Articles Posted by Ralph E. Stone

I was born in Massachusetts; graduated from Middlebury College and Suffolk Law School; served as an officer in the Vietnam war; retired from the Federal Trade Commission (consumer and antitrust law); travel extensively with my wife Judi; and since retirement involved in domestic violence prevention and consumer issues.

  • Consumer Action Launches “Know Your Card” Website to Help Consumers

    by Ralph E. Stone on Nov 01, 2012 | No Comments

    Consumer Action (www.consumer-action.org) launched its new website (www.knowyourcard.org) to help consumers understand the new laws and other changes regarding credit, debit, prepaid, and gift cards.

    Posted in News

  • Tasers May Not Be As Safe As Advertised

    by Ralph E. Stone on Oct 23, 2012 | 4 Comments

    According to Wikipedia a taser is an electroshock weapon sold by Taser International, Inc. It uses electric current to disrupt voluntary control of muscles causing neuromuscular incapacitation. Someone struck by a Taser experiences stimulation of his or her sensory nerves and motor nerves, resulting in strong involuntary muscle contractions.

    Posted in Opinion

  • Thoughts on Killing of U.S. Ambassador Stevens

    by Ralph E. Stone on Sep 15, 2012 | 8 Comments

    While anti-American feeling is strong in parts of the Middle East, the attacks in Egypt and Libya were really a case of political opportunism by the Salafist Islamic extremists who are unhappy with the success of the more moderate Islamist and secularist parties in Egypt and Libya.

    Posted in Opinion, Religion, War

  • Restrictive Voting Laws: Making it Harder for Some to Vote

    by Ralph E. Stone on Sep 08, 2012 | 5 Comments

    In the 2008 presidential election, approximately 5 million more Americans voted than in 2004. And the voters were the most racially diverse in American history, with African-Americans, Latino, and Asian-American citizens voting in record number. Since the 2008 election, however, more than 30 states have introduced laws that make it harder to vote.

    Posted in Opinion, Politics

  • Chevron’s Richmond Refinery Fire: Another Case of Environmental and Community Destruction

    by Ralph E. Stone on Aug 25, 2012 | 5 Comments

    Chevron’s Richmond Refinery – the company’s second largest refinery – recently spewed toxic smoke over Richmond and San Pablo sending more than 14,000 people in the East Bay to medical facilities with smoke-related complaints. This is but the latest in Chevron’s legacy of environmental and community destruction.

    Posted in Energy, Environment, Healthcare, Opinion

  • The GOP and the John Galt Factor

    by Ralph E. Stone on Aug 19, 2012 | 4 Comments

    Vice President candidate Paul Ryan once remarked, “The reason I got involved in public service, by and large, if I had to credit one thinker, one person, it would be Ayn Rand,” said at a D.C. gathering four years ago honoring the author of Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead. And at the Rand celebration he spoke at in 2005, Ryan invoked the central theme of Rand’s writings when he told his audience, “Almost every fight we are involved in here on Capitol Hill… is a fight that usually comes down to one conflict – individualism versus collectivism.”

    Posted in Opinion, Politics

  • Helping the Elderly: California’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program

    by Ralph E. Stone on Aug 09, 2012 | 1 Comment

    Californians are getting older. The number of state residents over 60 grew from 1.6 million in 1950 to 4.7 million in 2000. By 2020, nearly 20 percent of California’s population is expected to be 60 or older. By 2050, that number is expected to be 25 percent.

    Posted in Healthcare, Housing, Human Interest