We heard a lot of hype about Credit Card reform earlier this year when it passed. I should have been paying more attention (and perhaps some of you should have been too). Others here will say I should have seen this coming.
In the last two months both of our credit cards jumped in interest rates from something semi-reasonable to 30%. For no reason whatsoever other than because they can. We're lucky. We don't carry a balance on our cards and so far have been able to pay them off every month.
(What does this have to do with Health Care? I promise I’ll get there soon.)
30% is usury flat out. They knew enough to outlaw it in Medieval Europe. What the hell is wrong with America in the 21st century that we can't get this right? Banks are getting money from the Feds for virtually nothing and turning around and lending it to us at insane rates.
I know, I know, you already know this but this has just pissed me off. I had assumed (I know ass out of you and me) that credit reform included some kind of limit on credit card rates -- at least if you paid on time, etc. Not so. They just have to give you more notice before bumping them. Which means, or course, that 30% will be just the start.
The credit card companies are saying the big bad reform bill is forcing them to raise rates. HA! It's just another excuse to put the screws on the average American while pocketing their ridiculous bonuses.
When we got the notice about the second card my first reaction was rage. My second reaction was deep concern for other families who have mounds of credit card debt. This could spell financial ruin for them.
And then it really, really hit me. If they screwed the pooch on credit card reform on something so obvious and fundamental as usury, what kind of loopholes and "fox guarding the henhouse" provisions will be in the final "Health Reform" bill? The Devil is in the details. And we all know that the "Princes of Lies" (i.e. anyone who’s taken any money from an insurance or pharmaceutical company, Fox Noise, Blue Dogs plus all Republicans) are making sure that they can screw us seven ways from Sunday.
I pray that the Democrats:
* Read the whole damn bills cover to cover for once. And a second time for good measure.
* Play whatever cutthroat politics are required to get a REALLY good bill (can you say PUBLIC OPTION) passed and have the stones to stay the course and not fold as they have so often before.
I have lived through the insurance wars for many, many years. Fortunately they haven’t killed us yet. But everything is a fight and we live in constant fear. And I am dog-tired. I wake up in the night in terror that I missed putting acne or something on my last insurance application and that I will, without notice, be put out on an ice-flow to die by my insurance company whenever they damn well please. Personally, the ice-flow sounds good if they don't get this right.
Sorry for the rambling rage. Thanks for listening. And no matter how tired of this we all are, keep holding our representatives feet to the fire for however long it takes for them to get this right.