Credit where credit is due

Several times in life I have been criticized for taking things personally. The thing is, if we don’t take issues personally how are we going to understand them? How do we feel strongly enough about something to act? Here is an example. This economic situation is stressing everyone. The other day I got an understanding why it has happened. I have long felt we as a society focus too much on obtaining all the goodies out there and lose touch with basic needs. In fact we resent what we pay for energy, food, shelter, clothing because it takes away from what we can spend on video games, HD television sets and more car than we need.

So, back to the point. the other day I got my credit card bill. It was for more than $1,400. that was for a trip I took, I expected it and I was ready and paid it off. That’s not the point. The point is this: For a bill that size, the minimum payment was… get this … $21. TWENTY ONE DOLLARS on a $1,400 debt. I didn’t even bother to do the math on how long it would take to pay that off at $21 a month. And that without counting interest, which might even have been more than the minimum due. What that is supposed to do is make me think, “Oh, I can handle that easily, what’s $21? So I go out and spend more on that card. Not a chance. And, on top of the ridiculous minimum payment, they sent me three checks, checks I can use to build up even more credit debt.

(An aside: Did anyone notice when the late payment fee on most cards went to $39, the time frame between when they send the bill and when it was due, was shortened? That means you lave less time to pay it and get it to them so they probably collect more late fees. That’s unless you pay on line which means putting your credit payment on another credit or debit card, or worse let them take it out of your account, not to mention the security problems.)

So, the other night a number came up that tells me our government is simply a victim of the credit system as much as the rest of us. There is a sign in Times Square that keeps up-to-the minute track of the actual amount of the national debt. This past week the operators had to remove the dollar sign from it. They had to remove it because there was no more room for numbers when the national debt went past $10 trillion, TEN TRILLION DOLLARS. When Bill Clinton left office in 2000, there was a surplus. This administration and the six years the party controlled Congress did it to us. Now the whole system, built on paper and granting and receiving poor credit is collapsing. And what did the government do so far? Go deeper into debt to give the bad lenders more money to lend. It is my retirement accounts that are losing because of it, It is my son’s college fund that is losing because of it. Why in the hell shouldn’t I take it personally? Good grief. I kind of like living where security is a good supply of firewood. I am sore tempted at this point to go back to it.