The Fine Print: How Big Companies Use Plain English to Rob You Blind

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The Fine Print: How Big Companies Use Plain English to Rob You Blind Page 37

by David Cay Johnston


  Fannie Mae, 152

  “FCC Subscriber Line Charge,” 6

  Federal Arbitration Act (1925), 156

  Federal Bureau of Investigation, 151–52

  Federal Communications Commission, 6–7, 52, 54

  Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), 148

  Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), 90–91, 92, 93, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 101, 102, 103, 104, 260, 261

  Federal Reserve, 146, 147–48, 149–50, 152, 191, 245

  Federal Reserve Act, Rule 23A of, 147–53

  fees, imposed by banks, 142–53

  Felton, Calif., 118, 120–21, 122

  Felton FLOW, 122, 123–24

  fiber-optic cables, 51

  Fidelity, 187

  fiduciary duty, 194–95

  film industry, tax credits for, 218–26

  Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, 171

  financial crisis of 2008, 21–22

  FiOS (Verizon fiber-optic system), 53

  fire departments, 134–35, 173

  volunteer, 135

  Fischel, Daniel, 241–42

  Fischer, David Hackett, 190–91, 192

  Florida Power & Light, 99

  Fogarty, Tom, 182

  Ford, 234

  Form 1040EZ, 229, 233

  Foshee, Douglas, 169

  401(k), 184–95, 201, 258, 271

  birth of, 186–87

  company theft from, 194

  costs of, 190, 193–95

  fees charged for, 188–89, 194

  inefficiency of, 189–93

  paid in company stock, 191

  403(b)s, 188

  457s, 188

  Fox Studios, 222

  FPL Group, 88

  France, 60–61, 275

  Franklin, Ben, 135

  Franks, Jack, 234, 236

  fraud, 161, 241–42

  control, 8, 151, 242, 245, 267

  mortgage, 151–52

  Freddie Mac, 152

  free trade policies, 250, 251–52

  Friedman, Milton, 16–17, 26

  gambling, 12, 233

  garbage collection, 128–41, 248

  costs of, 138–39

  profits from, 139

  taxes and, 133

  Geffen, David, 222

  General Electric, 9, 19, 148, 202, 218, 219, 221, 222, 234, 236

  George, Henry, 48–49

  Germany, 23, 243, 245–46

  Ghilarducci, Teresa, 187

  G.I. Bill, 137

  gift taxes, 205

  Gingrich, Newt, 20, 56

  Ginsburg, Ruth Bader, 159–60

  Glasgow, Ky., 54–59, 260

  Glasgow Electric Plant Board, 56

  Global Crossing, 191

  GlobalFoundries, 9–10

  Goldberg, Melinda, 128, 130–31, 132–33

  Goldman Sachs, 9, 148, 150, 152, 165–71, 234

  bailout of, 166–67

  bonuses of, 167–68

  corporate headquarters of, 167–68

  in El Paso Corporation takeover, 169–70

  profits of, 167–68

  tax benefits for, 168

  Gooch, Gordon, 98, 100, 101, 103–4

  Good Jobs First, 168

  Goodyear Tire & Rubber, 10

  Google, 20, 235

  Gottesdiener, Eli, 184

  Government Accountability Office, 34–35, 109–10, 186, 194

  government borrowing, 248

  grain companies, 33

  Gramlich, Jeff, 70–71

  Gramm, Phil, 150, 152

  Grand Coulee Dam, 73

  Grand Hyatt, 237

  Grange movement, 48

  Great Depression, 21

  Great Recession, 150, 189, 248, 253

  Great Wave, The (Fischer), 190–91, 192

  Greenhouse, Steven, 173

  Greenspan, Alan, 152, 166

  Greig, Jacqueline, 106–7

  Greig, Janessa, 106

  Griffith, Thomas, 96, 97

  Grow, Brian, 14

  Hale, Carter Hawley, 191, 192

  Haliburton, 20

  Hall, Jim, 110

  Hall, Robert, 200

  H&R Block, 228, 269

  Harmon, James D., 177

  health care, 23, 82, 243, 248, 275

  health insurance, 23, 243

  Heaney, Jim, 73

  hedge fund managers, 204–7, 251, 256, 271

  hedge funds, 196

  Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI), 47–48

  Heritage Foundation, 150

  heterodox economists, 245

  Hewlett-Packard, 212

  “high consequence areas,” 107, 108, 115

  Hlatshwayo, Sandile, 61

  holding companies, 67–68, 260, 261–62, 265

  Holding Company: Its Public Significance and Its Regulation (Bonbright and Means), 261

  Holmes, Tod, 139, 140–41

  Hoskin, Rolan, 173–74

  housing crisis, 152–53

  HSBC, 148

  Huls-Simpson, Natalie, 163

  Hurricane Katrina, 78, 80

  Hurst, Wayne, 33, 34–35

  Huval, Terry, 42, 43, 45, 58–59

  IBM, 19

  Idaho Grain Producers Association, 33

  Illinois, 234–36, 238

  Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, 235–36

  Illinois Public Act 97–2, 239

  income:

  average, 208

  stagnation of U.S., 21–22

  income taxes, 199

  income tax returns, 227–33

  Independent Voter Project, 73

  index funds, 193

  India, 62, 252

  Indiana, 126

  individual retirement accounts, 271

  inequality, 248, 255

  infant mortality, 20, 243

  infrastructure, 59, 275

  aging, 65–66

  Ingersoll Rand, 20

  Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations (Smith), 55, 136, 259

  Insull, Sam, 67, 103

  Insull Trust, 103

  insurance, 267–68

  insurance companies, 12, 176

  integrity, 244–46

  Intel, 73

  intellectual property, 237

  Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act, 47

  Internal Revenue Service, 15–16, 197, 206, 211, 275

  corporate auditors of, 238

  Internet, 1–2, 5, 7, 50–51, 52, 59–60, 230, 252

  cost of, 60–61

  economic impact of slow service on, 61–63

  speeds on, 60, 62

  Internet bubble, 185

  Internet calling, 53

  Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), 34, 260

  Intuit, 229–33, 269

  investment banking, 165

  Investment Company Institute, 188

  Ireland, 216, 250

  Irondequoit, N.Y., 224–25

  Iroquois Indians, 130

  Jackson-Hewitt, 228

  Japan, 243, 275

  Jha, Sanjay, 235

  job benefits, 23

  job growth, 208

  job subsidies, 268–69

  John Jay College, 108

  Johnson, Calvin, 98–99

  Johnson, Ned, 187

  Jorgenson, Dale, 200

  Joseph, Kecia, 86

  Joseph, Nathaniel, 86

  J. P. Morgan, 9, 148

  judicial activism, 26

  Justice Department, U.S., 2, 4, 40, 151, 229

  Antitrust Division of, 36

  “just and reasonable” principle, 92, 94, 98, 260, 264

  justice systems, 134

  Kanavas, Ted, 219

  Kansas City Southern, 42

  Katzenberg, Jeffrey, 222

  Kavanaugh, Brett, 96, 97

  Keating, Charles, 241

  Keeton, Barbara, 154–55, 157, 163–64, 244, 266

  Kelliher, Joseph, 95, 96, 99

  Kennedy, John P., 215–16
/>   Kessler, Rich, 110

  Kinder, Richard, 169

  Kinder Morgan Management, 95, 101, 169

  King, Wade, 105, 106

  Knightly, Maureen, 109, 113

  Kohl, Herb, 235

  Kolstad, Toby, 35

  Kraemer, Ronald, 112

  Kushnick, Bruce, 3–4, 5–6, 7, 51, 52

  Labaree, Benjamin Woods, 24

  Labor Department, U.S., 185, 190, 193

  Lafayette Utilities System, 42–44, 45, 46, 58, 96

  LaHood, Ray, 112

  landfills, 128, 138, 140

  landlines, right to, 7

  Latvia, 60

  Lawton, Barbara, 219

  Lay, Ken, 103

  Lebowitz, Alan, 185

  Ledbetter, Lilly, 10

  Lehman Brothers, 166, 191, 210

  Leipzig, Adam, 1–2, 7

  Lendrum, Jeff, 158–59

  Leonard, J. Wayne, 79–80, 87, 89

  LeRoy, Greg, 168

  Levoff, Michael, 232

  Liang, Nellie, 192

  Liberty Bonds, 168

  life expectancy, 137, 243

  Lifeline, 264–65

  Lincoln, Abraham, 274

  Lipitor, 212

  Lithuania, 60

  loan fees, 144

  Local Access and Transport Area (LATA), 5

  Lockport, N.Y., 237

  Long, Russell B., 35

  Long-Cannon Amendment, 35

  long-distance service, 2–3

  “Looting: The Economic Underworld of Bankruptcy for Profit” (Romer), 153

  Los Angeles, Calif., 82

  Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, 265

  Louisiana, 222, 223, 224

  Louisiana Department of Transportation, 84

  Loxley, Colin, 69–70

  M&T Bank, 145–46

  McCourt, Frank and Jamie, 206, 271

  McCullough, Gerald, 47

  McFarland-Porter, Tess, 131, 132–33

  McIntyre, Robert S., 198

  McWane Inc., 173–74

  Madoff, Bernard, 102

  Mae, Sallie, 144

  Malkiel, Burton, 192–93

  management overhead fee, 220

  Mann, Michael, 221

  Manning, Bob, 172–73, 176–83, 244

  Manning, Helen, 172, 178, 179

  Manteca, Calif., 74–76

  Manteca Bulletin, 75–76

  manufacturing jobs, 250

  market power, 36–37

  Mark Stone, 123

  Marx, Karl, 274

  Massey Energy Company, 174–76

  Mastercard, 143

  master limited partnerships (MLP), 92–93, 96, 98, 262

  downside for investors of, 100–104

  Maynard, Spike, 174–75

  mcdep.com, 102

  MCI, 241

  Means, Gardiner C., 261

  measles, reduction of, 137

  Meat Inspection Act, 137

  media, 10–11, 12, 31, 85, 216

  network news shows and, 142–43

  Medicare, 180–81

  Medicare tax database, 255–56

  Mehling, Jim, 184–86, 188–89

  Merck, 214–15, 251

  Meredith, Ronald, 50, 57

  Merrill Lynch, 148–49

  Mexico, 251

  Michigan, 223, 225–26

  Michigan State University, 223, 225

  Microsoft, 19, 58, 251

  MidAmerican Energy Holdings, 37, 38, 44

  deferred taxes for, 198–99

  middle class, shrinkage of, 28

  Milken, Michael, 241

  Milstein, Elliot S., 163

  Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 206–7, 219

  mine safety laws, 174

  Mitsubishi, 234

  moat index, 37–38

  Moebs Services, 146

  Monitor Capital Advisors, 184

  monopoly(ies), 2–3, 23, 27, 35–38, 40, 42–44, 46, 47, 54, 55–56, 61, 67, 68, 71, 79, 85, 91, 93–97, 117, 120, 125, 127, 198, 201, 229, 235, 240, 260–65, 275, 277

  monopoly power, 35–36, 37–38, 40–41, 42–44

  of cable companies, 54

  monopoly pricing, total cost of, 44

  Montara, Calif., 123

  Monterey County, Calif., 123

  Morgan, Linda, 45

  Morgan Stanley, 101, 157–59, 169

  Morial, Marc, 85

  Morningstar, 37

  Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), 151–52

  mortgage fraud, 151–52

  Mosaic Netscape, 59

  Moses, Margaret L., 156

  Mosher, Jim, 123–24

  Motorola, 236, 239

  Motorola Mobility, 235

  Moyers, Bill, 247

  Mozilo, Angelo, 153

  MSB Energy Associates, 71, 197

  Mueller, James, 124

  Mulvey, Francis P., 34

  Murdoch, Rupert, 19–20, 152, 222

  Murphy, Richard G., II, 70

  Murray, Gordon, 165

  mutual funds, 187, 193

  mutual insurance company, 184

  Nabors Industries, 20

  Nagin, Ray, 85–86

  Nahyan, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al, 9–10

  National Academy of Engineering, 111

  National Fuel Gas, 112

  National Grid, 181

  National Taxpayers Union, 232

  National Transportation Safety Board, 110, 111, 114

  Natural Gas Supply Association, 93

  natural-gas utilities, 38

  Navistar, 234, 235, 236

  neoclassical economics, 241–43, 245

  New Jersey, 7, 9, 53, 124–27

  New Jersey Board of Public Utilities, 69, 70, 125

  New Mexico, 108

  New Orleans, La., 77–89

  New Orleans Times-Picayune, 84, 85

  News Corporation, 222

  New York, N.Y., pipelines in, 107–8

  New York City Fire Department, 107

  New York Life, 184–85

  New York State, 9–10, 73–74, 82, 112–13, 118–19, 222

  New York Telephone Company, 178, 179

  New York Times, 82, 88, 89, 170, 173, 174, 180, 202, 250

  NextEra Energy, 99

  Niagara Falls, 73

  Niagara Mohawk, 177–81

  Nixon, Richard, 29–30

  Nober, Roger, 45

  Norfolk-Southern, 48

  Norquist, Grover, 96, 232–33, 269

  North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), 250

  North Carolina, municipal systems in, 62

  Norway, 23

  NV Energy, 64–65

  Obama, Barack, 99, 143, 201, 253

  Obama administration, 72, 110, 167, 251

  Occidental Petroleum, 73

  Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 116–17

  Occupy Wall Street, 206

  O’Connor, Jim, 140

  Office of Pipeline Safety, 109–10, 114, 115, 117

  oligarchy, 18–19

  oligopolies/oligopolists, 10, 128–29, 145, 237, 240, 246, 275

  Olin, 73

  Olmsted, Frederick Law, 131

  Oracle, 256

  ordoliberalism, 246

  Oregon, 38, 199

  Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, 60, 228

  Ostrowski, James, 9–10

  outsourcing, 252

  overdraft fees, 145–46, 147

  Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), 65–66, 72–73, 106, 109–10, 113–14, 125, 266

  deferred taxes of, 71

  proposed buyout of, 74–76

  Page, Larry, 235

  Pando Networks, 60

  Pareto, Vilfredo, 242

  Pareto improvement, 242–43

  partnerships, 92–93

  Pataki, George, 180

  Paulson, Henry (Hank), 150, 166

  PBS Frontline, 174

  Peevey, Mike, 72

  Pennsylvania, 222, 224

  pension plans, 23, 152, 187, 1
90, 184–85, 193, 258, 271

  defined benefit, 195

  Perez, John, 73

  pertussis, reduction of, 137

  Pfizer, 211, 213–14, 251, 270

  “pigs” (pipeline inspection tools), 113–14

  Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, 110, 114, 115

  Pipeline Association for Public Awareness, 115

  pipelines, 91–92, 100–104, 107–8, 143, 162, 169, 196, 247, 260–62, 264

  compressor stations for, 116–17

  corrosion of, 110–11, 114

  dangers of, 107–9

  de-rating of, 110–11

  disasters of, 105–7

  inadequate safety warnings about, 115

  income tax not paid by, 92

  inspections of, 109, 110, 112–17

  inspection waivers for, 112

  “performance” fees paid by, 102–3

  as Ponzi schemes, 102

  profits of, 92–99

  safety planning, 116

  safety problems of, 109–10

  Pipeline Safety Improvement Act (2002), 109, 115

  Pipeline Safety Trust, 109, 110, 114–15

  Plains Justice, 116

  Plato, 18

  Plessy v. Ferguson, 273

  police, taxes needed to maintin, 133, 134

  polio, reduction of, 137

  Portland General Electric, 199

  Posner, Richard, 154, 157

  Potok, Leon, 166–67

  poverty, 28

  childhood, 20

  in U.S., 20–21

  Powder River Basin, 27–28, 29, 30

  Power, Patrick J., 264

  power plants, 68–69, 262

  price competition, 31

  price gouging, 11–12, 32–34, 44, 256

  price revolutions, 192

  Prins, Nomi, 170–71

  prisons, taxes needed to maintain, 134

  private-equity managers, 204–7

  private letter rulings, 196

  Procter & Gamble, 9, 234

  Progress & Freedom Foundation, 56

  Progress and Poverty, 48–49

  progressive taxation, 18

  promissory fraud, 161–62

  property law, 15

  property rights, 25

  property taxes, 237

  Proposition 13, 120, 129

  prosecutors, taxes needed to maintain, 134

  PSEG, 69–71, 80, 262

  “pseudo promises,” 162

  Public Enemies, 218–21, 224

  public health, 137, 138

  Public Utility Holding Company Act (1935), 67

  Pure Food and Drug Act, 137

  “pyramiding,” 67

  Quarterman, Cynthia, 110

  QuickBooks, 233

  Quicken, 228

  Quinn, Pat, 234, 236

  Qwest, 50–51, 62

  railroad industry, 42–49, 96–97, 260, 261, 264

  bottleneck decision and, 42–44

  competition in, 35–36, 39–40, 43, 45, 47–48

  consolidation of, 31, 33

  cost of capital in, 41

  labor productivity of, 48

  market power in, 36–37

  monopoly power of, 40–41, 42–44

  “paper barriers” and, 44–45

  price gouging by, 33–34, 35

  profits of, 40

  service quality of, 45–46

  Rail Theory Forecasts, 35

 

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