1 Unintended consequences, or just plain evil?

2 I'm going to go with "Stupid and Evil" for $500 Alex.

3 My best 3 a.m. can't sleep guess is that the credit card companies are lining someones pockets...... ?

4 It's almost like Congress doesn't know what it's doing.

5

I think Barney Frank might have had a hand  in this...at least my ass feels lke he did!

6 They're the smartest guys in the room though, so they must know what they're doing.  You're all just too stupid to see it.

7 Also, this post is racist.

8

I think Barney Frank might have had a hand  in this...at least my ass feels lke he did!

Just don't look down.

9 Is this all about things to come with credit cards or is this already happening.  Nothing has changed as far as my card is concerned.

10 Schiff 2010! You Connecticutians have a problem with that?

11

I'm a serious free market kinda guy, but I'm ready to re-regulate these bastards back to 1979.

I don't carry a credit card balance on anything, and I have no debt, but almost all of my friends do and this nonsense is beginning to hurt normal and responsible folks. Bring back the old laws that capped the rates at 19%, and then let the figure out if extending all this consumer debt was really such a great idea.

12 So that's why my minimum payments doubled.

13 Capitol Won ^tm

What's in your Congress?

14 I think this is going to bite the banks in the ass down the road. 

Last year Bank of America lost ALL of my business because of shit like this -- all of it.  Credit cards, checking/savings accounts, and a business checking account.  I had my fill of their hostile policies and just closed/canceled everything and moved my money elsewhere.  When you abuse the people who are paying you on time every time, don't be surprised when they bolt at the first opportunity.

Now I use cash, a debit card, and very occasionally an Amex Gold card, and I'm thinking about ditching the Amex card as well since Amex started playing these games last year too. 

15

Good Morning Morons;

 

I think when they were debating this stupid law EVERY Moron on here predicted that two things would happen. First rates would go up for almost everyone, but most particularly for people who had late payments and second, a lot of the marginal credit card holders would simply be canceled.

 

Congress has shown time and time again that there really is no such thing as a free lunch. The socialists and commies get on their pulpits and preach that “poor people” are being abused by the banks and credit companies and we need laws that will limit their ability to raise rates and deny credit to people with poor credit history.  AND THEN THE LYING SOBs STAND UP IN CONGRESS AND SAY THAT THESE LAWS HAD NO IMPACT ON BANK FAILURES and mortgage defaults.

 

And no Jim in San Diego, what we do need is to get Congress the hell out of the banking industry. They should not be subjected to anything other than normal fraud laws. I would perhaps go for a few regulations on the amount of money loaned out vs assets but even there I think I would prefer that they be forced to publish that kind of data and let customers decide.

 

Oh and one last thing, there is no “too big to fail”.

16 Go get a credit card with a local credit union, especially if you carry a balance month to month.  Then do a balance transfer, and cancel the card (that goes double for any bastard bank that got TARP money.  I don't care if they were supposedly "forced" into it, either.  If you've been paying on time, every time, as agreed....why the hell you should get your rate jacked up is beyond me.)  They usually are a hell of a lot more ethical than any major bank you can name. 

I don't carry a balance, but still got my Citi rate hiked to 17%.  So much for having good credit, not going over my limit and making sure that the money gets to them before the due date.  I guess that's their special "Thank you!" rate for bailing them out, eh? 

If they, or any of my other cards, starts charging an annual fee....they can kiss my happy ass goodbye forever as a customer for anything...credit cards, checking accounts, mortgages and car loans, etc. 

(Please don't start with that "you're not making them any money if you don't carry a balance" crap, either.   I put everything short of contributions to the Sunday collection at church on those cards, and each time I whip them out the issuer gets a cut of the transaction from the merchant.  It's just that they don't make as much money off of me as they do from someone else.  TFB.) 

17

PA;

 

The Amex card is the worst credit card you can get. That was what my old company used to issue for a business credit card. Their merchant fees are the highest of the bunch and most hotels and restaurants quit taking them. A lot of us complained and finally they switched over to a different card.

 

I currently have a Visa with no interest as long as the balances is paid within 30 days and no annual fees. I only use it for trips and buying stuff on line.

 

And yes, they make money off of the merchants, but the credit card isn’t the real rip off. According to a friend of mine who runs a restaurant they charge even higher fees for debit cards which are essentially a paper free check.

18 With all the identity theft shit going on, I'm seriously thinking about reducing my "electronic footprint" to as close to zero as possible as soon as possible.  Maybe keep one debit card with only a few hundred bucks in it at any given time for online purchases. 

Nobody (*cough* *cough* IRS *cough* *cough*), can track your movements if you're part of the cash money economy and using something like a postal money order for a larger purchase allows you to file mail fraud complaints if the seller doesn't deliver.  I know from past experience, the postal inspectors are serious folks.  They got me a whopping $10 back that some eBay seller tried to rip me for.  I was impress by that, and apparently the scammer was too since they must not have thought the Fed's would be landing on them over a paltry $10 rip, but they did, and the guy coughed it up.

19 They took advantage of the extreme stupidity of congress.  That is just evil.  Of course they took advantage of congress' greed for years to completely fuck up the economy, that is really bad too. 

Poor congress, they are always being taken advantage of.

20

With all the identity theft shit going on, I'm seriously thinking about reducing my "electronic footprint" to as close to zero as possible as soon as possible  

 

 

The ID theft shit worries me as well, but I live in Podunck, SC so when I need something other than a quart of milk or a loaf of bread I am forced to buy on line.

21 Hey Chris, hey! Chris Dodd! C'mere. I've got candy and puppies in here. Just come in and sit on my lap.

22

Can anyone provide a concise explanation of the argument against auditing the fed, if a good one exists? I think, IMHO, that would address the systemic opacity of the banking system but the counter-argument always runs, "well the economy would collapse if we did that." I suspect this is Banker-Democrat-Goldman Sachs propaganda but maybe a more market savy wise moron can answer this.

And regarding identity theft, I had someone making unathorized trades in one of my brokerage accounts. Luckily the amount of cash was essentially a pittance and the firm credited the cash, but effing ridiculous nonetheless.

23 ^{Can anyone provide a concise explanation of the argument against auditing the fed?}

I won.

24

Dear Diary,,

What a party! Went to an all night kegger-summit with Barney, Chris and some of their credit card company friends. I've got a monster hang-over, my tounge is swollen and it tastes like teh kitten sh*t in my mouth.  Oh allah is my a$$ sore and my under-roos are on backwards. Good times!

Til next time Dear Diary,

Barry

OsamaHusseinIslamObama 2012'

(the terrorist-Uighur-ACORN-media choice)

-It's never too early to campaign-

25

I would perhaps go for a few regulations on the amount of money loaned out vs assets but even there I think I would prefer that they be forced to publish that kind of data and let customers decide.
Posted by: Vic
----------------------
At first I was all Kill the Bankers, but I think you're right, Vic. What the Dodds and Franks WANT is for consumers and producers to be at war, so they can call us babies and say none of it worked when they left us to our own devices, thus necessitating their stepping in and taking control.  

That said, I'll be getting my balance down to zero asap.

26
Nothing has changed with my cards. Plus, I primarily use the cash/debit card issued to me by my bank. I rarely use my credit cards anymore in this economy.

At any rate, I'm dumping my excess cards today before I'm forced to finance someone elses good time. The law of unintended consequences is a bitch.

27 Got a call at work from an attorney friend a couple days ago.  Wanted me to run a credit report on him because his Mobil gas station credit card denied, and they told him that it was canceled because of a change in his credit.  Turns out that Citi, who cobranded with Mobil, is shitcanning hundreds of thousands of gas cards, including Mobil, Shell, and others, without any notice.  Attorney friend pissed.  Attorney friend sees large class of people potentially wronged.  And he'll do a class action just because he's a dick. Hee hee....

28

Posted by: Blazer at October 31, 2009 07:40 AM (+FzLa)

Why would anybody listen to your elderly mutterings?  You're so damned old I heard Alzheimer's left you for someone younger.

29 OT: Half-dozen bodies found at serial killer's house in Cleveland.  Strangely enough, it's a black guy.  Don't see that too often.

http://tinyurl.com/yzu397w

30 23 ^{Can anyone provide a concise explanation of the argument against auditing the fed?}

I won.

There ya' go.  Enough said.  Elections do have consequences.

31

Can anyone provide a concise explanation of the argument against auditing the fed, if a good one exists.

 

Wrong question

 

Should be “Can anyone provide a concise explanation of where in the Constitution the federal government was empowered to create the Fed and why we must have it?

32

Why would anybody listen to your elderly mutterings?  You're so damned old I heard Alzheimer's left you for someone younger.

Posted by: Herr Morgenholz at October 31, 2009 07:43 AM (qWLc4)

I dont know why anyone would listen to an old fuck like me, but you just replied to me. Your so dumb, you thought a quarterback was a refund.

33 Fed.  Not a fan.

34

Posted by: Blazer at October 31, 2009 07:50 AM (+FzLa)

Yeah, well, yo mama so fat, bitch gotta put on her belt with a boomerang, Grandpa.

35

Wrong question

 

Should be “Can anyone provide a concise explanation of where in the Constitution the federal government was empowered to create the Fed and why we must have it?

 

Oh, come on.  That's just so last century.  Our Constitution is just an obscure history lesson that's no longer taught.  We're in the age of hope and change.

 

/s

36 Constitution?  Is this some cable tee-vee  type of joke thing?

37 Can anyone provide a concise explanation of where in the Constitution the federal government was empowered to create the Fed and why we must have it?

It's just a g-d damned piece of paper!

38

Posted by: Blazer at October 31, 2009 07:50 AM (+FzLa)

Yeah, well, yo mama so fat, bitch gotta put on her belt with a boomerang, Grandpa.

Posted by: Herr Morgenholz at October 31, 2009 07:54 AM (qWLc4)

Your momma is so fat, she stuck a Q-Tip in her ear and pulled out a Sugar Daddy.

39 37

Herr Morgenholz

I've heard that one in a nuber of places but never seen an actual source.  So, pics or it never happened.

40 Sockpuppet, your lace wig is En Fuego!

41

Posted by: Charlie Gibson at October 31, 2009 08:00 AM (KeHPo)

Don't have one.  Might be urban legend, but there's little doubt it's indicative of the attitude of everyone in DC, from both parties.  Chalk it up as fake but accurate.

Maybe Blazer's mom has the video hidden in her rolls.

42 Cuz Blazer's mama so fat, she got other fat people in orbit around her.

43

Of course, our Constitution is fundamentally flawed because it does not address redistribution. He said that during the campaign and stupid ignorant people still voted for him.

 

I can understand the Maxine Water’s of the country voting for him, first because he was black and second because he was a communist, bit I simply can not understand why others voted for him.

 

Still if the Republicans had fielded a real candidate and George Soros had not manipulated the economy he still would have lost.

44

Maybe Blazer's mom has the video hidden in her rolls.

Posted by: Herr Morgenholz at October 31, 2009 08:03 AM (qWLc4)

Yo mamma so fat, I had roll over twice to get off her.

45 Chalk it up as fake but accurate.

Maybe Blazer's mom has the video hidden in her rolls.


OOOOh!111  (in a bad way)  No pics then!

46
I've heard that one in a nuber of places but never seen an actual source.  So, pics or it never happened.

That's where I'm at right now.  In a nuber place.

47
Cuz Blazer's mama so fat, she got other fat people in orbit around her.

Posted by: Herr Morgenholz at October 31, 2009 08:05 AM (qWLc4)

Your mama is so fat she went to Sea World to get baptized

48 Yo mamma so fat, I had roll over twice to get off her.

Posted by: Blazer at October 31, 2009 08:06 AM (+FzLa)

Hell, I needed a sherpa and three bottles of oxygen to get on you mama, she so fat.

49

That's where I'm at right now.  In a nuber place.

Posted by: Iamnotanalcoholic at October 31, 2009 08:07 AM (uQVDB)

If you were truly in a nuber place, you would not be such a scuzzy douche and would recognize I meant number troll.

50
Hell, I needed a sherpa and three bottles of oxygen to get on you mama, she so fat.

Posted by: Herr Morgenholz at October 31, 2009 08:09 AM (qWLc4)

Your mama is so fat, I had to take a train and two buses just to get on the her good side.

51

Posted by: Blazer at October 31, 2009 08:08 AM (+FzLa)

I seen you mama in a movie once.  She so fat, Ron Jeremy only got a half inch into her ass.

52

Something else I have often wondered about Obama’s question about the Constitution and redistribution;

 

He is supposedly a graduate of Harvard Law so surely he knows that at the time the Constitution was written there was no redistribution.  The idea of “redistribution” did not come about until the 1850s with Communism and the 1900s and the progressive era.

 

In 1789 kings and tyrants still ruled all of the earth but the newly formed U.S.A. Someone advocating “redistribution” during this period would have been laughed out of the room (in the USA) or hung (in Europe).

53

If you were truly in a nuber place, you would not be such a scuzzy douche and would recognize I meant number troll.

Why the vitriole, asshole?  Didn't get any last night?

54 Your mama is so fat they had to build a special cable lift just to mount her!

55

I seen you mama in a movie once.  She so fat, Ron Jeremy only got a half inch into her ass.

Posted by: Herr Morgenholz at October 31, 2009 08:11 AM (qWLc4)

Yo mama is so fat, when your daddy does her doggy style and she goes down on her elbows, he gets lifted off the bed.

56

Posted by: Blazer at October 31, 2009 08:14 AM (+FzLa)

You mama so fat, when she sat on her last john's face, he couldn't hear the stereo.

57

Posted by: Blazer at October 31, 2009 08:14 AM (+FzLa)

You mama so fat, when she sat on her last john's face, he couldn't hear the stereo.

Posted by: Herr Morgenholz at October 31, 2009 08:16 AM (qWLc4)

Your mama is so hairy, it looks like she has Buckweat in the leg scissors.

58 Alright, that's enough.  40 year old men making "yo mama" jokes while sitting in their underwear drinking coffee is kind of sad.  Besides, my daughter just saw over my shoulder.

59 Yo momma so fat, they ring the bell from the Edmund Fitzgerald when someone goes down on her.

60 Good morning, Blazer, you old fuckwit.

61

Sorry to break up the very OT drooling dipshit contest, but as far as Peter Schiff is concerned, I'm no Paulbot but I sent in money to his campaign.

I'd love to see an economic debate between Schiff and Dodd.

The Obamacare bill is going to hurt if not kill insurance companies, and this is Connecticut we're talking about, after all.

Even Lieberman woke up long enough to see that.

62 I am fully clothed and drinking a beer, but I do regret making yo momma jokes.

63 58 Alright, that's enough.  40 year old men making "yo mama" jokes while sitting in their underwear drinking coffee is kind of sad.  Besides, my daughter just saw over my shoulder.

Ah, come on.  Y'all were making my day.

64 Sorry to break up the very OT drooling dipshit contest

I laughed.

65

back to the credit card issue:  like Vic, I live in Podunk Va (& love it, by the way).  So I purchase alot on line.  Ebay won't accept either of my 2 visas & the credit line on one card was reduced.

my husband & i have no debt, everything is current.  I have no explanation except that someone stole my credit.   if I get a credit report, doesn't that show up on my credit as a negative?  someone help me out here.

66 Alright, that's enough.  40 year old men making "yo mama" jokes while sitting in their underwear drinking coffee is kind of sad.  Besides, my daughter just saw over my shoulder.

Posted by: Herr Morgenholz at October 31, 2009 08:19 AM (qWLc4)

Agreed, last one.

Your Mama's so hairy, she spread her legs and said, "We're going to Bush Gardens."

67 Kelley, do you mean just requesting a credit report is a negative on your credit?  I'm not understanding your question.

I got Lifelock for the whole family.  People can't even say my name without Lifelock calling me to verify.

68

Posted by: kelley in virginia at October 31, 2009 08:22 AM (TEIZr)

Some banks are dropping accounts without notice.  They are desperate to limit the amount of exposure they have to potentially unemployed people living off their cards with no way to ever pay back.  They know heavy crap is coming down the line, economically.  You are entitled to one credit report per year for free, and it shows up as "consumer copy", or something similar, in the Inquiries section of the report.  It shouldn't hurt your credit at all.  I doubt that someone did an ID theft on you.  What you describe is happening to everybody.

69
Your Mama's so hairy, she spread her legs and said, "We're going to Bush Gardens."

Bunk!

70 It all started making fun of Blazer because he's old, which I do since I found out we're the same age, then devolved.  Proves the point that, with apologies to Kratos, in the end, there will be only "Yo Mama Jokes".  Sorry for the inadvertent threadjack.

71 Uhh, lifelock seems to be a scam to me.  Are they saying you will not be liable for more than $50 if someone uses your credit cards?  If so, that is true without them.

72

I got Lifelock for the whole family.  People can't even say my name without Lifelock calling me to verify.

Wow.  It used to be when people mentioned my name, the police called.  (Not neccessarily to verify, either)

73 _{^{I really don't see how you can go wrong with "yo momma" jokes on a smart military blog!11}}

74 It all started making fun of Blazer because he's old, which I do since I found out we're the same age, then devolved.  Proves the point that, with apologies to Kratos, in the end, there will be only "Yo Mama Jokes".  Sorry for the inadvertent threadjack.

Posted by: Herr Morgenholz at October 31, 2009 08:31 AM (qWLc4)

28 is not old !

75

ok, I think my husband & I should get a credit report for our joint names & then one each for us individually.  Will that count as 3 reports?

You know, I get alot of my life's questions answered on this blog.  Many of you are very smart.  the rest of you are humorous.

76

.....is not old

77 ok, I think my husband & I should get a credit report for our joint names & then one each for us individually.  Will that count as 3 reports?

A joint report is really just two individual reports.  That will be fine.

78 28 is not old !

You can remember that far back?

79 ok, I think my husband & I should get a credit report for our joint names & then one each for us individually.  Will that count as 3 reports?



For some reason that question does not make me feel all warm and fuzzy about a centralized government health record.

80

thanks for the info.

O/T:  House set to debate socialized medicine next week.  For Virginians, we've won our race so we can focus on this.  You NY-23ers & NJers need to continue campaigning, but you will need to go back to working on the Congress as soon as you can.

81 You can remember that far back?

Posted by: Herr Morgenholz at October 31, 2009 08:41 AM (qWLc4)

Sometimes. Hey, get your shawl, its freezing outside.

82

 have no explanation except that someone stole my credit

 

You can check that on line for most credit card. You can view your account in real time to check to see if unauthorized charges are being placed on it.

 

Also, If I am not mistaken each time you have a credit report run on your account the agencies treat that as a potential purchase and they use that to downgrade  your rating.

83

Also, If I am not mistaken each time you have a credit report run on your account the agencies treat that as a potential purchase and they use that to downgrade  your rating.

Posted by: Vic at October 31, 2009 08:44 AM (CDUiN)

I think inquiries by the consumer are coded not to effect your rating.  Doesn't matter anymore, really.  In this economy, they have to grade on the curve anyway.

84 82  Yeah, every time your credit history is checked it is also downgraded.  So the unibomber had a great credit rating, go figure.

85 Sometimes. Hey, get your shawl, its freezing outside.

Posted by: Blazer at October 31, 2009 08:43 AM (+FzLa)

Years from now, we'll be sitting on the porch of the AoSHQ Retirement Annex, trying to remember each other's names.

86 Years from now, we'll be sitting on the porch of the AoSHQ Retirement Annex

 

Some of us are already on that “retirement annex”. Best job I have ever had.

87

Some of us are already on that “retirement annex”. Best job I have ever had.

Posted by: Vic at October 31, 2009 08:52 AM (CDUiN)

Looking forward to it, after I get all these short people out of the house.

88

..... after I get all these short people out of the house.

 

LOL, you can get them out of the house but don’t count on that breaking the umbilical cord attached to your hip pocket. (Particularly if they are female).

89

Posted by: Vic at October 31, 2009 08:59 AM (CDUiN)

The National Bank of Dad is always too big to fail.

90

There are some things money can't buy...but for congress, money will do just fine thank you.

 

91

The National Bank of Dad is always too big to fail.

 

Yep, I still get hit and am now on a pretty much fixed income.

92 Congressional villain: "Hi there, I'm your enemy and I'm planning to fuck you over 7 ways from Sunday. Sure I'll tell you how, and because I'm soooo smart and you're so dumb (after all, you contributed to my campaign), I'll give you 9 months to watch my inevitable triumph unfold." What could go wrong?

93

Fox just did a segment with Tucker Carlson about the low popularity ratings of congress. They discussed the “Republican lead” congress vs the Democrat Congress of today and even talked about the label given to the Republican congress as the “do nothing” congress.

 

Not one damn words was said about the fact that Republicans not only did not have 60 votes in the Senate (had a bare majority) they also had the RINOs like McLame and the ME sisters joining with the Dems. Of course they could not get anything down. The House had a clear majority and they passed bills over and over again only to see them die in the Senate.

 

The Democrap congress completely own all this crap and the reason they are running scared now is they opened all the communist stops this year and now the voters are pissed.

94 As my day job involves running risk management for a major player in the credit card world, let me share some insight on this bill from the perspective of a risk manager (while not speaking for my employer):

What Congress has done is severely dismantle issuers capacity to practice risk management by charging respective to the risk taken. If your issuer cannot charge for risk, they will have to either find another way to mitigate it or cease business. One of the only methods left for them under this law is risk avoidance - meaning dumping all of the risks they cannot legally price anymore. Even with a good interest rate, this affects consumers. I've personally been affected by the loss of a zero-interest payroll backed card given the risk coverage provided in the card could no longer be priced in with the new law.

This is the same Congress that has consistently and repeatedly gotten risk completely wrong in countless other markets. Consider healthcare and the progressive rant that "evil insurance companies are denying insurance for people with pre-existing conditions." Most half-intelligent individuals know that when you've already had the condition, you're not seeking insurance; you're seeking service. Insurance is a product that prices the opportunity of risk and distributes that cost across a large population of like risks. One who now has cancer and needs extensive treatment, or one who just watched their house burn down, is not a risk, they're a certainty. Insurance is not what they need.

And this same Congress has repeatedly bungled markets like the sub-prime (which they are in the process of re-creating), engineering in massive bubbles which explode. That hedging activities in derivatives markets are where the structure snaps (as market participants are trying to use more and more coverage to provide critical liquidity and protect from the inevitable collapse) is expected. Yet the same morons who engineered the bubble blame the liquidity-providing mechanism for the collapse -- much akin to blaming fire hoses and water for the house fire (hey, they're always seen when the idiot reporter shows up to cover the house burning story).

95 #11, the point is, credit card companies are reacting to regulation, not lack of regulation. 

As a consumer of several credit cards (shame on me, but it's my free-market choice) I got notification that all of them were jacking their rates to 19%.  Their explanation when I called, it's in response to the changes in regulation. 

Of course, I closed every account and will pay them off and they'll get 0% interest from me.  But everyone can't do that as quickly so the consumer loses again thanks to congressional consumer "protection".
 
Do you believe that in a truly free market 19% would be the going rate right now? 

But on the bright side, the same geniuses that couldn't see this train-wreck coming are getting ready to take over the health insurance industry, so we've got that going for us.

96 We sure dodged that Palin bullet.

97 #95: I think you point on the intent of Congress; cease the availability of consumer credit. A credit-driven market makes it extraordinarily difficult for government 5-year planner types to forecast anything (to be fair, they can't forecast anything in the first place, but they at least pretend their work is valid).

Economically, our government is functioning now as a pre-1930s government. Led by economists who couldn't foresee the Weimar Republic's collapse through Keynesian fiascos, and couldn't understand how U.S. efforts would worsen the already recovering early '30s economy and throw it back into prolonged depression, we're back to the leadership by this horribly obsolete and retro model. I wouldn't be surprised if one found armies of tabulating clerks cranking the handles on large steel calculators and generating mountains of paper, inside economic planning offices.

What does a cash-poor consumer market look like? For one, the size of money supply collapses harder than our initial sub-prime bubble collapse. We'll probably see this second implosion occur around Q2-2010. Contracted, unemployment will have to go up given there isn't money supply for the size most industry, business and service sectors are structured for. Visualize a 20% reduction in money supply and realize each production line, call center, mail office, grocery store, etc. is equally too large given the new smaller size of economy the Progressives are engineering. All those jobs have to go and given the contraction, infrastructure suppliers who provide retail/wholesale/manufacturing capital items like forklifts, store shelves, cash registers, industrial mixers, etc will all go through a terrible downturn. A permanent reduction in economy size will cause that existing excess to be held in reserve as spare parts for years to come - destroying any need for expansion or maintenance capital.

This alone will shock us well into deflation, but combine it with the insane inflationary pressures from the unrestrained Federal spending and we're probably going to see consumers with no spending power whatsoever. Given a useless dollar that cannot buy bread for bread lines, I'm pretty sure we'll see a different political structure in no more than a decade (perhaps the dissolution of the Federal government and regression to states and state compacts). God help you if your state is indebted and is a net importer.

98 Listen to all (well, most) of you whiny little pussies. If you don't like doing business with the credit card companies then just...stop! Amazing! They are acting in their own interests, and so should all of you bed-wetters.

At least for the next year or so we are free to do business with whom we choose. Of course when Obama (pbuh) gets his way we will all have to have government bank accounts so that our health care costs can be debited automatically.

The problem in this country isn't credit, it's stupid borrowing. I borrowed to buy a house. I don't borrow to buy Christmas gifts and dishwashers and grout for the tile and dinner out on Saturday night.

99 Dodd, Obama, Biden, Pelosi, Reid, Greyson, just to name a few.  This is the party of idiot fucking boobs.  How anybody in their right mind can support these stooges is beyond my comprehension.  Can 52 percent of Americans be this dumb?  The taxpayers will end up bailing out credit card holders.  Those of us who control our spending and live within our means are going to get a royal fucking again.  Dems Motto: Punish the shit out of responsible taxpayers, give to those who aren't. 

100 Guys, guys........don't you get it?

The CC companies raise their rates and fees, in turn giving them MORE money to donate to Congress-types.

Nice little shakedown.

101 We use our cards as an electronic check and pay them off, in full, every month.  Unlike debit cards, the liability for fraud, etc is on the credit card companies.  So far, they pay us to use their cards.

If you truly understand compound interest, you will  never let the credit card companies get their hooks into you.  Every dollar you spend costs you probably three if you pay the minimum amount.  If Starbucks charged you $15 for a latte, you'd pass.  But that's what you're paying if you live off the card.

102  Another story that finishes before it starts. What has made the credit card companies jump through hoops to remain profitable? Look back and you will find the Community Reinvestment Act.You know the same one that created the housing mess. It was the CRA that forced credit card companies to give cards to 18 yr olds(ageism) and poor people(racism,sexism and every ism including some not even in the dictionary).
  But of course the Democrats will never admit they are the cause of this problem,instead they blame evil capitalists.

103 Dodd passes legislation....and we citizens pay for it.

Every
Time

104 Dems:  Let's reward irresponsible bad behavior.  It's those damn conservatives who conserve and are responsible with their money.  Let's fuck them and give their money to our dumbass base.  You think this is not true...think again.  We've only seen the beginning of this shit.  The Dems think they will stay in power if they can rob those who have and give to those who don't.  They're cooking up schemes everyday to acomplish their goals.  We're fucked.

105 Credit card companies charge merchants a percentage of every sale plus a fee each time a card is swiped, so that fee is added on to the cost of the product.

106 Nobody (*cough* *cough* IRS *cough* *cough*), can track your movements if you're part of the cash money economy and using something like a postal money order for a larger purchase allows you to file mail fraud complaints if the seller doesn't deliver.  I know from past experience, the postal inspectors are serious folks.  They got me a whopping $10 back that some eBay seller tried to rip me for.  I was impress by that, and apparently the scammer was too since they must not have thought the Fed's would be landing on them over a paltry $10 rip, but they did, and the guy coughed it up.

Don't think for a minute that IRS can't track postal money orders (or any other money orders for that matter).  Cash purchases of money orders are regulated by the Bank Secrecy laws, and IRS maintains the database.

107 I think that is supposed to be dufi, not dufuses.  Just sayin.

108 kansas, you're right.  But since those same companies either won't give me a discount if I pay cash (local merchants and repairmen a possible exception), or demand a credit card anyway (if I order something online, and being in a relatively dinky town....sometimes I have to in order to get something since the few local stores don't carry it).....here comes the plastic, boys. 

Besides, if someone tries to hose me, I can always dispute the charge with the credit card company easier than I can argue about getting money back, or having them reverse a debit card charge.  (There are reasons why bank employees don't use debit cards, ever.  Think about it.)

109 It's not stupidity, it's evil.

Please both sides: that's the goal here. Suck up to consumers and then give the companies enough time to rake in some cash for a rainy day.

Another variation on this theme is a bill that passes all kinds of safeguard laws and then doesn't fund any inspectors.

110 It's apparent that many on the right are equally ignorant about the cost of money. For instance, statements like this are made:

If you truly understand compound interest, you will  never let the credit card companies get their hooks into you.

Yet the same individual probably has no problem getting compounded interest in his/her 401K, IRA, college savings account, etc. How about we exchange that with a simple passbook savings account that has zero interest. How willing are you to "invest" now?

This is nothing more or less than the cost of money. Attacking credit card companies for charging is inane and little more than pseudo-Marxism. It's akin to standing next to a rabid progressive protesting against evil corporations while wearing Abercrombie and sipping Starbucks. Talk to someone with a finance degree and have them explain how it really works. Don't like 21%-28% interest? Then use cash. You shouldn't bitch about it making a coffee cost $15 - if you're using credit cards for coffee, you're a risk that needs to be in the 21%-28% pool. The probability of default is high enough that these rates are necessary to break even and make a normal profit.

And god help us if we get onto that argument against profit. I'd swear, I'm gonna punch the next fool who professes hate for profit while bitching about how poor their 401K has done this year. If you don't like profit, don't ever buy another product of the capitalist system. Build a mud hut on state property, grow your own food, make your own clothes and leave the system.

111

 They're the smartest guys in the room on the short bus though, so they must know what they're doing.  You're all just too stupid to see it.    Posted by: Tom in Korea at October 31, 2009 03:41 AM (+gX1+)

 

FTFY

112 Gents, the new new thing for the card companies is to charge you a fee if you DON'T carry a balance. Check your statements and walk. BTW if you are a senior member of the Wall street or finance community you have to do two things: donate to dodd and donate to shumer. Hmm, good thing they are honest. Musta just been a drunken moment for Chrissy otherwise he would have been all over the card cos.

113 Vic,

Your points are cogent and well written. Do you really need to use a big ass font on every comment?

114 I use the bank of my right front pocket, works everytime.

115 Your points are cogent and well written. Do you really need to use a big ass font on every comment?

 

I started using the 11 point font when several people said that my posts came across tiny and unreadable.

 

Previously I had used a 10 point. I think it has something to do with how your default copy of windows is setup.

 

I figured 11 point may show up slightly larger on some peoples but legible on the ones who were complaining.

 

BTW, when I cut and paste a comment out of pixy into MS Word it shows up as 9.5 pt Georgia.

116 Hey all. Don't close or cancel any credit cards even if you despise what they are doing to your rates. All available balances are (ie those zero balance cards you have) to run your credit FICO. Also if you have a balance make sure you keep it low as compared to your available credit limit--high balance to credit available ratio is a ding on your FICO. Closed accounts also will ding as they reduce your total available credit. I know it defies logic that available credit (and therefore the ability to charge them all to the max) would show credit worthiness but alas that is how it is. Just don't use the cards. And pay down the balances as quickly as you can. But know that as you pay down balances the card companies will probably reduce your credit limit which will in turn ding your FICO. This all came home for me as we are refinancing our mortgage and found that my perfect credit FICO score was lower since June 09 due to reductions in my available credit card limits. crazy

117 Flyover Sam, please, you know that is not what he meant at all when he/she was talking about compound interest. 

Hell, I pay plenty of interest when I pay my mortgage and when I pay for the car loan.  I have no problem with that.  I signed up for it, I knew that I was gonna pay that, and I do, every month.

What I have a problem with are card companies cutting lines of credit, and jacking up interest rates because the issuers were too stupid or greedy five years or so back.  I don't appreciate it one damn bit when my credit rating goes down the hole because they slashed my credit limit.  If I did something stupid to cause it, sure, I have no problem with it.  I should take the hit.  I should have to pay for it. 

But when I followed the rules they set, for decades, and it affects my ability to get another job, get car insurance at a relatively reasonable price, and a bunch of other little things that add up simply because of some arbitrary crap (oooh, so sorry, Amex, for shopping at Wal-Mart and using your card....didn't know that was doubleplus ungood, especially since that was one of my payment options....), yeah, that pisses me off.   

118 Of course, I closed every account and will pay them off and they'll get 0% interest from me.

This sums up the bank's long term strategic error by making purely tactical moves today.  In essence, they're "training" a large number of consumers to NOT want to deal with them rather than WANT to deal with them. 

What is the long term outlook for banks if consumers are trained to live strictly within their means all the time, and hold any remaining credit cards for emergency purposes like a furnace that blows up in the middle of winter or a car that breaks down during a long trip?

The economy WILL eventually turn around, but if a whole generation or two has been "retrained" to think the way the children of the great depression did, its going to pretty much force banks back in to being the traditional banks of the 1950's.

I see the beginnings of a trend like this already happening. 

119

This sums up the bank's long term strategic error by making purely tactical moves today.  In essence, they're "training" a large number of consumers to NOT want to deal with them rather than WANT to deal with them. 

I agree that it's a strategic error, but I don't think it really matters to them.  All of these banks have a major problem right now with billions of dollars in rapidly depreciating real estate assets that they are keeping off their books, along with high numbers of credit consumers in default.  As a result, a lot of people are now "strategically" defaulting because the banks are either taking huge losses on renegotiation of payments of large credit card debts, and/or not putting their trash mortgages on their balance sheets.

I think the banks see this as a way to dramatically reduce their credit liability, which will help their bottom line in the short term.  Yes, they are risking millions never doing business with them again, but they won't have to pay out and then potentially take even greater losses down the road, either.

That said, I cancelled my BoA after I paid it off, and have my money with a local credit union.  I can't cancel my other cards because it will shoot my FICO to hell, but i don't have to use them either.  As long as I don't buy shit I don't need, I don't have anything to worry about, and hopefull more Americans will start figuring this out too.

120 Looks like Dodd found a cause to attempt to make himself look useful and a fighter for the people rather than a stooge for big finance and a puppet of the fat cats. Will it work? I hope not.

121

and where are the vichy right on this?

 

oh wait their enabling him

122

Chris Dodd is a tool, but he's not an idiot.  He knew exactly what the credit card companies would do. 

Step 1: Be the hero with the public for passing idiotic populist legislation that sounds good. 

Step 1b: Be the hero with the credit card companies for giving them time to make adjustments against said idiotic legislation.

Step 2: Profess outrage that the credit card companies would do such a thing.  Shake down the credit card companies, threatening to pass other remedial legislation that would punish the credit card companies. 

Step 3: Collect money. 

Step 4: Blame Republicans for taking the side of Big Business. 

Step 5: Punish the credit card companies anyway, scoring more points as a man of the people.

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