Consumers lose their voice

Today's American-Statesman carries an editorial about the Consumers Union's decision to stop its day-to-day lobbying in Texas in order to focus on national issues.

The nonprofit organization, which fought valiantly on a number of fronts for decades, has lost too many battles in Austin. Its leaders feel it is no longer effective in a Legislature dominated by business interests. That's sad commentary on the state of government affairs in Texas.

Too right. On a good day, those of us who espouse unpopular or tough issues are just grateful if the big guys don't notice us. Once in a while, we might even have common cause (politics makes strange bedfellows), so that we could even get a bit of a boost from the big guys. But woe betide us if we were on the wrong side of corporate interests in this state. Consumers Union was sometimes the only friend we had out there--and I have to admit being just some relieved any time I saw a CU lobbyist walk into the same hearing room.

Consumers Union lobbyists might not have won many fights at the Capitol, but they were usually heard — and always respected. Their presence at the Legislature will be missed more than most Texans realize.

Again, very right. We often take the good things in our lives for granted without fully understanding where they came from and who fought to make them happen. It is all too fashionable for some folks to automatically expressed outright hatred for the American Civil Liberties Union, but they are dedicated to defending the very document those same folks hold in such high esteem. (Well, maybe they only really like the second amendment, but the other nine are core values in our society whether they realize it or not.) By the same token, folks will look at Consumers Report for guidance on buying a washing machine or car without even realizing that the folks who publish the magazine are looking at policies that affect consumers as well as products.

Fortunately, it would appear, CU will still be working on issues related to prescription drugs. That's a far bigger issue than just making a quick run down to the pharmacy to pick up some pills. We should be grateful that CU is still on the case. I am.