Some Things That Neither Party is Talking About (legal, economic, elect)
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So what you're saying is that you get extra services from a credit card company that you don't from an ordinary bank? Wow....next thing you know they'll be suggesting they should charge for those services.....
wait...
Exactly. Yet those who want to use government to reduce rates people voluntarily accepted will probably complain once those extra benefits received from using that credit card are taken away or a monthly fee is charged.
(1) For as long as I can remember, I have not heard anyone in either party discuss the issue of unfair interest rates on credit cards. Anti usury laws are one of the most basic protections, but ours were repealed back in the Carter years because of the super high inflation rates, and we never restored them. Credit card companies are getting people into debt early in life when they are young and stupid and then have them over a barrel for years. Not only is this unfair to the person, but it's horrible for the economy: the economy is driven by consumer spending, and people buried in debt don't go out and spend.
Since you're a Republican, where's the personal responsibilty for people to make their own decisions on accepting a high rate?
I voluntarily accepted a high rate when I was a teenager since I had zero credit. Once I established a history, I got rid of the card and switched to one with a lower rate. This may have been impossible if some govt entity forced low rates on card companies.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheYanksAreComin
(2) Currently, CEO's are making what, 400 times the average employee? We've seen cases where people are getting laid off, stock prices are falling, and the board votes to give the CEO several hundred million dollars. Why not have worker representation in corporate boards? And why has this never been suggested by the supposedly fighting for the little guy against Big Business Democrats?
Since you are a Christian per your use of the Bible below, what about the Tenth Commandment? "You shall not covet your neighbour’s house; you shall not covet your neighbour’s wife, or male or female slave, or ox, or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbour."
Anyone who claims to be a Christian does not have the Biblical standing to complain about CEO pay. If one is an Athiest or non-Christian this doesn't apply.
I'm fine with worker representation if the company shareholders approve of it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheYanksAreComin
(3) although this is given lip service often, reigning in oil speculators would not be difficult. They currently only have to put 6% down on oil futures, whereas with other commodities it's 50%. Stroke of the pen could change that. Obama could do it tomorrow if he wanted.
Fine, I don't mind everyone playing by the same rules. Or, we could just let the free market determine who should put what down.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheYanksAreComin
(4) our family farmers and ranchers are dying out, and our prices for food skyrocketing, at least in part due to anticompetitive behavior from our nation's meat packers. Four firms control almost 90% of the market and based on what I've read they are putting the squeeze on and violating our antitrust laws. And what is Obama doing about it? Helping his corporate cronies finish them off EPA Declares Hay a Pollutant in Effort to Antagonize Small and Mid-Sized U.S. Cattle Feeders
Four firms control 90% of the market because of government involvement in the agricultural industry. Get government out of the way so small farmers can compete.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheYanksAreComin
MY fellow Republicans should take the lead on this. Usury is, according to the Bible, a sin. Workers on corporate boards was done by the century's most conservative President Calvin Coolidge while he was Governor of Massachusetts. Oil speculation is feeding the environmentalists nonsense about wind farms. And it was Republican Teddy Roosevelt who first really went after abusive monopolies. None of this would contrast with traditional conservatism, it would however run afoul of the Ayn Rand cultist libertarian nonsense that has griped part of the GOP.
You are asking conservatives to implement big government solutions to these points. That may not mesh with some even though RINOs and social conservatives do tend to go the big govt route for things they like.
It's amazing you guys even had to even suggest this.
Our bank gave us their ATM card which also works as a Debit card locally and as a CC for online. It is a ATM / Debit / CC card.
No interest charges, fully-protected / fraud-insured / blah-blah. The only time that it would have any fees or interest would be if we ran over the amount we have on deposit and actually began using the credit feature.
Our bank gave us their ATM card which also works as a Debit card locally and as a CC for online. It is a ATM / Debit / CC card.
No interest charges, fully-protected / fraud-insured / blah-blah. The only time that it would have any fees or interest would be if we ran over the amount we have on deposit and actually began using the credit feature.
Right. I thought this stuff was common knowledge. I can't believe some people don't know that one can use their debit card as a credit card for purchases.
Exactly. Yet those who want to use government to reduce rates people voluntarily accepted will probably complain once those extra benefits received from using that credit card are taken away or a monthly fee is charged.
You can't win with folks.
And I couldn't care less about that, but I'll be paying that monthly fee too.
Right. I thought this stuff was common knowledge. I can't believe some people don't know that one can use their debit card as a credit card for purchases.
I did not know about it until a year ago.
I had never had an ATM card before. We always had carried CCs [zero-interest if you pay in full every month].
I thought of ATM cards as being finicky. The right network, the right country, etc. CCs were easier regardless of what nation I was in a VISA always worked [not so with MC].
While going through a bankruptcy we had to dump the CCs, that was when we learned more about our bank's ATM card.
So I can see where some folks may not be aware of what is available.
For example take a recent post in this thread about the 'dangers' of using a debit card. No doubt that stuff did apply at one time in history.
Never had a credit card, and my plan is to continue never having one.
No credit card means virtually no hassles for me, no debts and interest to be accrued; I just view it as win-win in my personal utility equation. The small hassle that it occasionally causes (almost never - except when I want to order something online on rare occasion) I can make do by just getting one of these new 'prepaid' debit cards. It's not as safe, but that's a very small factor to be weighed for me, since I would never use it for any large amount anyway, nor for any purchase where I was likely to have some big dispute about.
Also won't have a bank account anymore (for multiple reasons that matter to me, including just the general fact that I don't like bureaucracy and busybodies... which banks now are, due to assorted government regulations they must follow with respect to the collection of personal information. I exercise my liberty to take my money elsewhere). No fees, no disputes, no overdraft issues; basically... no hassles, from my perspective.
(1) For as long as I can remember, I have not heard anyone in either party discuss the issue of unfair interest rates on credit cards. Anti usury laws are one of the most basic protections, but ours were repealed back in the Carter years because of the super high inflation rates, and we never restored them. Credit card companies are getting people into debt early in life when they are young and stupid and then have them over a barrel for years. Not only is this unfair to the person, but it's horrible for the economy: the economy is driven by consumer spending, and people buried in debt don't go out and spend.
(2) Currently, CEO's are making what, 400 times the average employee? We've seen cases where people are getting laid off, stock prices are falling, and the board votes to give the CEO several hundred million dollars. Why not have worker representation in corporate boards? And why has this never been suggested by the supposedly fighting for the little guy against Big Business Democrats?
(3) although this is given lip service often, reigning in oil speculators would not be difficult. They currently only have to put 6% down on oil futures, whereas with other commodities it's 50%. Stroke of the pen could change that. Obama could do it tomorrow if he wanted.
(4) our family farmers and ranchers are dying out, and our prices for food skyrocketing, at least in part due to anticompetitive behavior from our nation's meat packers. Four firms control almost 90% of the market and based on what I've read they are putting the squeeze on and violating our antitrust laws. And what is Obama doing about it? Helping his corporate cronies finish them off EPA Declares Hay a Pollutant in Effort to Antagonize Small and Mid-Sized U.S. Cattle Feeders
MY fellow Republicans should take the lead on this. Usury is, according to the Bible, a sin. Workers on corporate boards was done by the century's most conservative President Calvin Coolidge while he was Governor of Massachusetts. Oil speculation is feeding the environmentalists nonsense about wind farms. And it was Republican Teddy Roosevelt who first really went after abusive monopolies. None of this would contrast with traditional conservatism, it would however run afoul of the Ayn Rand cultist libertarian nonsense that has griped part of the GOP.
Don't ever confuse the GOP with conservativism. A true conservative is very concerned in creating a just and prosperous state. A true conservative wants to lift the living standards of all the people while not penalizing any of the people. A true conservative Like the old bull moose you mentioned is very concerned with conservation and the protection of the nation's resourses. Not just the wholesale exploitation of them. A true conservative is for law and order applied equally to all the people not to just the ones who can afford to buy there way through the justice system. A true conservative is dedicated to the truth and not to lies and misrepresentations. He or she is secure enough in their beliefs that the need to lie and flip flop around is moote to them.
This band of GOPers is nothing more than a pack of political whores that lay down for their masters, the special interests who care not one single whit for the average American. They are consummed by hate and fear that their exalted positions are threatened by any action that will bring relief to the majority of the people. Through their tatics they have brought Amrica down to where it now sits and by their tatics they prevent any reasonable solutions to the problems.
If you doubt that I suggest you take a look at other countries that don't have the disfunctional government the GOP creates in the USA. For example in Canada we have had very leftwing governments and very rightwing governments. We don't have a never ending crisis about what the government of the day is doing. If what they do does not work for the country then they probably won't be the government next election. Case closed. They will do what they think is best for the country while they are in power and that is what they were elected to do. WE don't have umpteen empty shirts screaming nonstop in the media about the sky falling because the government is doing this or that.
WE had our right wing conervative government do a stimulus that per capita was just as big as that in the USA. It created the biggest deficit the country has ever had and these guys were just re elected with a whopping majority. It's a complete nonissue. It seemes to work, kept the wheels of commerce rolling and from a week after it's implementation we never hear about the frigging thing again.
You Americans just keep on beating a dead horse for decades. It's just mind blowing the nonsence that just keeps on going. It's like the ever ready rabbit has gotten hold of the national debate and it just won't stop.
The biggest single difference that keeps Canadian politics sane while American politics are insane is the money. NO special interests can give a red cent to the political process and so therefore they have very little say in anything. In the USA nothing at all ever gets done without the support of one special interest or another. The bad thing is that rarely do the interests of the country and the people line up with the special interests requirements.
I don't know why the American people put up with such an undemocratic situation. It's not a democracy when one billionaire has more political power than millions of citizens.
The recent decision, "Citizens united" must be the absolutely worst case of a supreme court that is in thrall to the special interests against the freedom of the people of the USA. It's right up there with the "Dred Scott" decision in it's ability to destroy the Union.
Our bank gave us their ATM card which also works as a Debit card locally and as a CC for online. It is a ATM / Debit / CC card.
No interest charges, fully-protected / fraud-insured / blah-blah. The only time that it would have any fees or interest would be if we ran over the amount we have on deposit and actually began using the credit feature.
And if it gets stolen someone drains your checking account before you can even call the bank to cancel. I know that they might give you your cash back...but in the meantime you have bounced checks, etc.
lucknow - Too bad Canada is so damn cold in the winter. You government seems sane by comparison. I guess it is created by keeping the greedsters away from the government money.
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