There is a great article in Business Week this week that talks about a scam that bank and credit card companies are pulling on consumers.  It has resulted in the banks winning arbitration cases against consumers to the tune of a 99.998% clip.  That is right, 99.998%.  It has turned arbitration, where an impartial judge makes determination into the biggest home field advantage this side of the NBA play offs.

It seems many of the credit card agreements that govern your use of credit cards call for arbitration to settle any disputes between you and the credit card company.  Well the credit card company gets to pick the arbitration company. Many pick the National Arbitration Forum, which markets itself to the credit card companies as a form of collection agency.  The whole system is basically stacked against the consumer, which results in the credit card companies getting their way.  Business Week does a great job of digging in here and finding out all of the dirty secrets of this scam.  I highly recommend you read the article for all of the details.

I don't think too many people disagree that over the last years there has been a big swing in the pendulum favoring business's over the consumer. Many of the laws and rules that were put in place to protect consumers over the years have either been thrown out or ignored.  Our bankruptcy laws have been totally rewritten to the disadvantage of the consumer.  Lazes-fare attitudes toward regulating business has seen oil companies raking in billions of dollars a quarter while we pay 4 dollars a gallon.  Health insurance companies raising rates higher than inflation while hospitals have to close for not making enough money.  A mortgage industry that without oversight has written loans that has our finance system to the brink of disaster. A return of inflation and recession at the same time.

Not too advertise my own political views, but do I think it is time for a change?  Your damn right I do!  I hope that the press shining the light on some of these injustices will make it easier for a new era in Washington to make right (no pun intended) some of the wrongs in our system.

There is a great article in Business Week this week that talks about a scam that bank and credit card companies are pulling on consumers.  It has resulted in the banks winning arbitration cases against consumers to the tune of a 99.998% clip.  That is right, 99.998%.  It has turned arbitration, where an impartial judge makes determination into the biggest home field advantage this side of the NBA play offs.

It seems many of the credit card agreements that govern your use of credit cards call for arbitration to settle any disputes between you and the credit card company.  Well the credit card company gets to pick the arbitration company. Many pick the National Arbitration Forum, which markets itself to the credit card companies as a form of collection agency.  The whole system is basically stacked against the consumer, which results in the credit card companies getting their way.  Business Week does a great job of digging in here and finding out all of the dirty secrets of this scam.  I highly recommend you read the article for all of the details.

I don't think too many people disagree that over the last years there has been a big swing in the pendulum favoring business's over the consumer. Many of the laws and rules that were put in place to protect consumers over the years have either been thrown out or ignored.  Our bankruptcy laws have been totally rewritten to the disadvantage of the consumer.  Lazes-fare attitudes toward regulating business has seen oil companies raking in billions of dollars a quarter while we pay 4 dollars a gallon.  Health insurance companies raising rates higher than inflation while hospitals have to close for not making enough money.  A mortgage industry that without oversight has written loans that has our finance system to the brink of disaster. A return of inflation and recession at the same time.

Not too advertise my own political views, but do I think it is time for a change?  Your damn right I do!  I hope that the press shining the light on some of these injustices will make it easier for a new era in Washington to make right (no pun intended) some of the wrongs in our system.

Returning my rent a car here in Denver, I stopped in the gas station to fill up.  I paid $4.04.9 for 85 octane gas.  First time I have cracked the $4 dollar barrier.  I am so excited I can cry. Oil went over $133 a barrel today and I saw an analyst report that it could go as high as $200 a barrel.  It seems that when George W became President I remember oil in the 20 to 30 dollar range.  There really doesn't seem to be a shortage of oil, supply meets demand.  So WTF?  Why are prices going up daily like this?  I used to think it was due to fears that another war in the Persian Gulf would break out, but I think it is beyond that now. I really feel like the markets are being manipulated and it is time for intervention.

If this does not give us as a country the will to do something about our dependence on oil, I don't know what will.  Lets see a bold call to action like putting a man on the moon for this country to rally around with a goal of developing alternate energy and soon!

I was out in Colorado today. I filled up with gas before returning the car and paid $3.39 for regular gas.  When I landed in West Palm Beach I had to put gas in my car on the way home and paid $3.49 for regular.  When does this stop?  Is it really going to 4 bucks a gallon soon as they say?  Why stop there, 5, 6 7 bucks a gallon?  What is it going to take for us to finally say enough and do something in this country about getting off the black heroin?

So busy talking about the war, mortgages and the stock market, why aren't any of the major candidates putting out detailed plans on how we are going to move off of oil and gasoline hamster wheel that is a monkey on the back of each and every one of us.  I am fed up and not going to take it anymore!

I was out in Colorado today. I filled up with gas before returning the car and paid $3.39 for regular gas.  When I landed in West Palm Beach I had to put gas in my car on the way home and paid $3.49 for regular.  When does this stop?  Is it really going to 4 bucks a gallon soon as they say?  Why stop there, 5, 6 7 bucks a gallon?  What is it going to take for us to finally say enough and do something in this country about getting off the black heroin?

So busy talking about the war, mortgages and the stock market, why aren't any of the major candidates putting out detailed plans on how we are going to move off of oil and gasoline hamster wheel that is a monkey on the back of each and every one of us.  I am fed up and not going to take it anymore!