Ed's Blog

Youth vote surges in election

Friday, November 9, 2012

Consumer Program Director

In case you missed it, the Student PIRG New Voters Campaign has a release explaining that "the youth share of the electorate increased to 19 percent in 2012 over 18 percent in 2008." The PIRGs helped register over 100,000 new voters in this cycle.

Democracy

Court rejects First Amendment attack on credit bureau regulation and other financial follies

Thursday, November 8, 2012

By | Ed Mierzwinski

Consumer Program Director

In an important case joined by the government, a U.S. district judge has rejected the latest misguided industry attack on the constitutionality of regulation of credit bureaus. Meanwhile, the CFPB has released its first annual report on credit card deals with colleges. Here's a weekly summary of the latest financial follies.

Financial Reform

Supreme Court hears case on textbook prices with implications for all secondary markets (Amazon, eBay)

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

By | Ed Mierzwinski

Consumer Program Director

Yesterday the Supreme Court heard an important case concerning whether publishers can restrict owners of books from reselling their used copies, raising massive implications not only for the prices of textbooks but also for the very existence of important secondary markets like Amazon and eBay. U.S. PIRG joined others in urging the Supreme Court to reverse a lower court's view that consumers lose longstanding rights to resell copies of copyrighted books, if the books were made outside the US.

Financial Reform

Industry lobbyists pre-launch 2013 assault on financial reform and other financial follies

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

By | Ed Mierzwinski

Consumer Program Director

(UPDATED (AGAIN)) Industry lobbyists, under cover of a "bi-partisan" center, have pre-launched their 2013 assault on financial reform. Meanwhile, as the FTC dings fake debt collectors, the CFPB heads to Seattle to presumably announce its authority to supervise or examine "larger" debt collectors. Read more for news of these and other financial follies.