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.
Archive for May 29th, 2008
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.
