May « 2008 « CitizenVox

Archive for May, 2008

May31

It's about time the feds investigated energy futures market

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We applaud the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) for publicly acknowledging what most educated observers have been saying for months: Wall Street speculators are reaping unconscionable profits by exploiting and manipulating the unregulated energy trading markets.

Commodity traders have pushed oil prices far higher than what can be explained by basic supply and demand. Under mounting pressure from Congress, the trading commission announced this week that it has been investigating oil trading practices for the past six months.

Forgive us, however, if we remain a bit cynical. We can’t get too excited about the trading commission doing exactly what it’s supposed to do, which is to investigate irregularities in the futures market. Its announcement is similar to the local Fire Department putting out a statement that it is now going to start responding to fires.

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Posted in: Climate Change, Congress, Consumer Protection, Energy1 comments

May29

Nothing fair about mandatory arbitration

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Check out this report on ABC News about the unfairness of the private arbitration system forced on consumers by credit card companies and other businesses. I’ve posted about mandatory binding arbitration but this report has an unbelievable example of how stacked the system is against consumers. These binding arbitration clauses are included in the fine print of agreements for credit cards, cell phones, financial services, gym memberships and much more. By forcing consumers to accept arbitration, companies take away a consumer’s right to have grievances heard by a judge or jury. Instead, cases go before a private arbitrator who is hired by the business and who almost always rules against the consumer.

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Posted in: Congress, Consumer Protection1 comments

May29

Legislation is finally addressing climate change, but it's got some major flaws

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Photo from Flickr / [Framing] Insights

Industry generates pollution. A lot of pollution. In 2006, it emitted an estimated 3.4 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide. These aren’t just fuzzy numbers we’re talking about; those 3.4 metric tons account for 57 percent of America’s total carbon dioxide emissions.

Numbers startling you a bit? They startled Congress, too, which is why Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and John Warner (R-Va.) introduced America’s Climate Security Act (S. 2191) in October. S. 2191 outlines a plan for overhauling how industrial polluters manage and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Unfortunately for the environment, this bill has some major flaws.

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Posted in: Congress, Energy, Environment4 comments

May27

Von Spakovsky withdraws nomination

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From Craig Holman @ Watchdog Blog: In a major victory for those who believe in free and fair elections, Hans von Spakovsky – a Republican nominee for commissioner on the nation’s elections agency – has withdrawn his nomination. Von Spakovsky’s nomination has been so contentious and volatile that it shut down the Federal Election Commission (FEC) since January. Now that he is gone, Congress can begin moving ahead and quickly reinstate the agency as we enter the second half of the election season. Continue Reading >>

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Posted in: Campaign Finance, Congress0 comments

May23

More on eBay, Autodesk and digital copyright law

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There’s some buzz about our win this week against Autodesk and its attempt to keep entrepreneur Timothy Vernor from selling second-hand copies of its software on eBay. A federal judge refused to dismiss Vernor’s lawsuit against Autodesk and in doing so made it pretty clear that Vernor had a right to sell legally obtained, copyrighted material on eBay or anywhere else. The Technology Liberation Front called it an “Autodesk smackdown” and praised Judge Richard Jones’ decision as a victory for “common sense.” At the heart of Autodesk’s copyright argument was the claim that the license agreement included with copies of its AutoCad software prohibited resale. But the judge ruled that Vernor, who has picked up second-hand copies of AutoCad at garage sales, isn’t bound by that agreement. That’s a good thing for anyone who sells or buys stuff on eBay. And it’s great news for Vernor who is seeking legal relief from Autodesk, which has repeatedly registered copyright complaints with eBay about Vernor’s auctions.