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APF Reporter Vol. 11 #1

How Government Regulates A Life

Yvonne Baskin

The average new drug costs $80 million to develop and another $40 million to safety test before it passes federal scrutiny and reaches the market. A new agricultural chemical costs about $70 million to develop and $15 million to safety test.

In contrast, a seed company typically invests only half a million dollars to develop a new line of corn. And it is not required to spend anything on safety testing.

Equal Treatment Under The Law?

David Burnham

Production statistics collected by the Internal Revenue Service suggest that taxpayers in different parts of the United States do not receive equal treatment from the giant agency. Some of the apparent disparities are astonishing. While 21 out of every 1,000 taxpayers were audited last year in the IRS’s San Francisco district, only 6 out of 1,000 taxpayers faced the same process in Massachusetts.

The Identity Movement and its "Real Jew" Claim

Michael D’Antonio

LaPorte, Colorado–It was a typical winter Sunday at the LaPorte Church of Christ. Snow swirled outside. Inside, casseroles prepared for the afternoon social simmered on hot plates, filling the church with the warm smell of macaroni and cheese and au gratin potatoes. About 50 worshippers cleared their throats and sang "Rock of Ages". Then Pastor Pete Peters, a friendly, smiling preacher, introduced special guests in the congregation, including a tax protester recently released from prison, an author specializing in white supremacy and an elderly lecturer on Jewish conspiracy theories.

The Fateful Choice

Robert I. Friedman

The Palestinian riots that have rocked the Jewish state in recent months are a major political victory for Israel’s, radical right–a powerful religious-nationalist movement whose goal is to annex the occupied territories and to expel Israel’s Arabs. Fueled by a blend of biblical prophecy and politics, the radical right contends that God gave the Land of Israel, which includes the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, to the Jewish people. It characterizes the Arabs of Israel as "resident strangers" or descendants of Amalek, the Biblical tribe destroyed by the ancient Hebrews.

Buying Innocence by Association–
Tobacco’s Strange Bedfellows

Myron Levin

The tobacco industry is forging new, behind-the- scenes relationships in its effort to polish its image and to fight smoking bans and excise taxes. In a public relations fantasy come to life, the $35 billion-a-year industry has aligned itself with organized labor and black, Hispanic and women’s groups, whose civil rights rhetoric and appeals for social justice have a special resonance in American life.

Placing Risk Between Panic and Apathy:
A New Industry Emerges

Cristine Russell

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J.–New Jersey had a problem. A cancer-causing, radioactive substance was widespread in homes throughout the state, threatening the health of thousands of residents. While state officials initially worried that publicity could cause public panic, just the opposite has happened.