You’d think with all my carrying on about credit card reform, I would have thrown a party, or danced a little jig on Friday afternoon when President Obama signed Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure Act, but I was too busy commiserating friends who were laid off this past week. 500 people were laid off from Nike WHQ here in Portland, so with every good news, there is bad. It’s just proof that we have still a long way to go before our economy is truly recovered.
As happy as I am about this legislation, this past week I still had to bear abuse from the false claim of a debt collector; a smart a*** debt collector who recited me another woman’s social security number and accused me of being a liar in my own home. I still believe FICO is a ridiculous system that needs to be overhauled. Number one, there is no reason consumers should not have free access to their credit scores at all time, any time, while any credit merchant can look at our payment history freely. I do think the credit reporting is a little unfair and is to at creditor discretion. Honestly folks, we should have access and control over our own credit reports-heck they don’t even get out medical information to friends and part of our family, but any Dick can look at our credit report.
I recently read an article written in the Idaho Statesman, blaming consumerism for the problems with credit cards. Although the author of the article was leaning toward the side of credit issuers, and I was poised to debate his perspective, I was comforted several people already did make my point so I moved on. But after the bill is signed and reform underway, I do believe a point needs to be made of our values. There are so many connections to be made, but materialism and superficiality is a problem in which we as a culture need to address, and with this problem it doesn’t matter whether you are a Democrat, or Republican; materialism and superficiality do not discriminate with race, religion or sexual orientation. Materialism and superficiality is a problem we all face.
Many talk of American values; but few are able to define what these values are. A value we seem to have is, wanting what we want, when we want it without any consequences or care to the cost or what it does to another. We have lost value in the heart and soul and all that is true, that is of course if the value doesn’t apply to our personal values. What we value more than anything is money and we don’t care if we abuse and step on others in order to get it.
But then again, we are an economy built on consumerism, it is spending money and more money that we have been told that drives our economy-now we are being blamed for spending too much. Where do we as a nation find that economic balance; our government, corporations, or are we the American consumer responsible for finding the spending balance? Hmm, curious point that needs more thought…
As happy as I am about this legislation, this past week I still had to bear abuse from the false claim of a debt collector; a smart a*** debt collector who recited me another woman’s social security number and accused me of being a liar in my own home. I still believe FICO is a ridiculous system that needs to be overhauled. Number one, there is no reason consumers should not have free access to their credit scores at all time, any time, while any credit merchant can look at our payment history freely. I do think the credit reporting is a little unfair and is to at creditor discretion. Honestly folks, we should have access and control over our own credit reports-heck they don’t even get out medical information to friends and part of our family, but any Dick can look at our credit report.
I recently read an article written in the Idaho Statesman, blaming consumerism for the problems with credit cards. Although the author of the article was leaning toward the side of credit issuers, and I was poised to debate his perspective, I was comforted several people already did make my point so I moved on. But after the bill is signed and reform underway, I do believe a point needs to be made of our values. There are so many connections to be made, but materialism and superficiality is a problem in which we as a culture need to address, and with this problem it doesn’t matter whether you are a Democrat, or Republican; materialism and superficiality do not discriminate with race, religion or sexual orientation. Materialism and superficiality is a problem we all face.
Many talk of American values; but few are able to define what these values are. A value we seem to have is, wanting what we want, when we want it without any consequences or care to the cost or what it does to another. We have lost value in the heart and soul and all that is true, that is of course if the value doesn’t apply to our personal values. What we value more than anything is money and we don’t care if we abuse and step on others in order to get it.
But then again, we are an economy built on consumerism, it is spending money and more money that we have been told that drives our economy-now we are being blamed for spending too much. Where do we as a nation find that economic balance; our government, corporations, or are we the American consumer responsible for finding the spending balance? Hmm, curious point that needs more thought…
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment