In many ways, the days of Tammany Hall and Boss Tweed are deep in the rear view mirror. Politics is surely more transparent these days. There are many more stakeholders to be reckoned with: unions, non-profits, civil rights organizations and foundations just to name a few. But thanks in part to the Supreme Court,… Continue Reading
Monthly Archives: June 2010
The FTC Settles Dispute — $108 Million Bound for Cheated Homeowners
Posted in Consumer ProtectionHere is a Federal Agency willing to walk the walk. The FTC recently announced that Countrywide, one of the nation’s largest mortgage lenders and now a member of the Bank of America family was fined $108 million for improperly pursuing foreclosures and charging excessive and unfair fees to lenders being thrown out on the street. … Continue Reading
Wall Street Must Understand It Is Owned By Main Street
Posted in Consumer ProtectionAccording to a June 7th Businsessweek article, one hedge fund group has spent $1.4 million lobbying congress in the first quarter of 2010. That’s a lot of lobbying. They are not alone. Managed Funds Association, an industry trade association, whose members include Bank of America Merill Lynch, Bank of New York, Barclays Capital, Citi, Goldman… Continue Reading
Tanning Wrap Up – Lessons From the Tobacco Industry
Posted in Consumer ProtectionWhat Can We Learn From Tobacco and the Smoking Industry? Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) The Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) is a 1998 agreement between the four major US tobacco companies and the Attorneys General for 46 states. The case settled the tobacco companies’ Medicaid suits and exempted them from private tort liability… Continue Reading
Indoor Tanning Cultural Messaging
Posted in Consumer ProtectionThe Impact of Pop Culture Societal and cultural pressures have constructed strict standards and ideals of physical appearance and beauty. Idealized images of women construct unrealistic norms about how a woman should appear and be. Pop culture is the greatest source of these idealized images, from movies to magazine covers to models. In pop culture,… Continue Reading
Indoor Tanning: Education
Posted in Consumer ProtectionThere are a variety of educational programs aimed to shape youth behavior around drugs and alcohol. DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) is an international education program that teaches students about the risks associated with drug abuse, including tobacco and alcohol products. In 1994, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a widely used… Continue Reading
Regulation of Marketing and Advertising
Posted in Consumer ProtectionOn its public website, the Indoor Tanning Association heralds the benefits of indoor tanning. ITA says tanning is natural—“what your body is designed to do.” Moderate exposure to the sun or UV light is “absolutely” good for you and in fact, indoor tanning is actually safer than outdoor tanning. Skin cancer—the elephant in the room—merits… Continue Reading
Today, a Short Comment on the Indoor Tanning Tax
Posted in Consumer ProtectionIndoor Tanning Tax In the 2010 health care legislation, a 10% tax on indoor tanning was put into place. The question becomes: Will it work? Some argue that the impact will be minimal: “There is also a 10% tax on indoor tanning services included in the new health care reform bill. A tax won’t make… Continue Reading