Consumers Opposed to Inflation in the Necessities

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White House Agenda Screenshot Dec 19 1978

Consumers Opposed to Inflation in the Necessities (COIN) was a leftist economics coalition from the 1970's associated closely with the Democratic Socialist Organizing Committee, a precurser for the Democratic Socialists of America. Gar Alperovitz "came up with the idea" of COIN.[1]

Meeting with Jimmy Carter

Consumers Opposed to Inflation in the Necessities met with former president Jimmy Carter on December 19, 1978. On December 20, 1978, Jimmy Carter released a statement about the meeting:[2]

"Following our very constructive meeting with COIN, I have asked Alfred E. Kahn, my adviser on inflation, to have the working groups he has assembled cooperate with COIN and other consumer groups to plan additional specific steps to hold down inflation in the sectors of the economy that provide the basic necessities of life. I expect their recommendations soon.
"Consumers always seem to be the last to be consulted about the policies that determine what they pay for products and services in the marketplace. COIN has spoken up for consumers throughout this Nation effectively, and I want to hear their views before decisions are made. I want COIN to be a partner in our common effort to control inflation.

According to the official presidential agenda dated December 19 1978,[3] speakers included Anne Wexler, Esther Peterson, Alfred Kahn, Gar Alperovitz, Kathleen O'Reilly, Ellen Haas, James Flug and William Hutton.

COIN 'Expected Attendees'

Referenced in 1979 Edition of Democratic Left

Image is a screenshot from the January-February 1979 edition of Ways & Means, a bimonthly publication of the Conference on Alternative State and Local Public Policies

An article posted in the September, 1979 edition of Democratic Left by Jane Midgley:[4]

ACCUSING PRESIDENT CARTER of continuing the "Nixon-Ford energy ripoff," William Winpisinger, president of the International Association of Machinists and vice-chair of DSOC, kicked off discussion of the present energy situation at the first of a series of teach-ins on inflation. Organized by Consumers Opposed to Inflation in the Necessities (COIN), the June 27 Washington, D.C. teach-in brought together groups that want to curb inflation.

[...]

A fall offensive to combat energy inflation was announced by Heather Booth, head of the Citizen/Labor Energy Coalition...COIN Executive Director Roger Hickey noted that COIN is a "self interest coalition," since inflation threatens everyone's livelihood. More than 70 groups belong to COIN..."

[...]

"United Auto Workers President Douglas Fraser criticized the administration's policy of slowing economic growth as an anti-inflationary measure."

[...]

"The COIN analysis quotes Council on Wage and Price Stability Director Barry Bosworth as estimating that about one million additional unemployed and a loss of $100 billion in output would lower the inflation rate by only one percentage point.

[...]

"Mark Green, director of Congress Watch, attacked another supposed cure for inflation-weaker environmental and health and safety regulation. Calling regulation a 'scapegoat' for inflation, he urged continuing government regulation to control corporate abuse."

Washington Post Profile

Bradley Graham of the Washington Post profiled Consumers Opposed to Inflation in the Necessities on October 24, 1978:[5]

On the eve of the announcement of President Carter's reworked anti-inflation program, leaders of three dozen consumer and labor groups yesterday denounced the White House plan and launched a campaign of their own.
The consumer-labor coalition said it will fight to hold down price increased in four basic areas food, housing, energy and health.
These "Big Four" are what 30 percent of the people spend 70 percent of their money on the group said. Prices in these areas also have been climbing faster than for other consumer items, having jumped 11.6 percent in the last six months compared with 5.6 percent for nonnecessities.
Called Consumers Opposed to Inflation in the Necessities (COIN), the campaign will be part publicity and part political pressure.
The group's membership list includes a broad assortment of activist associations, ranging from the Consumer Federation of America and the Friends of the Earth to the United Auto Workers and the AFL-CIO.
The campaign is based on the belief that today's inflation is not amenable to wage and price guidelines, rising interest rates and other attemps to restrain demand. The current inflation, COIN's organizers say, is not the result of too much demand pushing up prices, or too much government spending, or even excessive wage increases.
This inflation, they insist, is the result of greedy, powerful corporations.
"It's just a matter of facing up to the market power of major companies," said consumer advocate Ralph Nader during a press conference yesterday.
COIN's campaigners blame the high cost of medicine on insurance companies and doctor cartels. They blame high food prices on the monopoly power of food processors, grain dealers and other corporate middlemen.They blame expensive energy on big oil companies and powerful utilities.
And they blame the high cost of housing on high interest rates that are encouraged by the banking lobby.
"Our banks are reaping huge profits as Americans go deeper and deeper into debt," declared J. C. Turner, president of the International Union of Operating Engineers.
But the group said that showing price rises in these four necessities wild require bold government action and no small degree of political courage - courage that several consumer and labor leaders' charged yesterday is lacking in both the White House and Congress.
"They have put the burden of fighting inflation on the victims rather than the corporate perpetrators," asserted Nader, citing a "need for a new citizen base in this country to fight inflation."
The basic necessities - or sectural - approach to fighting inflation has been championed by Gar Alperovitx, an economist and codirector of the Exploratory Project for Economic Alternatives. Alpervoitx has suggested more than 100 programs to lessen what he describes as the excessive economic and political power of the corporations, from national health insurance to controls on oil and gas prices.
The Carter administration is not likely to embrace COIN, but top White House officials have been reading the same economic writing on the wall.


References

  1. ↑ White House Meeting with COIN (accessed July 2, 2022)
  2. ↑ Consumers Opposed to Inflation in the Necessities Statement Following a Meeting With the Organization. (accessed July 2, 2022)
  3. ↑ MEETING WITH COIN (accessed July 2, 2022)
  4. ↑ [September, 1979 edition of Democratic Left by Jane Midgley (accessed July 2, 2022)]
  5. ↑ Consumer-Labor Coalition Launches Anti-Inflation Drive (accessed July 2, 2022)
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