Maryland 11th In Country For ID Theft

Identity theft is the fastest growing crime in America and according to Maryland Attorney General J. Joseph Curran, Jr, Maryland currently ranks eleventh in the country for the number of instances of identity theft. In the last year, 25 states have passed laws giving consumers the right to freeze access to their credit reports, stopping identity theft before it starts. Thirty-four states have given consumers the right to be notifi ed when a company or a government agency loses their confi dential fi nancial DNA. Maryland currently offers neither of these protections. Maryland PIRG sits on a legislative identity theft task force, and will be advocating strong consumer protections during task force meetings this fall. For more information and to download Maryland PIRG’s identity theft handbook for guidelines on how you can protect yourself visit http://www.marylandpirg. org.

Facing Debt, Students Turn Away From Teaching

A college education is the key to being able to do what you want in life, or at least that’s what parents have been telling their children for years. According to a U.S. PIRG report released in May, however, unmanageable college debt has left many students unable to pursue their ideal careers, including teaching. The report, “Paying Back, Not Giving Back,” found more than 23 percent of 4-year public and 38 percent of private college graduates have too much debt to seriously consider jobs as public school teachers.

“Public servants such as teachers and social workers are vital to the success of our communities,” said Higher Education Associate Luke Swarthout. “Unfortunately, high student loan debt can prevent new graduates from entering careers as teachers or other lower-paying yet valuable jobs.” Swarthout was quoted in the New York Times Magazine’s feature article on debt.

Congress could make college more affordable by cutting student loan interest rates. The Higher Education Project advocates HR-5150, which would cut interest rates in half for borrowers most in need.

Advocates Call For Campaign Finance Reform

According to a Newsweek poll, 70 percent of Americans agree that the “political system is so controlled by special interests and partisanship that it cannot respond to the country’s real needs.” One of the best ways to reduce the infl uence of money in politics is to set up publicly fi nanced elections. Maine and Arizona have fi nanced elections with public funds and each year more candidates, from both sides of the aisle, opt to use this system.

Last year the Maryland House of Delegates and a Senate committee passed a bill to bring clean elections to Maryland, but the bill lacked the necessary votes to pass in the Senate. This summer Maryland PIRG teamed up with Progressive Maryland and Common Cause to build support for passing substantive campaign fi nance reform legislation for the 2007 legislative session.

Project Encourages Young People To Vote

With another election coming up, U.S. PIRG is once again encouraging young people to register and vote—a step that many experts believe will lead to the development of a lifelong habit of civic engagement. In 2004, the PIRG New Voters Project’s work helped increase voter participation among young people by 11 percent. The Project’s organizers found that peer-to-peer interaction worked best to persuade college students and other young people to sign up and vote, a tactic that they’ll depend on heavily again this year.