Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over?

[lagilman]

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2008/3/16/193627/586

"Like so many other Americans, they discovered that their credit card interest rates had skyrocketed without warning and sometimes inexplicably. So on Thursday these citizens were invited to testify before the House Financial Services subcommittee on Consumer Credit, which is considering the The Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights. This legislation would add some significant new consumer protections, such as requiring credit card companies to notify customers at least 45 days in advance of a rate increase.

But Republicans on the committee found a repulsive new way to prevent the witnesses from testifying. At the last minute, the GOP insisted that these victims of arbitrary fee hikes (who'd flown into DC from around the country to tell their stories) had to sign a vaguely worded waver permitting the credit card companies to discuss their credit histories publicly anywhere, anytime."


*deeply heated snarl*

Comments

[wolfsilveroak.livejournal.com]

Ok that's just Not Cool (tm).

[divanoir.livejournal.com]

Uh, what?

I can't think of anything intelligent to say, as my head is too busy spinning.

[kalligraphy.livejournal.com]

The republicans have been working very hard to destroy the working class in America and turn it to slavery. Thanks to them, credit card companies can now charge outrageous amounts of interest based on potential risk. Such risk would be, oh paying your phone bill 2 days late. That's right, you can pay all your credit cards ontime and because your phone bill payment arrived late, the credit card companies have the option of raising your rates to usury levels 30+% over prime. Apparently the credit card companies have been taking lessons from the mafia. Couple that with new bankruptcy laws that basically force people to become wage slaves to their corporate masters, the fall of freedom in America is almost complete. Now they just need to find away to make sure they can get their trusted accomplices in office and end elections to make sure that the corporate enslavement of America is a success.

[anisosynchronic.livejournal.com]

They are reminiscent of the worst of the loathsome slime of the ancienne regime of France before 1789, that incited the French Revolution and the bloodthirsty Terror. Delia Sherman talking about them at a Readercon back when her fantasy novel in that setting, was jaw-dropping.

[deedop.livejournal.com]

::gnashes teeth in rage::

Also: I would not be at all surprised if the GOP & Sallie Mae were to pull the same shenanigans were recent college grads ever called in to testify about their usurious student loan rates.

[burger-eater.livejournal.com]

Witness intimidation? Not according to our corporate overmasters, who need to make public every piece of personal information they have on these consumers in case there's a minor discrepancy.

That sounds totally, totally fair!

(Yeesh, can't I go back to being blissfully ignorant?)