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U.S. PIRG McDonald's 02162018

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Blog Post | Public Health

What do we do after antibiotics? | Anya Vanecek

Science writer Maryn McKenna is a leading voice in the antibiotics discussion. Her TedTalk provided a lot of food for thought. 

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News Release | U.S. PIRG | Democracy

U.S. PIRG Applauds Supreme Court Decision Upholding Independent, Voter-Approved Redistricting

Statement of U.S. PIRG Democracy Campaign Director Dan Smith on the Supreme Court’s decision in the Arizona State Legislature v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission case. "Today’s court decision is a win for a responsive, representative democracy where we, the people have a say over how our leaders are chosen."

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News Release | U.S. PIRG | Consumer Protection

We Commend CFPB For Adding Consumer Stories To Public Complaint Database

Yesterday, the CFPB published the first batch (7,700) of consumer narratives or stories to the Public Consumer Complaint Database it began in 2011. We've used the database to publish five reports (so far) analyzing complaint trends in markets ranging from credit cards to student loans but we have also long urged the voluntary addition of stories to the data fields. Now, consumers can learn if what happened to them happened to anyone else. Now, researchers can track which banks are more responsive to particular problems and which ignore their customers. A good resource is now an excellent resource.

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Blog Post | Financial Reform

The More I Hear About OPM Data Breach, The Less I Know, Except This: It's Bad | Ed Mierzwinski

Was it 4 million, 14 million or 18 million records breached (how many times) (likely) by Chinese hackers? Whose fault was it? The USOPM director says no one's. Really? Perhaps the worst data breach ever raises lots of questions, but I haven't heard any good answers. Federal employees, their families, their friends and their neighbors -- because all of them could be victims -- deserve better answers, just as they deserve better service than USOPM's credit monitoring provider is giving them.

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News Release | US PIRG | Transportation

Pope Francis Elevates Public Transportation in Fight vs. Global Warming

Last week, Pope Francis took the unusual step of releasing a 192-page letter, known as an Encyclical, to senior church officials. The Pope’s Encyclical calls for greater reliance on public transportation and criticizes over-reliance on driving as a prime cause of global warming pollution.

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News Release | U.S. PIRG | Budget

Supercommittee Squanders Opportunity to Cut Waste

Following months of partisan bickering, the Supercommittee has squandered a major opportunity to cut truly wasteful spending and special interest handouts.

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News Release | U.S. PIRG | Transportation

Senate Transportation Bill Misses Opportunity for Historic Change; Includes a Mix of Positive and Negative Measures

Statement by Phineas Baxandall, U.S. PIRG’s Senior Transportation Analyst, regarding the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee’s draft transportation two-year bill.

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Media Hit | Budget

Consumer Affairs: Study Finds Problems with Red-Light, Speed Cameras

“Too many cities wrongly sign away power to ensure the safety of citizens on the roads when they privatize traffic law enforcement. Automated traffic ticketing tends to be governed by contracts that focus more on profits than safety.” said Phineas Baxandall Ph.D., the Senior Analyst for Tax and Budget Policy at the Public Interest Research Group and a co-author of the report.

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News Release | U.S. PIRG Education Fund | Budget

New Report Outlines Problems with Red-Light and Speed Cameras

A new research report released today outlines problems with the growing trend among cities to outsource traffic enforcement to red-light and speed camera vendors.

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News Release | U.S. PIRG | Tax

Chairman Camp’s Tax Reform Would Create a Permanent Corporate ‘Tax Holiday’

We were disappointed to see the introduction of Chairman Camp’s tax reform proposal especially given the revelations regarding the growing number corporate tax avoidance schemes this past year.  The plan would take today’s flawed tax system and make it even worse.

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News Release | U.S. PIRG Education Fund

Investigation of E. Coli outbreak in lettuce reveals need for more protections

The FDA investigation reinforces that our food isn't nearly as safe as it should be. This time, more than 60 people got sick from salads, probably because a company failed to sanitize the water used to grow its romaine lettuce.

News Release | U.S.PIRG

U.S. PIRG praises Sen. Sherrod Brown for including unpaid caregivers in the Earned Income Tax Credit

Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio has devised a creative way to ensure that Americans can maintain their quality of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness as the nature of work changes.

News Release | U.S. PIRG Education Fund

Questionable lending drives Americans to record auto debt

The amount of money Americans owe on their cars is now at an all-time high -- up 75 percent since the end of 2009. Americans’ rising indebtedness for cars raises concerns about the financial future of millions of households as lenders extend credit to more and more Americans without the ability to repay, according to a new U.S. PIRG report.

Report | U.S. PIRG Education Fund

Driving Into Debt

In much of America, access to a car is all but required to hold a job or lead a full and vibrant life. Generations of car-centric transportation policies – including lavish spending on roads, sprawl-inducing land use policies, and meager support for other modes of transportation – have left millions of Americans fully dependent on cars for daily living.

Blog Post

Nestle plans to phase out plastic straws as more corporations respond to consumer demand

Nestle is responding to consumer demands to reduce plastic waste.

Public Health

How safe is our food?

Our latest report examines recent food safety trends, case studies of national recalls, what they mean for our health, and what we should do about it. 

 

Consumer Protection

Congressional investigation concludes that Equifax breach was entirely preventable

The worst data breach in history could have been prevented with some basic security measures.

 

Consumer Protection

Watch out for unsafe toys

U.S. PIRG's “Trouble in Toyland” report found boron in slime, choking hazards without the proper warning labels, “connected” toys that pose a privacy risk and more.

 
  • TELL MCDONALD’S: HOLD THE ANTIBIOTICS
    It’s time the country’s most iconic burger chain stopped serving beef and pork raised on our life-saving medicines.
    TAKE ACTION
  • 21st Century Infrastructure
    We need to focus on building the right stuff, not just more stuff. Tell our elected leaders: We need to fix it first, build green and invest in the future.
    TAKE ACTION
  • Protect bees AND Our Food Supply
    Millions of the bees that pollinate our food are dying off every year, and scientists say a widely-used class of pesticides is one of the causes. Let's ban bee-killing pesticides.
    Take Action
  • KEEP THE CONSUMER BUREAU STRONG
    The Consumer Bureau is our voice on Wall Street. That’s why we need a qualified permanent director to lead this vital agency. Tell your senators today.
    TAKE ACTION

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