Clark has had a bias against what’s called “arbitration” for a long time. Voluntary arbitration is okay. That is when both parties volunteer to go to an arbitrator and work out their differences. But the private or mandatory process included in some business contracts is usually very underhanded and abusive. And more and more companies are implementing them. Arbitration is often used as an alternative to going to court, but it’s almost always in the favor of the business and not the consumer. One of the main industries involved in the abuse of consumers is the homebuilding industry, according to Smart Money magazine. Homebuilders include arbitration clauses in their contracts that are entirely anti-consumer. It’s almost a stacked deck against buyers, who have no chance with the biased arbitrators and biased arbitration panels that homebuilders hire. Car dealers are also adding arbitration clauses, some of which say that the consumer must pay $4,000 to settle an arbitration. In actuality, it would cost a couple hundred dollars at most. Courts recently decided that some of the car dealer arbitration clauses are, by their very nature, illegal and unenforceable. So you can still go to court. But credit card companies and insurance companies have implemented arbitration clauses and they “win” 99 percent of the time. So, it’s clear that most of these systems are inherently flawed. No one wants to go to court; it’s no fun. But you don’t want to enter into arbitration with these businesses either. Look over your contracts for a mention of an “arbitration clause.” If there is one, run the other way!