This is priceless:
AP Friday 02/20 Robber Barons
Thirty states have struck such deals with banks that include Citigroup Inc., Bank of America Corp., JP Morgan Chase and US Bancorp, an Associated Press review of the agreements found. All the programs carry fees, and in several states the unemployed have no choice but to use the debit cards. Some banks even charge overdraft fees of up to $20 — even though they could decline charges for more than what's on the card.
"It's a racket. It's a scam," said Rachel Davis, a 38-year-old dental technician from St. Louis who was laid off in October. Davis was given a MasterCard issued through Central Bank of Jefferson City and recently paid $6 to make two $40 withdrawals.
emphasis mine
This is the fucking electronic age where information is cheap, and these bozos already make transaction percentages from merchants when people use their debit cards. But making the unemployed pay for the privilege of taking out their measly unemployment checks (well, okay, Massachusetts and a few others aren't necessarily quite so measly)! 6 dollars, or 50c is not (believe it or not) toy money when one is scraping by. And god forbid if you're so busily surviving that you forget that your balance is 19.95$ and you dare to pull out 20$, that makes you a fool with your money parted.
Absolute, pure bullshit -- I am ashamed that our governments' are so tone deaf to the needs of the disadvantaged. The fact that the most economically disadvantaged people are the most susceptible to immoral banking procedures is, well.... Damn, I hope these pricks are visited by the vilest visions whilst laying on their bonus engendered money-stuffed mattresses.
As usual, write your congress critters, state and federal. This kink kind of crap has to stop.
p.s., sorry for the brevity, I'm sure someone will have a rec. worthy version of this by the time I wake up, just felt like a good pre-snooze rant, a rant, a r ah an t...