Imagine my
delight and surprise when I opened up the latest (May 2002), Consumer Reports
and the Memo to members by the Pres of Consumers Union (publisher of CR)
contains much that is relevant to this thread.
I hope that
Keith and Harry approve of CR, given that it provides product information.
Information that is vital to the working of the market
economy.
The title of
the message is "Why Enron Matters". The last third of the message goes as
follows:
"As
consumers, Americans were supposed to benefit from deregulation--the spate of
laws passed by Congress in recent years that stripped away regulatory
oversight. While the idea of allowing market forces rather than regulators
to govern business and pricing practices may seem promising, it needs
revisiting; lack of accountability has left consumers with misxed results.
Along with benefits like lower airfares, we've seen airline service that is
unpredictable (or predictably bad); a slew of bank fees ranging from the
justifiable to the blatantly unfair; cable-television rates that are increasing
at mor than twice the rate of inflation; and local and long-distance telephone
bills that for many consumers, grow ever higher and more difficult to
decipher.
"Deregulation
contributed to the environment that allowed Enron to happen. The
government's role as watchdog has deteriorated dramatically in recent
years. We have come to rely excessively on market forces in areas that are
unable to sustain market competition, and consumers have suffered.
Lawmakers must now reconsider deregulation in markets that lack competitive
choice and establish accountablitlity where deregualtion is oviously
failing. Consumers Union will continue to advocate for increased
protections for all of us."
arthur
cordell
-----Original Message-----
From: Bruce Leier [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Tuesday, April 09, 2002 11:45 PM
To: Harry Pollard; Cordell, Arthur: ECOM; [EMAIL PROTECTED]; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Cc: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subject: RE: Privatizing the Public: Whose agenda?: At What Cost?FWers;Just time to address a single point from this post.<big snip>I would love to know how airline deregulation led to a loss of community. I suppose people were on top of the Empire State building rather than back in the village sitting around the cracker barrel.
[Bruce Leier] This former economist spent a couple of years as Director of Research & Planning for Mn Department of Aeronautics during the '60s. Back then, about 12 cities got airline service than get it now. The post office paid premium prices for delivering the mail by plane. They only got service once or twice a day, but it meant that business folk could get to the Twin Cities and beyond, do business and get back.
After they lost this service, I heard lots of complaints about how hard it was to get away. Within a decade, those cities were losing businesses and and people. There were 25 years of decline, and great alienation and loss of community.They are now making a comeback; fueled by computer and communication technology.
