The cornflake cartel: ever wonder why cereal costs so much? Deborah Baldwin Ever wonder why cereal costs so much? Government attorneys wondered too. Then they were sorry they asked. Any sensible person would be at home — boiling grits. But life is short. So here I am in the cereal aisle at Safeway, engaged in […]
Category: Common Cause Magazine
Bad reception
Bad reception – massive U.S. propaganda radio relay station planned in Israel Jeffrey Denny Another Cold War invention lives on: A U.S. government panel headed by capitalist scion Malcolm Forbes Jr. is pushing hard to build a massive, $300 million radio relay station in Israel’s Negev Desert to broadcast prodemocracy propaganda. The project was conceived […]
The other Packwood scandal – ex-Sen. Bob Packwood’s misuse of influence and campaign funds – includes related articles – Cover Story Vicki Kemper In the stranger-than-fiction world of Washington politics, it’s worth remembering that former Sen. Bob Packwood once had to be dragged from his office and then carried onto the Senate floor–feet-first–before he’d vote […]
A real close-up look – phony Washington D.C. ‘honorary’ tours for youth – No Sacred Cows Vicki Kemper Every year thousands of high school students from across the country get classy-looking invites to travel to their nation’s capital and see how their government works. The honor comes with a price tag: $730 for a six-day […]
Common Cause 1993 Public Service Achievement Awards Each year Common Cause honors a group of individuals “who by force of imagination, initiative and perseverance have made an outstanding contribution to the public interest in the areas of government performance and integrity.” In a host of different ways, this year’s five PSAA recipients have made the […]
Risky business: a decade of daredevil finance and other games plays a hidden role in the health insurance crisis – Cover Story Jeffrey Denny Like many small-business proprietors, Jan and Phil Fenty of Washington, D.C., fret constantly about the cost of health insurance. Owners of Fleet Feet, a running shoe and clothing franchise, the Fentys […]
The country club: how an elite group of corporations, unions and super-rich individuals is financing the political parties, shaping the political agenda and reaping great rewards with huge soft money contributions – Cover Story Vicki Kemper How an elite group of corporations, unions and super-rich individuals is financing the political parties, shaping the political agenda […]
BCCI: the opera
BCCI: the opera – Bank of Credit and Commerce International Peter Montgomery WELCOME TO THE WORLD PREMIERE OF LA FARCE DEL DESTINO, AN OPERA OF OUR TIMES AND FOR OUR TIMES. IN THE ALMOST-TRUE-TO-LIFE TRADITION OF THE OPERA NIXON GOES TO CHINA, LA FARCE BRINGS TO STAGE THE RISE AND FALL OF BCCI, THE BANK […]