I was at the store tonight, and an acquaintance was talking about

[Horse with no Name]

how hard it is to make ends meet. The price of gas was high, etc.
She went on to talk about the price of gas and how they are going to trade their vehicles in for something that gets better gas mileage.
She said she was barely making it. She is a single Hispanic mother with two kids in college and one in High School. Trying to eke out a living and a better life for her kids.
She then said that she felt sorry for the people who live on credit cards because the payments have gone up.
She said she only has two cards that she uses for emergencies, but everything in the last month has been considered an "emergency" because of high gasoline and high utility bills.
I really don't know her politics...but she was representative of what we, the members of the Democratic Party, need to embrace and fight to change.

[Purveyor]

1. From an article last Monday RE: credit card debt...

Americans rack up additional credit card debt


Associated Press

WASHINGTON - Americans increased their borrowing in June at a much faster pace than expected, with the rise led by higher credit card debt.

The Federal Reserve reported Monday that consumer borrowing rose at an annual rate of 5.7 percent in June, up sharply from a 3.3 percent increase in May.

The June advance reflected a rise in consumer debt of $10.27 billion at an annual rate, much larger than the $3.7 billion increase economists had been expecting.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/business/4100515.html

[stop the bleeding]

2. true health of the economy is the savings of the peeps

well with figures increasing to 10 billion over the 4 billion "experts" were expecting tells me that this year Xmas is going into everone's gas tanks and not into the savings accounts.

Thanks for the article - if that was on the stock market watch thread then I missed it.

[bahrbearian]

3. So what so being Hispanic have to do with it ?

[Horse with no Name]

5. Because she is?

This is a woman who has struggled as a minority to put two kids in College without any help from anyone.
I think it is uplifting to know that this woman has pursued "the American Dream" successfully and that it is about to be derailed by Bush policy.

[upi402]

4. Toyota ECHO 41mpg hiway

:patriot:

[kestrel91316]

14. Toyota Yaris gets 40 mpg, and it's available new this year.

Echo is no longer made, IIRC.

[lonestarnot]

17. Got 49.8 with my hybrid today. A/C off makes a biggggggg diff.

[Der Blaue Engel]

20. 12-yr-old Tercel: 45mpg highway

:patriot:

[upi402]

21. Yeah baby!

:toast: :toast: :toast:

[killbotfactory]

28. I just bought a 96 Geo metro.... over 50mpg on the highway

good luck going up hills, though.

:-)

[4_TN_TITANS]

36. Toyota / Scion with 37 mpg combined city/hwy...

but I miss the old VW Rabbit diesels that I used to drive - 50 mpg. You could fill it up and fagettaboutit for two weeks.

[newspeak]

39. that's my car (Toyota Echo)

and I love it!!!!:loveya: Okay, don't laugh--I called my car "fifi starshine." I'm going to make a logo of a sun with big red lips and a beiret and stick it on my bumper.

[Mind_your_head]

6. I'm sure that the upper 1% with all of their tax cuts will be throwing

that 'extra nickel' in the Salvation Army bucket as they pass by ~ conscience cleared ~ . :sarcasm: :sarcasm:

all the while, never realizing, that the middle class don't want to be among the "charity class" at all.....we just want decent job opportunities.

Oh, I can't wait until the day that your little high-falutine castles get burned to the ground, and they will. Not b/c you're rich, but b/c you're un-ashamedly GREEDY.

[BluePatriot]

38. Amen...

it's not wealth that's the issue, it's greed that's the issue.

Greedy bastards! Learn to share! /rant off

[blogslut]

7. We need to cut through the crap

...and talk to the American people as American people. The other guys have been dominating because they have been preying on base emotions like fear, fear, fear and wallets.

We need to get base with the base. The Democratic party needs to become a part of the people. We need to tell Americans that WE ARE ON THEIR SIDE.

[Horse with no Name]

8. Funny thing is

When you talk to people, they believe the same things that we do.
They are just misguided.

[Bobbieo]

10. Think this 'crunch' is hitting just about everyone.

I'm going to get my ass shot off for this but I was surprised to see so many "well-dressed" people in Wal-Mart's grocery section today. The food stanps come tomorrow!

[blogslut]

11. Exactly!

n/t

[Emit]

9. I just ran to the grocery store for milk, and left spending $100 bucks

on a 'few' items -- coffee, milk, fruits, veges, cereal. I double-checked the receipt when I got home because I honestly don't know how it all added up!

On a not so similar note, I canvassed last week in a neighborhood (for the Dem Party here) doing a survey -- questions like, "If the elections were held today, would you vote for the Dem candidate or for the Repub candidate?" and "What are the main issues concerning you this election year?" Choices range from education, health care, Iraq war, taxes, etc. Anyway, we walked a rather transient neighborhood, targeting Non-partisan voters, Repub women and a few Dems.

These were working class people, lower income families, some older people who'd probably lived there for years and years, some hispanic families, lots of veterans (it was right near the VA hospital -- my old neighborhood, actually, where we rented when my first born was just a little one) -- but the neighborhood is a little rough, too -- a lot of run down rentals, a lot of 'half' addresses where I had to search to find the place behind someone else's house or complex, older apartment complexes, etc.

Anyway, every time I knocked on a Republican's door, I thought to myself, why are they registered Republicans? Especially today? What have the Repubs done for these folks? And, the responses! Yikes -- one guy, Non-partisan, said he usually voted for the Repubs -- he's got four kids, he's living in a rental --a tiny run-down house on a busy street corner near down town, and what was his concern? Values -- family value issues -- that our country has lost their values and he's voting Repub this year for that reason. WTF?

The other thing I noticed? These folk are not paying attention. The majority had no clue who was running in what race. Whether they just don't care, or whether they are too busy with making ends meet -- they are not paying attention. When I do these surveys, even though I'm working on behalf of the party, I am not allowed to persuade people (persuading people is my other volunteer job I do in the evenings) I have to just ask the questions, input the data and move on.

But, this time, I did try to direct some people, two in particular -- one 27 year-old Dem who answered the door in her pj's 'cause she was sick and had no health care to see a doc -- had just moved here -- well, we all know the sad story -- and she said she'd vote Dem all the way, but when I asked her the last question, "How likely are you to vote in November?" She said maybe. Maybe. "Maybe!!??" I asked. I urged her to vote -- explained to her the imbalance in our government right now -- talked to her about the candidates, etc. I think she'll vote. The other was a very young woman with a few kids -- she had no clue who was running, and she said she worked for Homeland Security but had no dental coverage. What? No dental coverage with a federal position? I don't know how true this was -- but, still, I know our insurance doesn't cover much dental either. I encouraged her to go down to the Dem office and research the candidates -- she asked about the Repubs running. I told her they were all incumbents -- because here in this state, they are -- and if she wanted more of the same, vote Repub.

Folks, this breaks my heart. Going door to door in these neighborhoods, talking to people who are just eeking by, knowing that they are not paying attention, knowing that they are not likely to vote, or even whether they know who they are voting for or what they are voting for....

Sorry about the rant, but your OP just set me off and made me think back to that particular day -- and this is not the first time I've experienced this -- I've walked a few neighborhoods now -- many like this one, or worse as far as income-level, and I get the same responses -- registered Repubs living in trailers on gravel roads with no doorsteps, no sidewalks, and no air conditioning in 100 degree weather, multiple kids at their feet and they're concerned about family values?! Okay. I'll shut up now.

[Horse with no Name]

13. Thanks for sharing this

and thanks for trying to make a difference.

[Bobbieo]

16. Right now, I'm supporting myself and two permanelty disabled people

on my retirement checks, So ---when I go to the grocery I have a list that has been compiled well in advance for only for things we can't live without. - milk, bread, veggies, carefully chosen meat.

We have one credit card that is only used for emergencies and is paid up every month.

Onr thing though, I can got to bed every night and not worry about being bombed out of my home.

[lonestarnot]

18. $22.50 night before last for 2 gals of milk and some ice cream sandwiches.

1 stink'n sack!

[Mind_your_head]

22. I think you should start a thread with this......Please do.

If you don't, with your permission, I will do it. This is honest, important, "front-line" stuff.

[Emit]

24. I'm not sure whether it will have traction, although, I have been curious

whether other DUers are walking and knocking and, if so, what their personal experiences have been. I'm heading out to p/u my teenager right now -- can't start an OP, but if you want to, you certainly have my permission to pass on this stuff, and include it in a new thread -- just ramblings from my recent walks, really, but, it sure has changed my life to do this over the past couple of years now. I think it's getting to me more now, though, than it did in 2004 for some reason -- how much can people take? What motivates people to vote? Or to vote a certain way?

[IndyOp]

29. It is the corporate media. Humans are by nature social animals -

we depend to a tremendous extent on the cues given by those around us as to what to believe and do. It is a simple fact that can be good or bad - depending on the context. If they have a steady diet of corporate media and then go to church on Sunday and hear the same messages there - they are in the bag. A last thought: Most people have been carefully taught to regard the government as THEM and to understand that they cannot have an impact on authority (government).

[Emit]

34. Yes, IndyOp

excellent point about corporate media -- designed to insulate and confine the American people. It is the most important tool they have -- 'they' meaning the powers that be -- to prevent the masses from knowing and realiziing the truth of matters.

What is it down to now, only 5 huge corporations control most of the media industry in the U.S.?


http://www.corporations.org/media/

Or maybe ten if you include these, although this is from 2002 so I don't know if it's changed:

http://www.thenation.com/special/bigten.html

[IndyOp]

35. Bookmarked! Thank you. Great graph! (n/t)

[Emit]

37. You're welcome! n/t

[question everything]

12. Right. These people are concerned a lot more about making ends

meet, about schools, and health care - then about Iraq and impeachment.

[lonestarnot]

19. What?

[lonestarnot]

15. Class war baaaabeeeee.

[ReadTomPaine]

23. Everyone is breathing the same foul air these days

No matter where you live.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=364x1864667

[ShrewdlyDone]

25. Actually SHE needs to look for change by working with the democrats

Too often people complain but don't take even the insanely simple action of voting.

[mad-mommy]

31. did you see in my post?

did you see in my post, that I called my local dem office? I didn't post this, but the person answering the phone didn't ask if I was registered to vote, or if I wanted to come in and sign up. There I was willing and able. They didn't even offer for me to have an appt just to come in and express my feelings. She said on their level they couldn't do much, that the local rep had nothing to do with the price of gas, the cost of living, the economy. What? I know I'm new to this, but a local rep can't help? I thought they were supposed to represent the voice of the people?

yes, voting is important.

[snot]

26. Here's a related issue: usurious interest rates

For decades, I've paid my credit card accounts in full every month. I am not a credit risk.

Recently, my last surviving parent died, and I was tied up out of town longer than expected, taking care of some things.

So one of my credit card payments was a few days late.

They charged me ca. $80 in late fees and interest, the latter being calculated at an interest rate OVER 30%.

Christians used to believe it was sin to charge ANY interest; and for much of my life, consumer credit laws imposed ceilings on interest that protected consumers against outrageous interest rates. The ceilings were usually around 18%.

Fortunately, when I called the credit card company and explained why the payment was late, they waived the charges. But I suspect a lot of consumers don't know to do that; and of course, that's not going to work every month.

Deregulation is great for senior management of big corps., not so great for anyone else.

[The Wielding Truth]

30. Check your credit report. It may be hurt. Another BushCo legacy.

[seemunkee]

32. I doubt it

I've been late a several times in the last couple of years since my wife gets paid on the 15th and the CC bill is usually due on the 15th or 16th. I just checked my credit report and there is nothing on it.
Checking is not a bad thing to do anyway though.

[The Wielding Truth]

33. Yep, with all the stolen or "taken home" ss#'s it's wise.

[Erika]

27. Are we better off before W took office?

The bushbots should be self ashamed for their help in allowing W to destroy this country.