tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670307799281384536.post628719770371957132..comments2023-10-20T06:28:50.312-04:00Comments on Zen and the Art of the Midlife Crisis: Confessions of a Sub-PrimerAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04952442938347357506noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670307799281384536.post-16952522647623765812008-10-11T11:16:00.000-04:002008-10-11T11:16:00.000-04:00Laurie, first of all you are working under several...Laurie, first of all you are working under several false assumptions. The first being that I am a participant in the credit card debt economy. I am not.<BR/><BR/>Secondly, that I would accept "life isn't fair" as a justifiable reason to not be angered by the looting of our collective wallets.<BR/><BR/>There are lots of things that 'aren't fair', but to chalk it up that 'life isn't fair' is not persistentillusionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05591110029555660905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670307799281384536.post-44620633807817630212008-10-06T10:20:00.000-04:002008-10-06T10:20:00.000-04:00Hayden, I didn't say I was out to make an unreason...Hayden, I didn't say I was out to make an unreasonable buck. I am an ethical person. While you believe that the credit card companies are making an unreasonable buck, they are within the laws. A 14% rate hike because someone pays a day late on another credit card is atrocious yes, but it is legal. An I would be willing to bet it was listed in the agreement that you signed when you signed up Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670307799281384536.post-89958455416566460002008-10-05T22:36:00.000-04:002008-10-05T22:36:00.000-04:00Kip- you're onto something very important here! Ke...Kip- you're onto something very important here! Keep writing about this. Nobody is making the "main street" clear or real. You are personifying it. This is sellable writing and is much needed to help get us out of the collective, tangled mess. <BR/><BR/>And even deeper is the exploration into the psycho/spiritual WHYS of this. You can go down into that murky soup - what made you so frantic to Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670307799281384536.post-3310366057897407692008-10-05T16:35:00.000-04:002008-10-05T16:35:00.000-04:00Hee hee, I thought I might stir up a little contro...Hee hee, I thought I might stir up a little controversy!<BR/><BR/>Personal responsibility plays into the fact, for me, that I was acting desperately and did choose to take that loan and the 6 credit cards after (Hayden, I'm paying 30%!), but the established companies did take advanatage of the situation by offering these "sucker" rates, then pumping them up. All I've wanted to do all the way Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04952442938347357506noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670307799281384536.post-33411682171101871372008-10-05T16:06:00.000-04:002008-10-05T16:06:00.000-04:00"along with everyone else is out to make a buck. I..."along with everyone else is out to make a buck. I'm out to make a buck, aren't you?"<BR/><BR/>Laurie, I'm going to have to disagree with you. I am not willing to make an unfair or unreasonable buck at anyone else's expense. A 14% rate hike because someone pays a day late on another credit card is atrocious.<BR/><BR/>Fortunately, this isn't me, but that doesn't mean I'm willing to ignore it. persistentillusionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05591110029555660905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670307799281384536.post-26053205228788455212008-10-05T14:05:00.000-04:002008-10-05T14:05:00.000-04:00I agree that the credit card companies and other f...I agree that the credit card companies and other financial companies, along with everyone else is out to make a buck. I'm out to make a buck, aren't you? The problem comes when we get our selves in a place of desperation where we are will to roll the dice with our futures. I use credit cards but pay them off every month. SO for me, it doesn't matter what their interest rate is. Just like Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670307799281384536.post-40270757240771852082008-10-05T11:55:00.000-04:002008-10-05T11:55:00.000-04:00No, I completely agree with you. Bank of America ...No, I completely agree with you. Bank of America jacked the interest rate on some people's credit cards to 24%!!!! <BR/><BR/>What the hell?<BR/><BR/>I don't begrudge a business able to make a profit, but these companies are using their power of authority and absolute market domination to EXCESSIVELY rend a profit until the mortgage or credit card holder just throws up their hands and files persistentillusionhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05591110029555660905noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670307799281384536.post-48658391332716057042008-10-04T17:52:00.000-04:002008-10-04T17:52:00.000-04:00Kip, to be honest, I think that where we are globa...Kip, to be honest, I think that where we are globally at the moment would have occured anyway, even if the sh*t hadn't hit the fan with the sub prime lending in the U.S.<BR/><BR/>We noticed it in the Bank where I work months & months before the sub prime mortgage fiasco.<BR/><BR/>What the solutions are, I don't know. The bail out seems a quick fix and whether it will work, remains toAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3670307799281384536.post-56045608126249124042008-10-04T10:42:00.000-04:002008-10-04T10:42:00.000-04:00Your story says so much more that the pundits and ...Your story says so much more that the pundits and their theories do (and it's written with heart). I think I heard an economist on the radio with a similar idea: allow all home owners to refinance to a reasonable rate (something like %5.25). As you said, so simple.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com