Dollars & Sense articles from May 2004

Dollars & Sense archives from May 2004

In defense of the public sector.(From the Editors)(Editorial)
May 1, 2004... Pro-market ideologues from both parties have convinced the public that strong government is burdensome. The truth is, a robust public sector brings vital economic and societal benefits. In this issue of Dollars & Sense, we challenge the...

Hollywood for Bush.(The Short Run)(new TV show glorifies George W. Bush and Department of Homeland Security)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Whatever happened to liberal Hollywood? A new pseudo-reality TV show glorifying President Bush and the Department of Homeland Security is slated to air this fall--just in time for the November elections. "DHS: The Series" will use voiceovers,...

Poison popcorn.(The Short Run)(International Flavors and Fragrances, Inc.)(worker awarded 20 million for lung damage caused by diacetyl )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... A jury in Jasper, Mo. awarded a former popcorn factory worker $20 million for lung damage he suffered while mixing butter-flavoring chemicals for International Flavors and Fragrances, Inc. According to the Wall Street Journal, the plaintiff...

Toying with democracy.(The Short Run)(Patriot Act Game)(board game illustrates implications of the Patriot Act)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Chatham College art professor Steffi Domike and lawyer Lisa Freeland have given "playing it safe" a whole new meaning. Concerned about the invasive Patriot Act, the "anti-terror" law passed hastily by Congress weeks after 9/11, they created the...

Suck on this, baby!(The Short Run)(Nestle Nan infant formula marketed to Latina mothers in the US)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Never mind that doctors say breast feeding helps to prevent infections, allergies, and other illnesses in infants--the Nestle corporation has a product to sell. The food and beverage giant that so ruthlessly marketed infant formula to...

U.S. invasion kick-starts Afghan opium trade.(The Short Run)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Since the fall of the Taliban, Afghanistan's opium business has made a big comeback. Prior to the fundamentalist regime's 2000 ban on the substance, the country had cornered 70% of the world market in opium. The Taliban eliminated nearly all...

Strawberry fields speed-up.(The Short Run)(Pace Setter machine forces strawberry pickers to keep pace)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... California strawberry growers are using a frightening new machine to squeeze their workers. The Pace Setter spans 15 rows and moves at a speed of half a mile per hour. Workers must keep up with it as they pick berries, fill boxes, and put the...

TVs, TVs, everywhere.(The Short Run)(in-store television advertising in chain supermarkets and stores)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Escape from the never-ending onslaught of advertising has just become more difficult. Major chain supermarkets and stores are introducing in-store televisions. Now, while shopping, you'll have the constant buzz of "buy, buy, buy" coming at you...

No budget left behind.(The Short Run)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Fourteen states, including Alaska, California, and Connecticut, have appealed to the Bush administration for more flexible academic standards, according to the New York Times. Under the strict No Child Left Behind Act signed by President Bush...

Wal-Mart heirs pour Riches into education "reform".(The Short Run)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... Wal-Mart's founders transformed U.S. business. Now they are taking on a very different subject; the nation's public schools. According to USA Today, the Waltons--the country's richest family--have quietly become top underwriters of education...

Southwestern schools root out illegal pupils.(The Short Run)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2004... A growing number of school districts in the Southwest are cracking down on undocumented immigrants in their classrooms as education budgets tighten, Tim Vanderpool reports in the Christian Science Monitor. Nogales, Ariz., is spending up to...

Letters.(Brief Article)(Letter to the Editor)
May 1, 2004... To the Editor: Bruce Goldstein's criticism of Bush's new immigration plan in "Guest Worker Schemes and Broken Dreams" (March/April 2004) is both fair and accurate, but does not provide an explanation of President Bush's motives. What...

The Social Forum movement comes to Boston.(Active Culture)(World Social Forum)
May 1, 2004... Imagine thousands of activists from throughout the Northeast converging on Boston to network, have fun, and engage in serious discussion about economic and political alternatives. On July 23-25, the weekend just before the Democratic National...

Bush strikes out on health care.(Making Sense)
May 1, 2004... In his State of the Union address in January, President Bush claimed to be addressing the twin crises of rising health care costs and declining access. He touted the Medicare bill Congress passed late last year for adding a prescription drug...

Deregulation obsession: past deregulation has made a mess of the telecommunications industry. What does the Wall Street Journal think further deregulation will accomplish?(Up Against the Wall Street Journal)
May 1, 2004... Broadband Fiasco Local phone carriers are once again challenging the FCC's "unbundling" requirements, which force them to lease the use of their networks to rivals at below-market rates. Consequently, the regional Bells have been slow to...

The Haiti crisis: Aristide is not the issue.(Comment)
May 1, 2004... One of the biggest mistakes people have made looking at the recent Haitian crisis has been to focus on the person of President Bertrande Aristide. This may sound odd since, after all, he is the one who was overthrown. What took place this...

Gay marriage blues.
May 1, 2004... This month, thanks to the state Supreme Court's unprecedented decision last November, gay men and lesbians will begin getting legally wed in Massachusetts. Meantime, in a genuine uprising, gay couples have crowded into city halls in San...

Black job loss deja vu: think the typical job-loser in today's economy is a white computer programmer whose job has been outsourced to India? Think again.
May 1, 2004... In July 2003, Mary Clark saw a notice posted by the time clock at the Pillowtex plant where she worked: the plant was closing down at the end of the month. The company would be laying off 4,000 workers. "They acted like we was nobody," she...

No more savings! The case for social wealth.
May 1, 2004... Pundits from the political left and right don't agree about war in Iraq, gay marriage, national energy policy, tax breaks, free trade, or much else. But they do agree on one thing: Americans don't save enough. The reasons are hotly disputed....

The Corporation: the Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power.
May 1, 2004... Excerpts from a new book expose the obscenely bad behavior corporations--with all the legal rights of persons and a mandate to pursue profit at any cost--engage in. Documentary films offering a jaundiced view of corporations were popular...

The case against privatizing national security.
May 1, 2004... In the past 20 years, this country has undergone a transformation in the way it prepares for, conducts, and mops up after war. The Pentagon has overseen a large-scale effort to outsource all aspects of its operations to private corporations....

Job-based health insurance: sick and getting sicker.
May 1, 2004... Job-based health insurance is terminally ill. A long-term decline in the percentage of workers who get health insurance through their jobs and a sharp rise in monthly costs are giving workers a bad case of "un-surance." They now bear more of...