKY, TRACY JOHNSON AND DANIEL LATHROPP-I REPORTERS
The FBI touts civil rights enforcement as a top priority, but the number of investigations into such cases -- from hate crimes to the actions of rogue police officers -- has fallen sharply, raising concerns that victims are left with nowhere else to turn.
Pressed by the Bush administration to beef up counterterrorism ranks, the FBI has pulled agents off civil rights and slashed the number of criminal investigations conducted nationwide.
The bureau has tacitly adopted more-stringent standards governing which cases to open. That move has contributed to two-thirds fewer investigations targeting abusive police officers, cross-burners and other purveyors of hate from 2001 to 2005, according to a Seattle P-I analysis of Justice Department data.
The downward trend began in 1999 and accelerated after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the analysis found.
Civil rights experts -- and even one of the Justice Department's top civil rights lawyers -- are troubled by the trend. They say hate-crime enforcement is too important to ignore, and there is a deterrent effect to federal review of police misconduct that is being muted.
"You're going to have officers getting away with, in some cases, literally, murder," said Jesselyn McCurdy of the American Civil Liberties Union's legislative office in Washington, D.C.
The P-I analysis found a major drop in police-abuse cases handled by the FBI -- down 66 percent from 2000 to 2005 nationwide, although figures for 2006 indicate a rebound in such investigations.
Federal authorities are investigating increasingly fewer hate crimes each year, with cases handled by the FBI plunging by 60 percent, records show. ...
The FBI touts civil rights enforcement as a top priority, but the number of investigations into such cases -- from hate crimes to the actions of rogue police officers -- has fallen sharply, raising concerns that victims are left with nowhere else to turn.
Pressed by the Bush administration to beef up counterterrorism ranks, the FBI has pulled agents off civil rights and slashed the number of criminal investigations conducted nationwide.
The bureau has tacitly adopted more-stringent standards governing which cases to open. That move has contributed to two-thirds fewer investigations targeting abusive police officers, cross-burners and other purveyors of hate from 2001 to 2005, according to a Seattle P-I analysis of Justice Department data.
The downward trend began in 1999 and accelerated after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the analysis found.
Civil rights experts -- and even one of the Justice Department's top civil rights lawyers -- are troubled by the trend. They say hate-crime enforcement is too important to ignore, and there is a deterrent effect to federal review of police misconduct that is being muted.
"You're going to have officers getting away with, in some cases, literally, murder," said Jesselyn McCurdy of the American Civil Liberties Union's legislative office in Washington, D.C.
The P-I analysis found a major drop in police-abuse cases handled by the FBI -- down 66 percent from 2000 to 2005 nationwide, although figures for 2006 indicate a rebound in such investigations.
Federal authorities are investigating increasingly fewer hate crimes each year, with cases handled by the FBI plunging by 60 percent, records show. ...
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Prodded by Supreme Court, Bush moves to counter gas emissions ... by end 2008: "run out the clock to the end of his term without addressing our energy
Bush moves to counter gas emissions | By JENNIFER LOVEN, Associated Press Writer Mon May 14, 6:19 PM ET |
WASHINGTON - President Bush, prodded by a Supreme Court ruling, said Monday his administration will decide how to regulate pollution from new motor vehicles by the time he leaves office.
Bush signed an executive order directing federal agencies to craft regulations that will "cut gasoline consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles." He ordered the agencies — the departments of Transportation, Agriculture and Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency — to have the rules in place by the end of 2008.
The announcement came as gasoline prices hit a new record. The average national price of a gallon of gas reached $3.07 on Monday, above the previous peak of $3.06 set soon after Hurricane Katrina hit at the end of August 2005.
...
"It appears that the president wants to run out the clock to the end of his term without addressing our energy needs," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record), D-Calif.
WASHINGTON - President Bush, prodded by a Supreme Court ruling, said Monday his administration will decide how to regulate pollution from new motor vehicles by the time he leaves office.
Bush signed an executive order directing federal agencies to craft regulations that will "cut gasoline consumption and greenhouse gas emissions from motor vehicles." He ordered the agencies — the departments of Transportation, Agriculture and Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency — to have the rules in place by the end of 2008.
The announcement came as gasoline prices hit a new record. The average national price of a gallon of gas reached $3.07 on Monday, above the previous peak of $3.06 set soon after Hurricane Katrina hit at the end of August 2005.
...
"It appears that the president wants to run out the clock to the end of his term without addressing our energy needs," said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (news, bio, voting record), D-Calif.
Monday, May 14, 2007
Conservative blog declares 'war' on GOP 'perverts, louts, criminals'
Conservative blog declares 'war' on GOP 'perverts, louts, criminals' | Nick Juliano | Published: Monday May 14, 2007
One of the most prominent conservative blogs has started a crusade against Republicans who it says continue to promote ethically questionable congressmen and ignore the will of their base.
"A group of men and women across this nation ... are tired of defending a party that continually puts into positions of power known perverts, louts, and corrupt common criminals," RedState.com editor Erick Erickson wrote in a post Monday outlining his "battle plan" against Republican leaders. "We must be willing to wage war upon them until they bend to common sense and decency."
RedState is encouraging its readers to refuse to support Republican re-election efforts until Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) is booted from the House Appropriations Committee. The site, which averages more than 25,000 visits per day, posted a "declaration of war" against Republican leaders Friday.
Calvert is replacing fellow California Republican Rep. John Doolittle, who has stepped down from the committee in the midst of an FBI investigation into his wife's business association with convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Erickson says Calvert is just as corrupt as Doolittle, citing press reports outlining a questionable land deal in which Calvert made more than $400,000 profit. Calvert sold the property for nearly $1 million in 2006 after securing millions of dollars in federal earmarks to build a traffic interchange 15 miles away. ...
One of the most prominent conservative blogs has started a crusade against Republicans who it says continue to promote ethically questionable congressmen and ignore the will of their base.
"A group of men and women across this nation ... are tired of defending a party that continually puts into positions of power known perverts, louts, and corrupt common criminals," RedState.com editor Erick Erickson wrote in a post Monday outlining his "battle plan" against Republican leaders. "We must be willing to wage war upon them until they bend to common sense and decency."
RedState is encouraging its readers to refuse to support Republican re-election efforts until Rep. Ken Calvert (R-CA) is booted from the House Appropriations Committee. The site, which averages more than 25,000 visits per day, posted a "declaration of war" against Republican leaders Friday.
Calvert is replacing fellow California Republican Rep. John Doolittle, who has stepped down from the committee in the midst of an FBI investigation into his wife's business association with convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff.
Erickson says Calvert is just as corrupt as Doolittle, citing press reports outlining a questionable land deal in which Calvert made more than $400,000 profit. Calvert sold the property for nearly $1 million in 2006 after securing millions of dollars in federal earmarks to build a traffic interchange 15 miles away. ...
Inside U.S. companies' audacious drive to extract more profits from the nation's working poor ... 16.8% higher interest, pricier used cars ...
MAY 21, 2007 | COVER STORY | By Brian Grow & Keith Epstein | The Poverty Business
Inside U.S. companies' audacious drive to extract more profits from the nation's working poor
...
Federal Reserve data show that in relative terms, that debt is getting more expensive. In 1989 households earning $30,000 or less a year paid an average annual interest rate on auto loans that was 16.8% higher than what households earning more than $90,000 a year paid. By 2004 the discrepancy had soared to 56.1%. Roughly the same thing happened with mortgage loans: a leap from a 6.4% gap to one of 25.5%. "It's not only that the poor are paying more; the poor are paying a lot more," says Sheila C. Bair, chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
...
Some economists applaud how the spread of credit to the tougher parts of town has raised home- and auto-ownership rates. But others warn that in the long run the development could slow upward mobility. Wages for the working poor have been stagnant for three decades. Meanwhile, their spending has consistently and significantly exceeded their income since the mid-1980s. They are making up the difference by borrowing more. From 1989 through 2004, the total amount owed by households earning $30,000 or less a year has grown 247%, to $691 billion, according to the most recent Federal Reserve data available. ...
...
HAPPY AS SHE WAS with the Saturn (GM ) she bought in December, 2005, Roxanne Tsosie soon ran into trouble paying off the loan on it. The car had 103,000 miles on the odometer. She agreed to a purchase price of $7,922, borrowing the full amount at a sky-high 24.9%. Based on her conversation with the Byrider salesman, she thought she had signed up for $150 monthly installments. The paperwork indicated she owed that amount every other week. She soon realized she couldn't manage the payments. Dejected, she agreed to give the car back, having already paid $900. "It kind of knocked me down," Tsosie says. "I felt I'd never get anywhere."
The abortive purchase meant Byrider could dust off and resell the Saturn. Nearly half of Byrider sales in Albuquerque do not result in a final payoff, and many vehicles are repossessed, ...
...
The formula produces profits. Last year, net income on used cars sold by outlets Byrider owns averaged $828 apiece. That compared with only $223 for used cars sold as a sideline by new-car dealers, and a $31 loss for the typical new car, according to the National Automobile Dealers Assn. Nationwide, Byrider dealerships reported sales last year of $700 million, up 7% from 2005. ...
Inside U.S. companies' audacious drive to extract more profits from the nation's working poor
...
Federal Reserve data show that in relative terms, that debt is getting more expensive. In 1989 households earning $30,000 or less a year paid an average annual interest rate on auto loans that was 16.8% higher than what households earning more than $90,000 a year paid. By 2004 the discrepancy had soared to 56.1%. Roughly the same thing happened with mortgage loans: a leap from a 6.4% gap to one of 25.5%. "It's not only that the poor are paying more; the poor are paying a lot more," says Sheila C. Bair, chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.
...
Some economists applaud how the spread of credit to the tougher parts of town has raised home- and auto-ownership rates. But others warn that in the long run the development could slow upward mobility. Wages for the working poor have been stagnant for three decades. Meanwhile, their spending has consistently and significantly exceeded their income since the mid-1980s. They are making up the difference by borrowing more. From 1989 through 2004, the total amount owed by households earning $30,000 or less a year has grown 247%, to $691 billion, according to the most recent Federal Reserve data available. ...
...
HAPPY AS SHE WAS with the Saturn (GM ) she bought in December, 2005, Roxanne Tsosie soon ran into trouble paying off the loan on it. The car had 103,000 miles on the odometer. She agreed to a purchase price of $7,922, borrowing the full amount at a sky-high 24.9%. Based on her conversation with the Byrider salesman, she thought she had signed up for $150 monthly installments. The paperwork indicated she owed that amount every other week. She soon realized she couldn't manage the payments. Dejected, she agreed to give the car back, having already paid $900. "It kind of knocked me down," Tsosie says. "I felt I'd never get anywhere."
The abortive purchase meant Byrider could dust off and resell the Saturn. Nearly half of Byrider sales in Albuquerque do not result in a final payoff, and many vehicles are repossessed, ...
...
The formula produces profits. Last year, net income on used cars sold by outlets Byrider owns averaged $828 apiece. That compared with only $223 for used cars sold as a sideline by new-car dealers, and a $31 loss for the typical new car, according to the National Automobile Dealers Assn. Nationwide, Byrider dealerships reported sales last year of $700 million, up 7% from 2005. ...
British Study: Artificial Food Additives Linked to Children’s Behavioral Problems ... including hyperactivity ...
British Study: Artificial Food Additives Linked to Children’s Behavioral ProblemsDate Published: Wednesday, May 9th, 2007
In a new study that may have major implications for the food industry, scientists at the University of Southampton have found what they believe is a definitive link between artificial food additives and hyperactivity and restlessness in young children. The research was commissioned by Britain’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) and is set to be peer-reviewed and published later this year.
Researchers tested six artificial colorings; tartrazine (E102), ponceau 4R (E124), sunset yellow (E110), carmoisine (E122), quinoline yellow (E104), and allura red AC (E129) and one preservative, sodium benzoate. All of the tested chemicals were associated with some sort of medical risk, including hyperactivity, mood swings, asthma, allergic reactions, and intolerance.
While the FSA and the University refuse to issue any authoritative statements about the study until it is peer-reviewed and published, numerous food-safety experts are urging parents to remove these substances from their children’s diets until more information is released. ...
In a new study that may have major implications for the food industry, scientists at the University of Southampton have found what they believe is a definitive link between artificial food additives and hyperactivity and restlessness in young children. The research was commissioned by Britain’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) and is set to be peer-reviewed and published later this year.
Researchers tested six artificial colorings; tartrazine (E102), ponceau 4R (E124), sunset yellow (E110), carmoisine (E122), quinoline yellow (E104), and allura red AC (E129) and one preservative, sodium benzoate. All of the tested chemicals were associated with some sort of medical risk, including hyperactivity, mood swings, asthma, allergic reactions, and intolerance.
While the FSA and the University refuse to issue any authoritative statements about the study until it is peer-reviewed and published, numerous food-safety experts are urging parents to remove these substances from their children’s diets until more information is released. ...
blamed the federal government's inadequate response to Katrina on the predominantly black racial makeup of New Orleans ...
Congressman blames Katrina response on race in commencement addressRAW STORY | Published: Friday May 11, 2007
House Majority Whip Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) blamed the federal government's inadequate response to Katrina on the predominantly black racial makeup of New Orleans during a commencement address to Southern University, a historically black college in Baton Rouge, LA, RAW STORY has learned.
"I truly believe that if the demographics of the affected areas were different, the response of the federal government would have been different," Clyburn said. "So I have taken this on as my personal mission."
Clyburn continued, "We acted swiftly and effectively to assist those devastated by Hurricane Andrew in Florida. Why did New Orleans not receive the same treatment? The only logical conclusion one can make is that the communities impacted didn’t hold the same 'value' to those in charge as the communities affected by Hurricane Andrew." ...
House Majority Whip Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) blamed the federal government's inadequate response to Katrina on the predominantly black racial makeup of New Orleans during a commencement address to Southern University, a historically black college in Baton Rouge, LA, RAW STORY has learned.
"I truly believe that if the demographics of the affected areas were different, the response of the federal government would have been different," Clyburn said. "So I have taken this on as my personal mission."
Clyburn continued, "We acted swiftly and effectively to assist those devastated by Hurricane Andrew in Florida. Why did New Orleans not receive the same treatment? The only logical conclusion one can make is that the communities impacted didn’t hold the same 'value' to those in charge as the communities affected by Hurricane Andrew." ...
Senators who weakened drug bill got millions from industry
Senators who weakened drug bill got millions from industry | By Ken Dilanian, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Senators who raised millions of dollars in campaign donations from pharmaceutical interests secured industry-friendly changes to a landmark drug-safety bill, according to public records and interviews.
...
However, the powers granted to the FDA in the bill's original version were pared back during private meetings. And efforts to curb conflicts of interest among FDA advisers and allow consumers to buy cheaper drugs from other countries were defeated in close votes.
• A measure that blocked an effort to allow drug importation passed, 49-40. The 49 senators who voted against drug importation received about $5 million from industry executives and political action committees since 2001 — nearly three quarters of the industry donations to current members of the Senate, according to a USA TODAY analysis of data compiled by two non-partisan groups, Center for Responsive Politics and PoliticalMoneyLine.
• Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., said he demanded removal of language that would have allowed the FDA to ban advertising of high-risk drugs for two years because it would restrict free speech. Roberts has raised $18,000 from drug interests so far this year, records show, and $66,000 since 2001. His spokeswoman, Sarah Little, said he "takes great pains to keep fundraising and official actions separate."
• Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., claimed authorship of a change that reduced the FDA's power to require post-market safety studies. He said he wanted to target drugs only if there was evidence of harm. Gregg has raised $168,500 from drug executives and PACs since 2001 and sided with them in four key votes.
• The bill's chief sponsors — Sens. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., — agreed after consultations with industry officials and others to modify a proposal that all clinical drug studies be made public, said Craig Orfield, Enzi's spokesman. Under the change, only those studies submitted to the FDA would be available.
Enzi took in $174,000 from drug interests since 2001; Kennedy, $78,000. Their spokesmen said the money did not influence them. ...
WASHINGTON — Senators who raised millions of dollars in campaign donations from pharmaceutical interests secured industry-friendly changes to a landmark drug-safety bill, according to public records and interviews.
...
However, the powers granted to the FDA in the bill's original version were pared back during private meetings. And efforts to curb conflicts of interest among FDA advisers and allow consumers to buy cheaper drugs from other countries were defeated in close votes.
• A measure that blocked an effort to allow drug importation passed, 49-40. The 49 senators who voted against drug importation received about $5 million from industry executives and political action committees since 2001 — nearly three quarters of the industry donations to current members of the Senate, according to a USA TODAY analysis of data compiled by two non-partisan groups, Center for Responsive Politics and PoliticalMoneyLine.
• Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., said he demanded removal of language that would have allowed the FDA to ban advertising of high-risk drugs for two years because it would restrict free speech. Roberts has raised $18,000 from drug interests so far this year, records show, and $66,000 since 2001. His spokeswoman, Sarah Little, said he "takes great pains to keep fundraising and official actions separate."
• Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., claimed authorship of a change that reduced the FDA's power to require post-market safety studies. He said he wanted to target drugs only if there was evidence of harm. Gregg has raised $168,500 from drug executives and PACs since 2001 and sided with them in four key votes.
• The bill's chief sponsors — Sens. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., — agreed after consultations with industry officials and others to modify a proposal that all clinical drug studies be made public, said Craig Orfield, Enzi's spokesman. Under the change, only those studies submitted to the FDA would be available.
Enzi took in $174,000 from drug interests since 2001; Kennedy, $78,000. Their spokesmen said the money did not influence them. ...
vulnerability of guest workers on H-2B visas, and their exploitation at the hands of so-called “recruiters” and the companies they work for ...
Human trafficking of Indian guest workers alleged in Mississippi shipyard; Contractor defends 290-man campLindsay Beyerstein and Larisa Alexandrovna | Published: Friday April 13, 2007
Paid $18.50 an hour, but living twenty to a trailer and fighting for spoons
A month ago Monday, a group of guest workers from India placed a frantic 3:00 am phone call to Saket Soni, lead organizer for the New Orleans Workers' Center for Racial Justice. The workers said that armed security guards were holding some workers prisoner in the TV room of the Signal International Shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi, where the company's 290 welders and pipe fitters live.
The men told Soni that Signal International – a sub-contractor for mammoth defense contractor Northrop Grumman – had staged a pre-dawn raid and that six Indian workers had been detained in the “TV room,” flanked by security guards, one of whom carried a gun. About 200 other Indian employees at Signal were standing outside the room.
Signal says they detained the guest workers at the advice of US immigration officials, in an attempt to forcibly deport them following a labor dispute. Though the workers were later released into the custody of community groups, the incident has shed light on a longstanding immigration problem – the vulnerability of guest workers who travel to the United States on H-2B visas, and their exploitation at the hands of so-called “recruiters” and the companies they work for. ...
Paid $18.50 an hour, but living twenty to a trailer and fighting for spoons
A month ago Monday, a group of guest workers from India placed a frantic 3:00 am phone call to Saket Soni, lead organizer for the New Orleans Workers' Center for Racial Justice. The workers said that armed security guards were holding some workers prisoner in the TV room of the Signal International Shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi, where the company's 290 welders and pipe fitters live.
The men told Soni that Signal International – a sub-contractor for mammoth defense contractor Northrop Grumman – had staged a pre-dawn raid and that six Indian workers had been detained in the “TV room,” flanked by security guards, one of whom carried a gun. About 200 other Indian employees at Signal were standing outside the room.
Signal says they detained the guest workers at the advice of US immigration officials, in an attempt to forcibly deport them following a labor dispute. Though the workers were later released into the custody of community groups, the incident has shed light on a longstanding immigration problem – the vulnerability of guest workers who travel to the United States on H-2B visas, and their exploitation at the hands of so-called “recruiters” and the companies they work for. ...
Resigns amid irregularities: COO of the Department of Financial Aide in 2002 after a successful career at top student loan lender Sallie Mae
UPDATE #3 Teresa Shaw, Federal Student Loan COO to resign amid irregularities | by pkbarbiedoll | Tue May 08, 2007 at 09:15:32 PM PDT
Amid growing awareness of gross corruption in the student loan industry, Teresa Shaw, former Sally Mae employee and (soon to be former) Chief Operations Officer of the Federal Financial Aide office quits her post amid allegations of wrongdoing in federal/corporate lending practices.
Ms. Shaw was appointed COO of the Department of Financial Aide in 2002 after a successful career at top student loan lender Sallie Mae. She recently announced her resignation (due to take place July 1st) over growing concerns of improper relations between the Department of Education and private lenders.
Like many other scandals in the Bush administration, this is yet another attempt by private enterprise to infiltrate and abuse government power to futher corporate profits. The student loan industry in particular is spinning way out of control. As thousands and thousands of borrowers have testified, lenders have gotten away with financial murder. The worst lender by far happens to be Sallie Mae, whose former CEO lives a life of luxury that even the richest of the rich envy.
The purpose of student loans is to make it possible for lower income students to afford to obtain a quality education -- an investment -- so that after graduation they can quickly pay off their rightful debt and go on to live the American Dream. A handful of borrowers manage to do just that, but for a growing majority - borrowing money for college is a one-way ticket to a lifetime of ever-increasing interest and threats of financial ruin if payments are not made in a timely manner. Lenders simply do not care if you've been involved in an accident and do not have health insurance. In fact, there are documented cases of lenders seizing social security payments from poverty stricken borrowers who are no longer able to work. ...
Amid growing awareness of gross corruption in the student loan industry, Teresa Shaw, former Sally Mae employee and (soon to be former) Chief Operations Officer of the Federal Financial Aide office quits her post amid allegations of wrongdoing in federal/corporate lending practices.
Ms. Shaw was appointed COO of the Department of Financial Aide in 2002 after a successful career at top student loan lender Sallie Mae. She recently announced her resignation (due to take place July 1st) over growing concerns of improper relations between the Department of Education and private lenders.
Like many other scandals in the Bush administration, this is yet another attempt by private enterprise to infiltrate and abuse government power to futher corporate profits. The student loan industry in particular is spinning way out of control. As thousands and thousands of borrowers have testified, lenders have gotten away with financial murder. The worst lender by far happens to be Sallie Mae, whose former CEO lives a life of luxury that even the richest of the rich envy.
The purpose of student loans is to make it possible for lower income students to afford to obtain a quality education -- an investment -- so that after graduation they can quickly pay off their rightful debt and go on to live the American Dream. A handful of borrowers manage to do just that, but for a growing majority - borrowing money for college is a one-way ticket to a lifetime of ever-increasing interest and threats of financial ruin if payments are not made in a timely manner. Lenders simply do not care if you've been involved in an accident and do not have health insurance. In fact, there are documented cases of lenders seizing social security payments from poverty stricken borrowers who are no longer able to work. ...
Giuliani Partners, have served as key advisors for the last five years to the pharmaceutical company that pled guilty today to addiction risks
OxyContin: The Giuliani Connection | May 10, 2007 1:28 PM | Brian Ross, Richard Esposito & R. Schwartz Report:
Rudolph Giuliani and his consulting company, Giuliani Partners, have served as key advisors for the last five years to the pharmaceutical company that pled guilty today to charges it misled doctors and patients about the addiction risks of the powerful narcotic painkiller OxyContin.
Federal officials say the company, Purdue Frederick, helped to trigger a nationwide epidemic of addiction to the time-release painkiller by failing to give early warnings that it could be abused.
Prosecutors say "in the process scores died." ...
Rudolph Giuliani and his consulting company, Giuliani Partners, have served as key advisors for the last five years to the pharmaceutical company that pled guilty today to charges it misled doctors and patients about the addiction risks of the powerful narcotic painkiller OxyContin.
Federal officials say the company, Purdue Frederick, helped to trigger a nationwide epidemic of addiction to the time-release painkiller by failing to give early warnings that it could be abused.
Prosecutors say "in the process scores died." ...
Rudy Giulian's illegal relationship with the Yankees, a relationship that broke all the NYC government's Conflict of Interest Board's rules
Giuliani's Illegal Relationship With The Yankees (5 comments ) | READ MORE: Rudy Giuliani
The current issue of The Village Voice has a huge story by Wayne Barrett on Rudy Giulian's illegal relationship with the Yankees, a relationship that broke all the NYC government's Conflict of Interest Board's rules for what a public official can and cannot get from a company that does business with the city.
In addition to the free use of box seats and what some might call "pocket money" gifts, Giuliani received four World Series Rings -- something no other mayor of a World Series winning team has ever received. These rings -- engraved with Giuliani's name -- are estimated to be worth $200,000.
It's a long and very worthwhile story. I also recommend you listen to the interview with Wayne Barrett that can be found at the same Village Voice site.
At one point the article details the incredible hypocrisy of how Rudy would berate others for breaking the Conflict of Interests Board's rules:
New York officials are barred from taking a gift of greater than $50 value from anyone doing business with the city, and under Giuliani, that statute was enforced aggressively against others. His administration forced a fire department chief, for example, to retire, forfeit $93,105 in salary, and pay a $6,000 fine for taking Broadway tickets to two shows and a free week in a ski condo from a city vendor. The city's Conflicts of Interest Board (COIB) has applied the gift rule to discounts as well, unless the cheaper rate "is available generally to all government employees." When a buildings department deputy commissioner was indicted in 2000 for taking Mets and Rangers tickets, as well as a family trip to Florida, from a vendor, an outraged Giuliani denounced his conduct as "reprehensible," particularly "at high levels in city agencies," and said that such officials had to be "singled out" and "used as examples." ...
The current issue of The Village Voice has a huge story by Wayne Barrett on Rudy Giulian's illegal relationship with the Yankees, a relationship that broke all the NYC government's Conflict of Interest Board's rules for what a public official can and cannot get from a company that does business with the city.
In addition to the free use of box seats and what some might call "pocket money" gifts, Giuliani received four World Series Rings -- something no other mayor of a World Series winning team has ever received. These rings -- engraved with Giuliani's name -- are estimated to be worth $200,000.
It's a long and very worthwhile story. I also recommend you listen to the interview with Wayne Barrett that can be found at the same Village Voice site.
At one point the article details the incredible hypocrisy of how Rudy would berate others for breaking the Conflict of Interests Board's rules:
New York officials are barred from taking a gift of greater than $50 value from anyone doing business with the city, and under Giuliani, that statute was enforced aggressively against others. His administration forced a fire department chief, for example, to retire, forfeit $93,105 in salary, and pay a $6,000 fine for taking Broadway tickets to two shows and a free week in a ski condo from a city vendor. The city's Conflicts of Interest Board (COIB) has applied the gift rule to discounts as well, unless the cheaper rate "is available generally to all government employees." When a buildings department deputy commissioner was indicted in 2000 for taking Mets and Rangers tickets, as well as a family trip to Florida, from a vendor, an outraged Giuliani denounced his conduct as "reprehensible," particularly "at high levels in city agencies," and said that such officials had to be "singled out" and "used as examples." ...
Rudy Giulian's illegal relationship with the Yankees, a relationship that broke all the NYC government's Conflict of Interest Board's rules
Giuliani's Illegal Relationship With The Yankees (5 comments ) | READ MORE: Rudy Giuliani
The current issue of The Village Voice has a huge story by Wayne Barrett on Rudy Giulian's illegal relationship with the Yankees, a relationship that broke all the NYC government's Conflict of Interest Board's rules for what a public official can and cannot get from a company that does business with the city.
In addition to the free use of box seats and what some might call "pocket money" gifts, Giuliani received four World Series Rings -- something no other mayor of a World Series winning team has ever received. These rings -- engraved with Giuliani's name -- are estimated to be worth $200,000.
It's a long and very worthwhile story. I also recommend you listen to the interview with Wayne Barrett that can be found at the same Village Voice site.
At one point the article details the incredible hypocrisy of how Rudy would berate others for breaking the Conflict of Interests Board's rules:
New York officials are barred from taking a gift of greater than $50 value from anyone doing business with the city, and under Giuliani, that statute was enforced aggressively against others. His administration forced a fire department chief, for example, to retire, forfeit $93,105 in salary, and pay a $6,000 fine for taking Broadway tickets to two shows and a free week in a ski condo from a city vendor. The city's Conflicts of Interest Board (COIB) has applied the gift rule to discounts as well, unless the cheaper rate "is available generally to all government employees." When a buildings department deputy commissioner was indicted in 2000 for taking Mets and Rangers tickets, as well as a family trip to Florida, from a vendor, an outraged Giuliani denounced his conduct as "reprehensible," particularly "at high levels in city agencies," and said that such officials had to be "singled out" and "used as examples." ...
The current issue of The Village Voice has a huge story by Wayne Barrett on Rudy Giulian's illegal relationship with the Yankees, a relationship that broke all the NYC government's Conflict of Interest Board's rules for what a public official can and cannot get from a company that does business with the city.
In addition to the free use of box seats and what some might call "pocket money" gifts, Giuliani received four World Series Rings -- something no other mayor of a World Series winning team has ever received. These rings -- engraved with Giuliani's name -- are estimated to be worth $200,000.
It's a long and very worthwhile story. I also recommend you listen to the interview with Wayne Barrett that can be found at the same Village Voice site.
At one point the article details the incredible hypocrisy of how Rudy would berate others for breaking the Conflict of Interests Board's rules:
New York officials are barred from taking a gift of greater than $50 value from anyone doing business with the city, and under Giuliani, that statute was enforced aggressively against others. His administration forced a fire department chief, for example, to retire, forfeit $93,105 in salary, and pay a $6,000 fine for taking Broadway tickets to two shows and a free week in a ski condo from a city vendor. The city's Conflicts of Interest Board (COIB) has applied the gift rule to discounts as well, unless the cheaper rate "is available generally to all government employees." When a buildings department deputy commissioner was indicted in 2000 for taking Mets and Rangers tickets, as well as a family trip to Florida, from a vendor, an outraged Giuliani denounced his conduct as "reprehensible," particularly "at high levels in city agencies," and said that such officials had to be "singled out" and "used as examples." ...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)