Controversies
Curing Health Insurance Without a Public Option: Paul Toffel
If the nation is unwilling to support a government-run health care option, then Dr. Paul Toffel has an alternative reform plan. A clinical professor of medicine at the University of Southern California’s medical school, Toffel offers what he calls... read more
Is It Time to License the Export of Torture Devices?
Trading in the business of torturing or executing human beings may soon require an export license from the federal government, if the Department of Commerce adopts new rules under consideration. The department’s Bureau of Industry and Security wan... read more
EPA to Bury Contaminated Remnant of Colonial Fort
Residents of the town of Fort Edward, in upstate New York, are wondering why the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency allowed its private contractor, General Electric, to dredge a portion of the Hudson River where historical remains were damaged, ... read more
Hanging Judge Goes on Trial in Texas
Judge Sharon Keller, dubbed “Sharon Killer” by death penalty opponents because of her rulings favoring capital punishment, went on trial Monday on charges stemming from her decision to close the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals before a death row i... read more
Environmental Groups Sue Forest Service Over Phony Emergencies
It used to be the only “emergency” declared by the U.S. Forest Service involved cutting down trees to avoid a potential forest fire. Now, government foresters can claim a section of forest needs to be chopped down to avoid “imminent economic loss,... read more
As Product Imports Increase, Consumer Safety Port Inspections Have Gone Down
While U.S. imports have almost doubled since the late 1990s, inspections by the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) at America’s ports have declined, and quite steeply in recent years. In 1999, the CPSC gathered 1,348 product samples at port... read more
Obama and Single-Payer: For It In Theory…But Not in the Real World
Six years ago, before he arrived in Washington, DC, Barack Obama was an outspoken proponent of creating a single-payer system for delivering health care in the United States. At an AFL-CIO conference, Obama told an audience of labor supporters: ... read more
Another Whistleblower Defeated by Bush Administration Holdover
Whistleblowers did not fare well during the Bush administration. Government employees disciplined or fired for calling attention to illegal or unethical practices can appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board, but the board, led by Bush-appoint... read more
Wyeth Paid For Medical Journal Articles Supporting Hormone Therapy
Wyeth, which made billions of dollars from its hormone replacement drugs Premarin and Prempro, financed numerous scientific papers published in professional journals that promoted the benefits of the drug therapies. Ghostwriters hired by the pharm... read more
ExxonMobil Pleads Guilty to Killing Migratory Birds, Pays 20 Minutes of Income
It will take ExxonMobil Corporation, the world’s largest oil company, less than half an hour to replace the money it will have to pay the U.S. government for killing 85 migratory birds during the past five years at its natural gas facilities in th... read more
Obama Administration Censors Contract for Transparency Software
In the spirit of its policy of transparency, the Obama administration gave an $18 million contract to a software company, Smartronix, to build a website so Americans can track for themselves how the billion-dollar stimulus is being spent. But what... read more
Pass Leaseback Law to Help Foreclosed Homeowners: Kenneth R. Harney
The Neighborhood Preservation Act will help stabilize falling property values, and it won’t cost taxpayers a dime, which is why real estate columnist Ken Harney is endorsing the measure. The legislation, which already has cleared the House with bi... read more
Public Option Auto Insurance: Sheldon Filger
While some Americans express deep misgivings about the creation of government-run health insurance, Sheldon Filger points to a little known example in Canada of how public involvement in the insurance industry can have a positive impact. Filger’s ... read more
Defense Audit Agency Pulls Plug on Whistleblowing Region
In a move described as “unprecedented,” the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) has decided to shift the leadership of its western regional office—which has been plagued by internal complaints—to Texas, sparking even more complaints by agency aud... read more
Disabled Children More Likely to Receive Corporal Punishment in U.S. Schools
A study by the ACLU and Human Rights Watch on corporal punishment found the use of physical punishment is disproportionately used on students with disabilities in American schools. While disabled students make up 13.7% of the school population in ... read more
Obama Promises Lieberman and Graham to Block Torture Photos
Whether it’s by congressional act, high court ruling, or presidential order, President Barack Obama is determined to keep hidden a set of controversial photos depicting detainees being abused by the American military. President Obama reportedly se... read more