{"id":4705,"date":"2004-02-04T16:19:36","date_gmt":"2004-02-04T20:19:36","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.law.harvard.edu\/formerlyknownas\/2004\/02\/04\/feel-especially-protected-thi"},"modified":"2011-08-05T14:59:04","modified_gmt":"2011-08-05T18:59:04","slug":"feel-especially-protected-this-week","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.blogs.harvard.edu\/ethicalesq\/2004\/02\/04\/feel-especially-protected-this-week\/","title":{"rendered":"Feel Especially Protected This Week?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"diner . . .<\/FONT><\/P>
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Hey, Consumers, we’re right in the middle of National Consumer Protection Week<\/STRONG> (the 6th Annual, in fact).  President Bush<\/A> proclaimed<\/A> it on Monday, with the reminder that “This year’s theme, ‘Financial Literacy: Earning a Lifetime of Dividends,’ highlights the importance of financial education to consumer protection.”  <\/FONT>The FTC has an informative <\/FONT>press release<\/FONT><\/A>, too, with links to financial resources for consumers.  (Thanks to Jurist Paperchase<\/A> for the reminder to celebrate and educate.)<\/FONT><\/P>
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My decade at the Federal Trade Commission<\/A> might make me a bit biased, but I think the Commission has the right approach to consumer protection:<\/FONT><\/P>
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  1. help consumers be fully informed when making their decisions and asserting their rights<\/FONT>
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  2. promote competition in price, quality, innovation, etc.<\/FONT>
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  3. have a strong enforcement presence<\/FONT><\/LI><\/OL>
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    You can find a directory of FTC consumer information here<\/A>.  The FTC website has a lot of good information about credit<\/A>, investments<\/A>, e-commerce and internet<\/A> issues.<\/FONT><\/DIV><\/BLOCKQUOTE>
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    Go to Consumer.gov<\/A> for a gateway to consumer information from the federal and state governemnts.  While clicking around today, I discovered a webpage with links to federal Information in Other Languages<\/A> — 25<\/EM> languages!  It’s interesting to see what’s available in various languages — the materials vary greatly.  <\/FONT><\/DIV>
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    <\/FONT> <\/DIV>
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    \"don't  Finally, to my lawyer colleagues<\/FONT><\/EM><\/STRONG>:  Please don’t forget that clients are consumers, too.  They deserve<\/STRONG>:<\/FONT><\/DIV>
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