In this Podcast Episode

Rob McNealy interviews one of his most popular guests, multi-level marketing scam expert Jon Taylor, about the dangers lurking behind an MLM exemption in the Business Opportunity Rule. If the rule goes into effect in it’s current form, it would exempt MLM companies from having to provide basic information to consumers that would help them determine the legitimacy of a company. Current commentary about the rule can be found here. Rob and Jon strongly urge listeners submit rebuttal comments to the FTC by July 1st!

More on the Business Opportunity Rule from Jon Taylor

According to Jon,

My big concern is the FTC proposal for a Business Opportunity Rule that would require promoters to reveal minimal information to protect consumers from scams. The MLM lobby screamed bloody murder and got 17,000 of their pyramid participants to write in and protest including MLM in the rule. They also got over 80 Senators and Congressmen to write in – for whatever political favors they had to offer – mostly money.

My position is that by excluding MLM the Rule would be more negative than positive because it would give MLM the excuse to say they the reason they were excluded is that they are legitimate businesses, etc.

Again, rebuttals can be submitted on the FTC website. Note that rebuttals can only be written in response to comments that have already been submitted. If you’re looking for a particular comment to rebut, check out this comment from the Direct Selling Association. The window for original comments is closed, and rebuttals must be submitted no later than June 16th!

Every day, when I check in on the business news served up by Google News, the outlook for the US economy seems even more bleak. As I sat and started to type this post yesterday, headlines which jumped out at me included record crude oil prices of $112.21 a barrel, a declaration from the International Monetary Fund that the US economy is going into a recession, and an update on the ever climbing foreclosure rates and possible mortgage bailouts.

In addition to the bleak news stories, it seems like every time we chat with friends and family with corporate jobs, people are going through layoffs and downsizing, and it seems like more and more of my flooring competitors are laying off or going out of business as well.

Thankfully, we’ve never been ones to sit idly by when it comes to business, and “multiple streams of income” has been part of our mantra for as long as I can remember. Still, the current economic trends are less than pleasant, and it’s hard not to worry about what the upcoming year holds. Do you think, like so many people I talk to, that the US economy is improving, or do you believe the worst is yet to come? If you’re one of those who believes the worst is yet to come, what are you doing to protect yourself from the US economic downturn?

According to an AP article by Mary Clare Jalonick, farmers are set to plant roughly 8% less corn this growing season than they did last year, a move which may cause food prices to rocket even higher. With the increasing use of corn in ethanol based fuels, as well as the frequent use of corn in processed food products, the price of corn has nearly tripled since 2005.

Corn has become nearly essential to life as we know it in the US. If you don’t believe me, read on, and I’ll explain. In addition to the fact that the number of ethanol plants has nearly tripled since 1999, corn has become and integral component in a startling number of the products we use every day. My family discovered this first hand when our youngest child was discovered to have a corn allergy. Through trial and error and a whole lot of research, we’ve come to realize that ingredients derived from corn (corn starch, corn meal, corn flour, corn syrup, dextrose, fructose, etc) are found in the majority of processed food products found on US store shelves. In addition, corn based waxes and oils can be used to coat fruits and vegetables, milk cartons and paper plates and cups. On top of that, corn starch is found in many (if not most) pills and tablets, and corn syrup is found in many liquid medications, and corn products are also seen in many types of toiletries, including deodorant, soaps and shampoos.

If you combine the rising cost of fuel, with the potentially rising cost of corn, we could see grocery prices climbing higher, at a time when many families are already facing lay-offs, downsizing and mortgage foreclosures. One way to drive prices back down, would be to decrease demand by relying less on processed foods and starting to buy more actual ingredients. That takes extra effort and time though, so prices would probably have to soar pretty high for enough people to make that choice. In that way, it’s kind of like the problem with soaring gas prices. We’ve become nearly as attached to convenience foods as we have to the convenience of driving our own cars.

Tell us how rising food prices have impacted your family by leaving a comment. Have you made any changes to how you shop or the foods you eat to make up for these increasing prices? If so, we’d love to hear from you.