An Agenda to Ensure Consumers are Heard
Powerful special interests have always had their voices heard by a responsive government. Their hundreds of millions of dollars in lobbying and campaign expenditures and effective use of revolving doors have guaranteed their influence, year-in and year-out. Conversely, government often is slow to respond to the needs of the average consumer. It often takes a crisis, such as the recent financial collapse, for remedial reforms to include significant consumer protections. Yet even then, powerful special interests step in to influence the regulatory process and roll back the reforms. Consumers and their advocates will never have the resources to counter special interest influence completely. They need more speakers and more megaphones inside the government.
