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List makers, media ignore consumers in end-of-year round ups

Top 10 consumer stories of 2008

Here’s my take on the most important consumer stories of the year:

  1. The sagging economy.
  2. The collapse of the stock market, major banks, and businesses.
  3. The end of the George W. Bush administration and its crippling of consumer, environmental, and energy regulations.
  4. The rise in the cost of food.
  5. The rise – and fall – of the cost of gas.
  6. The high rate of home foreclosures.
  7. The scandal of contaminated food and drugs from China.
  8. The tightening of consumer credit.
  9. The cost of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
  10. The continued lack of health care insurance for millions of Americans.

Let me know your opinions.

 Copyright 2008, Rita R. Robison, Consumer Specialist

Comments

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Mr. GoTo

Although I agree with your list, I would re-characterize some of them in a more positive way. For example, #8 (tightening of consumer credit) is a result of lenders adopting a "back to financial basics" attitude and actually using responsible underwriting in extending credit. It's unfortunate that they have done this because consumers themselves could not act responsibly in their borrowing behavior.

James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

Great list. The economy tops it all, doesn't it.

Rita

Hi Mr. Go To and James,

Thanks for writing about my list of the top 10 consumer stories of 2008. I looked all through the Internet to find a list to link to. I couldn't find any, except for one in Canada. I guess the media and "the experts" didn't think consumers were important enough to write about. I didn't see articles by consumer groups either. So I developed the list myself.

Rita

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