Credit Card Games

I have a Discover card that I have had for many years. It has a decent interest rate (5.9%) and I use it for emergencies. The other day I received a letter from Discover informing me that the rate was going up to 12.99% and if I didn’t like it I could pay off my balance a leave. This applies to all new purchases and outstanding balances. I owe about a $1000 so I would rather not pay it all right now but the new rate is crap.

I called them to complain and see what we could work out. They said the new rate was being instituted “across the board” for everybody and they would send me the paperwork to appeal it. Because I have never missed a payment I could probably negotiate a lower rate than 13%.

But here is the kicker… the guy on the phone said the new rate is “due to the economy.” Seriously? The new rate is Prime Rate + 9.74% (=12.99%). So the increase is not due to the economy because that would mean the Prime Rate had gone up. The increase is not because I am a high risk borrower because nothing in my life or bill paying practices have changed. The new rate of 12.99% is because they know they can get away with it and most of their customers will chalk it up the the bad economy and take it in the shorts.

Think about it. Why 9.74% and not something else? Because that plus Prime is just under 13% and “12 something” sounds less criminal than 13. It has nothing to do with the economy and everything to do with taking advantage of the consumer by playing the headlines. The letter states, “our decision to make this change was based on the higher cost of doing business due to the challenging economic environment.”  Again, that would be Prime Rate and it has not gone up.  In fact, Prime Rate is much lower than it has been in years.

Discover is not hurting anymore than EXXON was hurting when gas prices were high. Discover does not make high risk home loans or anything of that nature. They only do credit cards and online bill paying. Discover’s stock is low but their P/E ratio is hanging around 4. They are showing a sizeable profit already and now Discover is going for the gold by jacking up the rates. Their profits in 2008 equaled close to $1 billion.

Discover Card… I call Bull $hit!

Man records encounter with TSA

I wish there was a way to require a basic ethics class for all government/public service employees. Something that covers the principles of freedom, democracy, liberty, privacy and our constitution that our laws our based on. I don’t think enough people understand how our country is supposed to work anymore.

note: FOX news actually had a story with substance and worth my time! Shocking!

The Trillion Dollar Spider



YAY! Problem solved! I knew it wasn’t that difficult to get this national debt thing under control.
If this seems silly… think about this next time the Federal Reserve says its time to increase the money supply.

uh oh.

This graph is from http://www.speaker.gov/

Recipe for Disaster?

I’m no economist but tell me if this sounds bad…

Shop all the time with you credit card.
Spend more than you make.
Use the amount you are spending as a measure of wealth and get more credit cards.

How would that work out for you?

Now look at this…

The U.S. has run a trade deficit for decades.

Therefore we buy more than we sell overseas.

We can do this because people loan us money.

They loan us money because our economy is so strong.

Its strength is based mostly on how much we spend.

Uh…

Crap.

Mercury, Autism and Junk Food

What do all these have is common? For one thing… they are not related to vaccines.

You would have to have been in a cave to have not heard about the controversy over mercury laced vaccines causing autism in children.  The LA times told us last year that “the prevalence of autism in California children continued to rise after most vaccine manufacturers started to remove the mercury-based preservative thimerosal in 1999, suggesting that the chemical was not a primary cause of the disorder, according to a study released Monday.”

Okay, so they took out the mercury in vaccines but autism rates are still going up. And it is believed that mercury causes autism. What could it be?

What about food? Stay with me here, we might be on to something…

In the Washington Post today, “almost half of tested samples of commercial high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) contained mercury, which was also found in nearly a third of 55 popular brand-name food and beverage products where HFCS is the first- or second-highest labeled ingredient, according to two new U.S. studies.”

Uh oh…

Mercury is toxic in any form and is definitely not what you want in your food. Heavy or prolonged exposure can do irreversible damage, particularly in fetuses, infants, and young children. Young’s Syndrome is believed to be a long term consequence of early childhood mercury poisoning. It is also a possible cause of Autism.

So that’s why they call it junk food! I always thought it was because it makes you fat and fills your arteries with crud. It is actually poisonous.

What should you do? That’s easy. Just do exactly what you should have already been doing all along. Read the food labels and whenever you see “high fructose corn syrup” replace the words with “poison” and put it back on the shelf (unless you are shopping for someone you hate, then buy it).

Homeland Security High

Sound like a “B” movie that you don’t want to watch?  Well, you are half right… you don’t want to watch.  The bad news is that is not a movie.  It is a real high school in Delaware set to open its doors in 2010.

Students will be called cadets, will wear uniforms, and will follow courses of study in special weapons and tactics, prison guarding, and professional demolition, among others. The languages taught in the school will include Arabic, Chinese, and Russian. Physical training will be a big part, with daily after-school exercise programs already planned.

The tone of the “first responder” high school will be that of a military or police academy, complete with uniforms and daily physical training during and after school.

Read more here:
Charter high school to specialize in Homeland Security

So… do they get extra credit for turning in their neighbors?

Irony

I love the irony of our modern world… Especially when government gets involved.

After years of attempting to eradicate the very existence of marijuana, it might be the one plant that saves humanity.

Scientists in Italy and the U.K. have recently discovered substances in marijuana that show promise for fighting deadly drug-resistant bacterial infections, including so-called “superbugs,” without causing the drug’s mood-altering effects.  Great going “War on Drugs”  Maybe we should have a “War on education” so these dang “scientists” will stop embarrassing our policy makers with new discoveries.

But the irony doesn’t end there…

Mere days before a new law goes into effect banning the sale of all children’s products that have not been tested to be lead free a new medical discovery changes the game.  The slow build-up of lead over a long term exposure is likely to cause serious developmental problems in children.   A child who swallows large amounts of lead may develop anemia, muscle weakness and brain damage.  Where poisoning occurs, it is usually gradual, with small amounts of the metal accumulating over a long period of time.

Now South Korean scientists may have found a way to remove dangerous heavy metals such as lead from blood by using specially designed
magnetic receptors.  The scare is over.  It isn’t so much that lead toys, paint, etc. is not a bad thing.  But now, lead may not be an untreatable threat to little ones. 

Once again, government may be jumping in to save us when we weren’t really drowning. Once again, you gotta love the irony.

Is Russian planning to invade Ukraine?

Is the real reason to cut natural gas exports a trick to justify an invasion of Ukraine?

For nearly a week, A large portion of eastern Europe has been without heat. This is because hundreds of thousands of Europeans have been without gas since Gazprom cut supplies nearly a week ago. First, the Russian company claims Ukraine has blocked gas deliveries to Europe while Ukraine says Russian stopped the flow of gas. Then Russia admitted to stopping the gas but siad they resumed pumping again.

Gazprom deputy head Alexander Medvedev said Ukraine had failed to carry the gas westwards to Europe after it resumed pumping it across their border. Ukraine counters that the pipeline route that Russia is using to send the gas makes it technically impossible to deliver.

Kiev said it could not pump the gas as Russia had switched the transit route.

Either way, Europe is cold and people are getting desperate while Moscow has been unable to resolve differences with Ukraine over debts and pricing.

…So that sums up the situation as reported in the media.

But maybe there is more to the story than just corporate greed….

Perhaps Russia is ready to take back some of its former territory. Perhaps Russia is tired of pissant little countries like Ukraine (that Moscow once controled) attempting to dictate trade agreements to them. Perhaps Putin is rearing his head.

This may be one of those genius geopolitical gambits that history will look back on and say, “evil, but damn clever.”

With gas shut off to Europe during a cold spell and people getting desperate, this is one time when Russia can do anything as long as the gas flows again. If that means roll tanks into Ukraine to force a settlement and turn on the gas then Europe could accept that. As long as the gas flows again. Get ready for another land war.

Europe is hooked on Russian gas like a crack whore on the rock and will accept almost anything to get it back. Russian troops ensuring the stability of gas exports may be a big pill to swallow but not too big when you are cold.

Now is also a great time because the U.S. leadership is in a transition phase and in no place to do more than complain. With world economies on the brink and western armies stretched thin, this is a great time for a land war Russian style.

Need another reason? How about the Ukraine missile shield deal with the U.S.? Last August Ukraine said they wanted to join join other European nations to establish a ballistic missile shield defense system. Moscow was not happy.

With plummeting temperatures and unhappy people, most of Europe will probably welcome a Russian invasion of Ukraine if it means stable gas supplies.

Letter from Congressman Dennis Kucinich to Condoleezza Rice

This doesn’t need commentary. Here it is:

January 5, 2009

The Honorable Condoleezza Rice
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State

Dear Dr. Rice:

I am writing concerning Israel’s military offensive against Gaza, which began on December 27th. I support Israel’s security and its right to exist in peace, without the fear of rocket attacks from Hamas. Moreover, I abhor the violence being visited upon the citizens of our firm ally. However, no nation is immune from the legal conditions placed on the receipt of U.S. military assistance. I believe that with the current escalation of violence in Gaza, a legal threshold has been reached, warranting a Presidential examination and report to Congress. I hereby request an examination of Israel’s compliance with the provisions of the Arms Export Control Act of 1976 (AECA).

While neither the AECA nor the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (FAA) define “internal security” and “legitimate self-defense,” I believe that Israel’s most recent

attacks neither further internal security nor do they constitute “legitimate” acts of self-defense. They do, however, “increase the possibility of an outbreak or escalation of conflict,” because they are a vastly disproportionate response to the provocation, and because the Palestinian population is suffering from those military attacks in numbers far exceeding Israeli losses in life and property.

Israel’s current military campaign in Gaza has inflicted a significant toll on Palestinian civilians and society. Israel’s recent aerial and ground offensive against Gaza has killed nearly 600 and injured over 2,500. The Associated Press reported: “children are paying the price. . . . The United Nations has said the death toll includes 34 children. . . . But the broad range of Israel’s targets–police compounds, fire stations, homes of militants, Hamas-run mosques and university buildings–means most shelling is occurring in residential areas.”[2] The extensive destruction of such civilian institutions violates Article 33 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which prohibits the wanton destruction of property and collective punishment of a civilian population. There have also been reports of bombings of United Nations (UN) schools, despite the fact that Israeli Defense Forces were allegedly given coordinates of the facilities prior to the current escalation in violence. The blockade that Israel has imposed on Gaza since 2006 has further exacerbated the extent of collateral damage, as hospitals and morgues have been unable to cope with the magnitude of deaths and injuries as a result of the current escalation in violence and hospitals lack proper supplies needed to treat the injured.

I believe that Israel’s use of defense articles provided by the U.S in the current Gaza military attacks may constitute a violation of the AECA. At a minimum, the conflict is sufficient to warrant an immediate report to Congress as required by 22 U.S.C. §2753. Please contact my office by close of business on January 7, 2009 with the date the report will be submitted.

Sincerely,

Dennis J. Kucinich
Member of Congress