The Problem with ACORN, or: We can't afford to let them crack our nuts

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Monday October 13, 2008 · 12:38 PM PDT

2008/10/13 · 12:38

A note on this post: I am proudly supporting Barack Obama and I have been volunteering where I can. I want him to win and at this point I am allowing myself to believe that he will. But that doesn't change the fact that it will still be harder than it needs to. One big reason is the community group called ACORN, which right now I'm sorry to say is more trouble than they are worth. More tough love below the fold.

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Wednesday September 17, 2008 · 9:54 AM PDT

2008/09/17 · 09:54

The Murdoch Street Journal's Washington Wire seems to be the first to debut this charming piece of obvious McCain propaganda disguised as an issues ad, from a group called "Vets for Freedom" -- I'd rather not run the numbers up on this video, but it's past that point now, so better to be aware of it. The least I can do is put it below the fold:

Poll

20 votes Show Results

Agree or disagree the media should ask Petraeus if he approves?

20 votes Vote Now!

Agree or disagree the media should ask Petraeus if he approves?

Yes, he knows better than the GOP operatives that cooked this up

2 votes

No, he will avoid saying anything that will make news

3 votes

Yes, he will say he supports it and the ad can backfire

2 votes

No, he will probably say he agrees with the ad and that will be bigger news

1 vote

Yes, I have no idea how it will work out, but it should be asked

6 votes

No, just leave it alone. You're just doing what they want you to

6 votes

Looking for Communication in the Muslim World

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Friday August 15, 2008 · 12:50 PM PDT

2008/08/15 · 12:50

It's been awhile since I've posted anything here, but now that I am finding some time to do so, I have something that is a bit provocative. It's a trailer for a movie called Obsession: Radical Islam's War Against the West. I admit that I have mixed feelings about the subject in general. But I thought the movie would still be worth a look.

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Thursday May 15, 2008 · 4:10 PM PDT

2008/05/15 · 16:10

Yesterday’s diary, reported Congress is having hearings today to consider seriously needed reforms to our countries credit card practices – but now Republican opposition may stop its passing. This legislation, which enjoys bi-partisan support from many Democrats and Republicans, is aimed at helping reduce the hidden interchange fee through increased transparency, but Reuters reports (bold added):

"A consumer group, the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, said it supports legislation because it would create a mechanism pressuring both merchants and the credit card companies to negotiate fees.

‘The panel (would) not set prices or establish government price controls,’ said Edmund Mierzwinski, consumer program director at U.S. PIRG. ‘It is an oligopolistic market in which a small set of cardholders dominate the market and establish a set of deceptive practices.

The bill has little chance of becoming law this year due to Republican opposition and the dwindling number of congressional work days left before the November election.’"

More details below.

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Wednesday May 14, 2008 · 1:35 PM PDT

2008/05/14 · 13:35

Note: Check in with me tomorrow when the actual hearing takes place. If I can I will provide updates in a subsequent diary.

The credit card associations and the banks that support them have gotten away for too long without answering serious questions about their practices, and at long last, tomorrow there will be a hearing on Capitol Hill to consider the Credit Card Fair Fee Act - HR 5546. It hasn’t had the same press as the Credit Card Bill of Rights but it is no less important, and I say that not just because I work with the merchant group that has done tons of work over the last couple years to bring the issue to this point.

One co-sponsor of the bill who speaking up on the issue is Vermont's Peter Welch, one of the best progressives we have in the House. Comments from Welch and more details via the Rutland Herald below:

Poll

63 votes Show Results

Have you heard about the interchange fee controversy before?

63 votes Vote Now!

Have you heard about the interchange fee controversy before?

No, but it sounds like another case of the credit card industry run amok

24 votes

No, and I'm not really sold on it as an issue

4 votes

Yes, I've actually read your diaries about this before

7 votes

Yes, I already knew about it independently

28 votes

Credit Card Companies Lying? Yes Way, Ted!

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Wednesday April 23, 2008 · 8:39 AM PDT

2008/04/23 · 08:39

I read very closely about what's happening with the credit card industry, and I know when they're trying to put one past a reporter. Especially a small-town reporter that they probably don't expect to do all the research on a story that a member of the SCLM would. So imagine my (mock) suprise to find a MasterCard spokesperson trying to sneak one past a reporter for the Valley News of White River Junction, Vermont.

What do they know in Vermont anyway? Enough to make MasterCard look not just deceptive, but inept at doing it. Details after the jump.

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Thursday April 17, 2008 · 8:36 AM PDT

2008/04/17 · 08:36

When is a cost of doing business not ccst of doing business? When it's a transaction fee whose original raison d'etre has long since passed and exists now to support an unsustainable business model that punishes hardworking shopowners who know all too well how they're getting screwed and consumers who have no idea.

The credit card people aren't like you and me. I've posted a chart that shows how, after the jump.

Poll

13 votes Show Results

The credit card industry is...

13 votes Vote Now!

The credit card industry is...

operating by their own rules and Congress should correct this imbalance.

6 votes

out of control, but these House Democrats? It'll never happen.

7 votes

just following the imperative of the markets, and I'm fine with that.

0 votes

Conyers Fact Checks Murdoch Street Journal

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Wednesday April 09, 2008 · 12:53 PM PDT

2008/04/09 · 12:53

On a day when the Bush administration is getting caught for misusing credit cards, it's a good reminder that the industry itself is broken. I work for a group that's focused on unfair credit card fees, so I see it all the time.

Not that the Wall Street Journal is willing to face the facts about just how broken the industry is. They don't DO facts.

So it's nice to see Rep. Conyers defend his bill, the Credit Card Fair Fee Act, in their pages. The Journal's faulty logic and the response below:

Poll

41 votes Show Results

I would believe the WSJ editorial page when...

41 votes Vote Now!

I would believe the WSJ editorial page when...

Um, never

11 votes

You're kidding, right?

10 votes

When Lucifer buys ice skates.

20 votes

Maloney and Conyers Introduce 2 Bills Taking on the Credit Card Industry

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Thursday March 13, 2008 · 8:19 AM PDT

2008/03/13 · 08:19

The past week has been highly important in the ongoing battle between consumers and merchants vs. the credit card industry. The focus has tightened on the duopoly of Visa and MasterCard in recent years, and after many hearings and much work, a solution might be on the horizon. However, the banks have considerable lobbying assets at their disposal, which means victory is not assured. I realize it's a bit of a long-shot, but I would love to see either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama pick this up as an issue. If John Edwards was still in this race, I'm sure he would. This is another opportunity for them to appeal to his supporters.

Two bills have been introduced in the House that could make all the difference, both for everyday cardholders and for merchant account holders. Both are hit with ostentatious fees on a daily basis, and the former can incur harsh penalties without even knowing about it. The first is called the Credit Cardholders’ Bill of Rights (H.R. 5244), and the second is the Credit Card Fair Fee Act (H.R. 5546). The first is supported by Rep. Carolyn Maloney, the second by Rep. John Conyers.

Background info on each, below the jump.

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Wednesday December 12, 2007 · 11:07 AM PST

2007/12/12 · 11:07

Too harsh? Sure, a little. It might be more accurate to say: "Iowa local government official to small businesses: I don't care enough to know the difference about the details of how you have to deal with an exorbitant and unfair fee that we both pay by dint of operating a merchant credit card account."

Well, that wouldn't be quite so catchy! But there is some real irony here -- that local official whose ignorance of the credit card industry that's irked me, is in fact a county Treaurer. A job title where one should, you'd think, know better; I explain in the extended entry.

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Tuesday November 27, 2007 · 11:19 AM PST

2007/11/27 · 11:19

I myself am the fairly recent owner of a credit card. Iv'e gone through most of my life and late into my twenties without ever needing one. I finally succumbed after many admonitions from older friends who warned, "One day you'll want to buy a house, and you'll want to have credit." So I relented. I now have a new card in my wallet. It's much shinier than my debit card. I wonder if that's on purpose.

And of course, his card has rewards, but I am loath to rack up points on it. Why? For one thing, I don't trust where the money comes from. It comes out of something called the interchange fee, which is like an ATM fee for merchants, if your ATM fees kept going up and up and up each year. Another reason is the absurdity of spending thousands to reap a small reward. Spending money on absurd little gifts is just, well, absurd. And the other problem is that you can get into massive debt chasing after these "rewards" -- it's a dangerous game to play.

What's the most absurd reward you've ever heard? Have you had a bad experience trying to collect? More absurdity after the jump...

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Tuesday October 30, 2007 · 1:25 PM PDT

2007/10/30 · 13:25

The great thing about giving to charity is that you give what you can, even if it's a small amount. I didn't always think of it this way. I used to think that my donations wouldn't matter unless I could give large amounts of money. And in fact, I didn't give anything until Hurricane Katrina. Before that I was in school, and what little money I had was earmarked for Ramen. Could I have given a dollar or two for various causes? Yes, but I figured it wouldn't be worth it. And so I waited until I was done with school, and ensconced in a job with a livable wage, until I started giving back. And even now, I'm only making enough that it's 25 here or 50 there.

So that's why I'm upset to see that now Red Cross is now requiring a minimum donation amount before it will accept your donations over the web.

But I am not upset with Red Cross. And you might recognize that sign as one similar to the ones you see next to the cash register at coffee and sandwich shops and independent convenience stores. They're all facing the same problem...

Poll

69 votes Show Results

Should credit card issuers relent on interchange fees for non-profit charities?

69 votes Vote Now!

Should credit card issuers relent on interchange fees for non-profit charities?

Yes, absolutely.

51 votes

Um, no.

14 votes

I like pie.

4 votes

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The Problem with ACORN, or: We can't afford to let them crack our nuts

Vets For Endless War Use Petraeus as Cudgel Against Obama

Looking for Communication in the Muslim World

Republican Opposition Impeding Congressional Credit Card Reform

Rep. Peter Welch speaks up about credit card fees

Credit Card Companies Lying? Yes Way, Ted!

Stakes is High (and getting higher)

Conyers Fact Checks Murdoch Street Journal

Maloney and Conyers Introduce 2 Bills Taking on the Credit Card Industry

Iowa local government official to small businesses: Drop dead

Emporium of the Absurd: The Truth About Credit Card Rewards

Credit Card Fees Force Red Cross to Impose Minimum Donation Amounts