Why another blog?
Why another blog?
Cyberspace is full of them: opinions, rants, emotional outpouring, and sometimes even useful information. Everything you need to know, from book reports to dating advice, from politics to porn. Need consumer information? It’s available: new car ratings, nutrition counseling, bed sheet thread counts refrigerator best buys. Why Michigan Consumer?
This blog is affiliated with the Michigan Consumer Federation, http://www.michiganconsumer.org which was founded by consumer leaders from around Michigan in 1992 to ensure that consumers have a strong voice in the legislative process.
We fill a void. There is no blog directed specifically to the needs and voices of Michigan consumers. Our state protection laws are among the best in the nation… if you know about them and if they are enforced by state agents. Where can you get that information? The consumer agencies to provide it no longer exist. Are the laws enforced? Who knows?
In 1962, President John F. Kennedy, recognizing our special needs, named the four rights of consumers:
THE RIGHT TO BE INFORMED – to be given accurate information you need to make wise choices, and to be protected from mislabeling and misrepresentation.
THE RIGHT TO CHOOSE – to have reasonable access to a variety of products at reasonable prices.
THE RIGHT TO SAFETY – to be protected against illness or injury.
THE RIGHT TO BE HEARD – to express your needs and interests as consumers, and to be assured that government and business will be aware of us.
Are those the rights of Michigan consumers? This state’s Item Pricing and Advertising Act is the best in the nation. It establishes the RIGHT TO KNOW a price before we select a product. Michigan’s Consumer Protection Act outlaws fraudulent and misleading advertising. Are they enforced? Rarely. You can take action on your own behalf—if you know where to go and how to do it.
Those four rights will be the basis of future postings. The one you can exercise now is the RIGHT TO BE HEARD. Do you feel that your consumer rights have been violated? If so, tell us how you would like to see your rights protected. This blog can be your voice.
USE IT.
Esther K. Shapiro
Susan A. Titus
Clinton R. Andrews
Detroit, Michigan, March 23, 2006