Republicans muzzle credit card victims

[Omaha Steve]

http://www.pww.org/article/articleview/12805/1/417

Four workers robbed by their credit card companies sat silently at recent congressional hearings on the matter, afraid to share their horror stories with the people elected to represent them.

After long journeys to the nation’s capital from Chicago, Denver and Niagara Falls they were gagged by a GOP partisan maneuver — a demand that they sign waivers allowing their banks to discuss their private financial business publicly in any forum, at any time.

“It was a real tragedy,” said Lynda Tran, communications director for SEIU, the union that brought the workers to Washington to testify. “Their stories need to be told. We all know how bad the credit crisis is on Wall Street. The credit crunch on Main Street is another enormous danger and if it all bursts this economy will really be in trouble.”

With their permission, Tran released to the People’s Weekly World the testimony Congress wouldn’t hear.

“I didn’t want all my private business out there for just anybody,” said Marvin Weatherspoon, a Chicago grandfather whose interest rate jumped from 4.25 percent to 25 percent at Bank of America.

Weatherspoon is a linen department supervisor for Aramark at McCormick Place, Chicago’s convention center. As an SEIU Local 1 member, he ensures that all rooms have the linens they need for meetings and other events.


FULL story at link.

[varelse]

1. Sooo... Republican politicians are moonlighting as loan shark "enforcers"?

The workers were muzzled as members of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Consumer Credit met to discuss legislation that would add a few consumer protections to current credit card policy. For example, the bill — HR 5244, the Credit Card Holders’ Bill of Rights — would prevent card sponsors from applying interest rate hikes to existing balances.

The legislation, not surprisingly, is opposed by the banks and their Republican backers. “As with any government intervention in the free market,” Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.) said in a statement, “the bill presents a real danger of restricting the range of products and services that credit card issuers currently offer.”

Government bailouts of failed investment firms apparently don't count as "intervention"... :shrug:

[annabanana]

2. "GOP partisan maneuver — a demand "

I'm a little confused. Why & how are the GOP guys in a position to be able to issue a demand?

[checks-n-balances]

3. Yet another GOP outrage!! K& R

[lonestarnot]

4. Why didn't someone with some balls get in their faces? We have no fucking privacy left anyway!

:argh: waiver my ass.

[The Doctor.]

7. I hear that.

Wanna' go into debt buying Girls Gone Wild DVDs?

Fuck if I care. So long as I get to foist these assholes, I don't care if I have to buy out all the "Penetrate my Manly Ass Dildos" with turbo and port and starboard attachments in the warehouse just to rack up the unjust fees.

I can't stand these assholes that rely on the timidity of their victims. Fuck 'em... with port and starboard attachments, I say.

[lonestarnot]

10. LOL!

:applause:

[OzarkDem]

13. Pelosi must not have thought it was important

The weakling Dems in Congress get rolled by the GOP again. This can't be an accident, failure of our Dem leadership is deliberate.

Here are the Dems on the House Financial Services Committee. Ask them why they can't get off their asses and do their jobs.

Chair - Barney Frank

Rep. Paul E. Kanjorski, PA
Rep. Maxine Waters, CA
Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, NY
Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez, IL
Rep. Nydia M. Velázquez, NY
Rep. Melvin L. Watt, NC
Rep. Gary L. Ackerman, NY
Rep. Brad Sherman, CA
Rep. Gregory W. Meeks, NY
Rep. Dennis Moore, KS
Rep. Michael E. Capuano, MA
Rep. Rubén Hinojosa, TX
Rep. William Lacy Clay, MO
Rep. Carolyn McCarthy, NY
Rep. Joe Baca, CA
Rep. Stephen F. Lynch, MA
Rep. Brad Miller, NC
Rep. David Scott, GA
Rep. Al Green, TX
Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, MO
Rep. Melissa L. Bean, IL
Rep. Gwen Moore, WI
Rep. Lincoln Davis, TN
Rep. Paul W. Hodes, NH
Rep. Keith Ellison, MN
Rep. Ron Klein, FL
Rep. Tim Mahoney, FL
Rep. Charles Wilson, OH
Rep. Ed Perlmutter, CO
Rep. Christopher S. Murphy, CT
Rep. Joe Donnelly, IN
Rep. Robert Wexler, (FL)
Rep. Jim Marshall, GA
Rep. Dan Boren, OK

[dajoki]

5. Aren't Dems the majority?

Then how do the Repubs get away with making DEMANDS? Something stinks!!

K&R

[derby378]

16. I think either Herr Decider or Darth Cheney is holding something over Pelosi's head...

...or we need to start replacing congressional Democrats with some new Democrats who have a little spine.

[The Doctor.]

6. Oh for fuck's sake...

I'm sorry, but if I had a grudge, I could care less if my materially irrelevant information were up for discussion.

I'm not blaming these poor saps, God knows how vicious the banks and credit companies can be, but the personal shit is irrelevant to the issue.

Shame that most of the people they prey on are too timid to stand up for themselves.

[lostnfound]

8. How vicious the media can be, how vicious the politicos can be..

They probably could see the spectre of being publicly humiliated by TV talking heads, things taken out of context etc. And the public humiliation could easily be directed at their spouse or their kids, depending on what was on the credit cards.

[lonestarnot]

11. Excellent observation! Tis the American way these days. Tuck tail run when it comes to

a moment of opportunity to stand up. My guess is they were bushitlers.

[The Doctor.]

15. That would be funny... but I still don't think it's fair.

[varelse]

12. They have a right to their privacy

the "demand" made by the GOP 'lawmakers' is unreasonable and no one should be conceding to it.

[The Doctor.]

14. Oh, I agree....

It's just infuriating that no one is standing up one way or the other.

[varelse]

18. Yes, it is... maybe there is some way that we in the "netroots" could help

if we knew who was on that commitee, and how to contact them, maybe we could write or call them and express our concerns... this isn't just about those four victims, after all. Hundreds of thousands of us are likely to be directly or indirectly affected by this craven behaviour on the part of our lawmakers.

[dajoki]

19. Even if they are not "timid"...

and were as tough as nails, have you ever tried to "deal" with these credit card companies and banks?
There is no reasoning with them, its their way or no way, and it also depends on if the person on the other end of the phone is having a good day or a bad day, some of them should just not be allowed to speak to other human beings. I have had enough of my own experiences with them to know that you can argue and stand up for yourself all you want, but you don't accomplish anything, most of the time you get off the phone with your head spinning.

And raising anyone's rate from 4.25 percent to 25 percent may be legal, but it shouldn't be, maybe that's why they ended up in front of Congress. I'm not holding my breath, but maybe these four people and their union will at least start something that will benefit us all. :shrug:

[Heywood J]

9. You just know that anybody who goes ahead with one of those to testify

will just "accidentally" have their social security number and other sensitive information leaked out in any documents the bank releases, as payback for squealing. Especially if it's into the Congressional record and open to the public.

[tbyg52]

17. Bingo. nt

[samsingh]

20. repugs don't believe in the Constitution