US Pirg

Why Women Should Wage War on Big Money in Politics

Blair Bowie | Posted 05.02.2012

Read More: Gender Equality, Women's Rights, Campaign Finance Reform, War on Women, She Should Run, Susan B. Anthony List, Gender Wage Gap, Emilys List, U.S. PIRG, Planned Parenthood, Citizens United, Politics News
Blair Bowie

It's said that there are two types of power: people and money. However, those two are not weighted equally. So despite being a coveted "voting bloc," as long as women earn less than men, we lack the political power to even control the conversation about our own "issues."

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Disempowered Bankers Start Super PAC, Reveal Plans for World Domination

Blair Bowie | Posted 04.09.2012

Read More: Super Pac, Colbert Super Pac, U.S. PIRG, Bank Lobby, Lobbyists, American Bankers Association, Politics News
Blair Bowie

When is Packard imagining himself having this conversation and what will he be asking for to call off the hounds? This statement speaks volumes about how the industry thinks about its involvement in politics.

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In The Public Interest : States Make Spending More Transparent, but Some Far Ahead of Others

Phineas Baxandall | Posted 05.20.2012

Read More: Arkansas, Texas, Transparency, State Spending, Transparent Government, Government Spending, Kentucky, Arizona, U.S. PIRG, Government Transparency, Subsidies, State Governments, State Rankings, Politics News
Phineas Baxandall

Transparency in government expenditures promotes fiscal responsibility, checks corruption, and bolsters public confidence in government. We need more of it.

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Why Republicans Weren't Excited on Super PAC Tuesday

Blair Bowie | Posted 05.07.2012

Read More: Super Tuesday, U.S. PIRG, Demos, Citizens United, Super Pac, Republican Primary, Campaign Finance Reform, 2012 Election, Super PACs, Campaign Finance, Elections 2012, Republican Presidential Candidates, Money in Politics, 2012 Republican Primary, Super Tuesday 2012, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, Politics News
Blair Bowie

The equivalent of 0.000351% of the population of the United States (or just 35 of every 10 million Americans) has given 96% of the money determining who stays and who goes in the Republican primary.

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In The Public Interest : Will BP's Misdeeds Be Further Subsidized by Taxpayers?

Phineas Baxandall | Posted 05.06.2012

Read More: Goldman Sachs, Bp-Tax, Oil Spill, Big Oil, Oil Spill Gulf of Mexico 2010, Oil Subsidies, Bp-Tax-Refund, Oil, British Petroleum, U.S. PIRG, BP Oil Spill, Gulf Oil Spill, Gulf Oil Spill Cleanup, Tax Subsidies, Politics News
Phineas Baxandall

The public should watch whether a potential settlement with BP includes these hidden tax subsidies. Any settlement amount will be substantially less than the headlines proclaim, unless the settlement prohibits a tax deduction.

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In The Public Interest : House Transportation Bills Strikes First as Tragedy, Then as Dangerous Farce

Phineas Baxandall | Posted 04.04.2012

Read More: House of Representatives, Driving, Mass Transit, Oil Dependency, Budget Cuts, Budget, Vmt, Transportation, Oil-Dependency, U.S. PIRG, Oil Drilling, Subways, Public Transportation, John Mica, US Oil Drilling, Buses, Oil Dependence, Politics News
Phineas Baxandall

The agenda for transportation advanced by the House this week flies directly in the face of clear trends in how Americans are choosing to travel.

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In the Public Interest: What Do Jon Stewart, Elizabeth Warren, and Barack Obama Have in Common?

Dan_Smith | Posted 03.28.2012

Read More: Taxes, White House, Elizabeth Warren, Politics, Congress, Jon Stewart, Budget, Tax Loopholes, U.S. PIRG, Citizens United, Loopholes, Citizens for Tax Justice, The Daily Show, Tax Havens, Barack Obama, Lobbying, Lobbyists, Politics News
Dan_Smith

It's been a big week for calling out corporate tax dodgers.

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Report: Pepco Spends More Money On Lobbying Than On Taxes

The Huffington Post | Arin Greenwood | Posted 01.19.2012

Read More: Pepco Holdings, Taxes, Video, Pepco, Campaign Finance Reform, District of Columbia, Offshore Tax Havens, U.S. PIRG, Citizens United, Citizens for Tax Justice, DC News

WASHINGTON -- Pepco is not only the most hated company in America. According to a new report, the D.C.-area electric utility is also one of the "Dirty...

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President's Recess Appointment of Cordray Gives Watchdog Teeth It Needs

Ed Mierzwinski | Posted 03.09.2012

Read More: Americans for Financial Reform, Predatory Lending, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Wall Street Reform, Rich Cordray, Payday Loans, Cfpb, U.S. PIRG, Student Loans, Consumer Protection, Business News
Ed Mierzwinski

Kudos to President Obama for standing up for consumers this week by making a recess appointment of Richard Cordray to head the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

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Obama's New Consumer Finance Chief Can Lower Student Debt

Rich Williams | Posted 03.06.2012

Read More: College Students, Debt, Education, College, U.S. PIRG, Higher Education, Students, Student Loan Debt, Student Loans, College News
Rich Williams

The CFPB is a new kind of regulator designed to do one job and do it well -- protect Americans from toxic financial products. However, since July 21, the CFPB has been up and running, but only with partial powers.

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In the Public Interest: Deficit Reduction That Should Be Easy

Dan_Smith | Posted 01.30.2012

Read More: Taxes, Politics News, Congress, Super Committee, In the Public Interest, Federal Budget Deficit, Budget Cuts, Budget, Tax Loopholes, Deficit Reduction, U.S. PIRG, Tax Reform, Corporate Taxes, Politics News
Dan_Smith

The decision on how we achieve deficit reduction now returns to the full Congress. They can do right by the American people and end wasteful subsidies, close corporate tax loopholes and direct taxpayer money to important public priorities.

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Paul Blumenthal

What Obama Can Do To Fix 'National Campaign Finance Scandal'

HuffingtonPost.com | Paul Blumenthal | Posted 01.03.2012

Read More: Mitch McConnell, Public Citizen, Fec, Elections 2012, Fred Wertheimer, Citizens United, Barack Obama, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, Campaign Finance, Democracy 21, Common Cause, Video, League of Women Voters, Federal Election Commission, Campaign Legal Center, U.S. PIRG, Politics News

WASHINGTON -- President Barack Obama has been criticized before for failing to live up to promises made in his 2008 campaign on such issues as pharmac...

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Dan Froomkin

Beyond Left And Right: Groups Offer $1 Trillion In Deficit Reduction

HuffingtonPost.com | Dan Froomkin | Posted 11.15.2011

Read More: Deficit Reduction, Super Congress, 112th Congress, Deficit, U.S. PIRG, Super Committee, Beyond Left and Right, National Taxpayers Union, Beyond Right and Left, Politics News

WASHINGTON -- Two grassroots political organizations -- one from the right, one from the left -- are offering Capitol Hill an entirely different way o...

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In The Public Interest: Student Loan Defaults Skyrocket, Double in Past 6 Years

Rich Williams | Posted 11.15.2011

Read More: College Students, Debt, Education, College, Financial Aid, U.S. PIRG, Higher Education, Student Loan Debt, Student Loans, Student Aid, Students, Pell Grants, College News
Rich Williams

A large debt burden makes life tough for graduates. Buying a home, starting a family or starting a small business may not be options for some student loan borrowers, even if they have a job.

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Tyler Kingkade

Rising Costs Force Students To Skimp On Textbooks

HuffingtonPost.com | Tyler Kingkade | Posted 10.11.2011

Read More: College Students, Publishing Industry, Student Debt, High Cost, Textbooks, Survey, US Pirg, Higher Education, Textbook Rebellion, Digital Books, College News

WASHINGTON -- As the cost of textbooks continues to rise, many college students are choosing to skimp on textbooks to save money. Seven out of 10 u...

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Private High-Speed Rail: A Dangerous Fantasy

Phineas Baxandall | Posted 09.18.2011

Read More: Privatization, High Speed Rail, Politics, U.S. PIRG, Politics News
Phineas Baxandall

A new report released today shows why leaving high-speed rail chiefly to the private sector is a dangerous pipe dream.

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In The Public Interest: Maine Approves Historic Law To Reduce Oil Use (Really!)

Phineas Baxandall | Posted 09.04.2011

Read More: Energy, U.S. PIRG, Maine, Oil Dependence, Transportation, Green News
Phineas Baxandall

If the current Maine legislature has found its way to pass such forward-looking reforms, they can happen anywhere.

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In The Public Interest: How Much Did You Pay for Tax Dodging Corporations?

Phineas Baxandall | Posted 06.19.2011

Read More: Tax Code, Corporate Profits, Pfizer, Exxon-Mobil, Offshore Tax Havens, Pepsi, Tarp Funds, American Express, Tax Day, Bank of America, Aig, Comcast, Home Depot, Coca-Cola, Tax, Corporations, G.E., Tax Loopholes, Banks, U.S. PIRG, Tax Havens, Politics News
Phineas Baxandall

Instead of cutting needed programs, our leaders should take a close look at our unbalanced tax code and close the outrageous loopholes that allow the wealthiest individuals and corporations to skip out on paying their share.

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In The Public Interest: Ryan's Budget Is A Wolf In Sheep's Clothing, Preying On Student Aid

Rich Williams | Posted 06.15.2011

Read More: College Students, Students Loans, Unemployment, College, Jobs, Financial Aid, Public College, Higher Education, U.S. PIRG, Student Aid, Students, Taxpayers, Pell Grants, Paul Ryan Budget, Politics News
Rich Williams

If this Congress is serious about job recovery, reducing access to college is the wrong approach. We should be investing in Pell Grants and looking for ways to increase the maximum Grant, not cut it.

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In The Public Interest: Congress Still Demonizing Elizabeth Warren, Meanwhile, Chase Rolls Out the $5 ATM Fee

Ed Mierzwinski | Posted 06.05.2011

Read More: Elizabeth Warren, Shelley Moore Capito, Comptroller of Currency, Jobs, Overdraft Rules, Professor Elizabeth Warren, Atm Free, Mortgage, Chase Bank, Consumer Protection Act, Cfpb, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Debit Card, Banks, Foreclosure, Spencer Bachus, U.S. PIRG, Fees, Wall Street, Consumer Protection, Financial Meltdown, Politics News
Ed Mierzwinski

Washington should be implementing Wall Street reform, not tearing it down.

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In The Public Interest: An Unacceptable Risk, Two Decades of "Close Calls," Leaks and Other Problems at U.S. Nuclear Reactors

Johanna Neumann | Posted 05.29.2011

Read More: Nuclear Reactor, National Regulatory Commission, Vermont Yankee, Fukushima, Japan Earthquake 2011, Indian Point Energy Center, Groundwater, Nuclear Crisis, Nuclear Power, Nuclear Accidents, Braidwood Nuclear Generating Station, Japan Earthquake, Japan Tsunami, Radioactive, Nrc, Salem Nuclear Power Plant, U.S. PIRG, Wolf Creek Nuclear Power Plant, Green News
Johanna Neumann

The nuclear crisis in Japan is a terrifying reminder of all that can go wrong at a nuclear power plant. The United States must move away from this inherently dangerous technology and towards safer energy sources.

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In The Public Interest:Tragedy in Japan a Terrifying Reminder of the Risks of Nuclear Power

Johanna Neumann | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Nuclear Reactor, Safe Energy, Nuclear Power, Fault Lines, Public Health, Renewable Energy, Earthquake Fault Line, Fukushima, Nuclear Crisis, Japan, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Japan Earthquake, Nuclear Power Plants, Radioactivity, Radioactive Waste, U.S. PIRG, Japan Radiation, Green News
Johanna Neumann

As we decide our energy future, we must decide if we are willing to have a situation like Fukushima happen here in the United States. And if the answer to that question is no, our country has no choice but to reject nuclear power.

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In The Public Interest: States Must Make It Easy to Track Spending on Contracts and Subsidies

Phineas Baxandall | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Government Spending Data, Transparency, State Budgets, Money, Budget, Government Spending, Government Transparency, U.S. PIRG, Public Agencies, Politics News
Phineas Baxandall

"Red" states and "Blue" states have both embraced spending transparency. The ranks of leading states are split roughly equally between those that voted Democratic and those that voted Republican.

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In The Public Interest: Rail -- Neither Right nor Left but Forward

Tony Dutzik | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Gas Prices, Conservatives, George Will, Liberals, Progressives, Environment, Jobs, High Speed Rail, Obama State of the Union, Public Transit, U.S. PIRG, Newsweek, Barack Obama, Transportation, Politics News
Tony Dutzik

The dangers of Will's thinking are apparent, since it leads us away from viewing transportation decisions as being about finding the best way to move people at the lowest overall cost to society.

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In The Public Interest: House Kneecaps Wall Street Reform Funding, But Goal Is Worse: Repeal

Ed Mierzwinski | Posted 05.25.2011

Read More: Elizabeth Warren, Michele Bachmann, Wall Street Crisis, Wall Street, Consumer Financial Protection Agency, Inside Job, Jane Bryant Quinn, Cfpb, Eric Cantor, U.S. PIRG, Taxpayers, Consumer Protection, Personal Finance, Politics News
Ed Mierzwinski

The House is trying to starve our consumer cops to death. It's now in the public interest for the U.S. Senate to pass its own budget resolution that puts consumer and investor cops back on the beat. Otherwise, what happened on Wall Street will happen again.

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