30% interest on credit cards? It's a good thing the Supreme Court legalized sodomy!

I think that at a certain point, it has more to do with the fact that consumers are just a happy bunch. Economic prosperity fosters compliance. Our system can't have anything wrong because everything here is so right! Too many people have been conditioned to fear change. Look at the whole brouhaha over a "possible" public option. Visualizing something abstract and insightful for the future is and perhaps always will be political suicide in America.

Someone needs to kick our ass into gear. Western society as a whole actually, not just the States. Sure, people are having a good time, but who wouldn't with the exorbitant amount of resources being spent? I'm not advocating rebellion or anything like that, but I think gradual changes had better find a way to speed themselves up or else we'll soon find that our paralysis in politics will sooner or later coincide with our paralysis in innovation. You cannot have a Green Revolution every year. And unless we develop the technology to find another planet to victimize, 200 or so years of binging will come crashing down if only because we will have run out of supplies. 200 out of millions and millions of years...fascinating, really.

 

Once upon a time, we actually enforced usury laws that made a 30% interest rate illegal.

 

now the credit card companies base themselves in South Dakota, where no usury laws exist, and say if you sign a card member agreement with them, you're subjecting yourself to their laws.

back in the early 80's, i believe it was, the federal courts backed them up.

 

The government is slow, bureaucratic, corrupt and inept? Wow, that is really insightful. Thanks for the hot tip.

 

Truth. Truth. Truth.

This whole article was solid, unmistakable truth.

The ironic thing is that the capitalism which gave our economy a super-steroid boost upon initiation has since become a 500 lb ball and chain attached to our supposedly representative government. How long before people really start to laugh, and I mean seriously laugh, at our horrendously out of date culture? I mean, we've reached a point where new technologies and ideas are just being flat-out stymied for no real reason. Build a better car? The traditionalists will lampoon it while corporate lobbyists will work overtime to get it lawyered into pseudo-oblivion. Want to enact a more enlightened attitude towards homosexuality? Suddenly those who get divorced like it's some new fashion statement are incensed about our crumbling "family values" and the politicians pick it up as a handy crusade to buy a few more votes. Crazy. It's only a matter of time, IMO, before the US starts to look a little more like Cuba - you know, with the ancient out-of-date cars and slowly crumbling infrastructure. And, like Cuba, we can blame the US for the cause.

We're a weird country.

 

He and Jon Stewart are probably the sharpest guys on TV.

Always dishing out the awful truth.

 

This will eventually change. Either SD will enact a usury law, or the various other states will enact banking regulations that the credit card issuers are subject to by the virtue of issuing cards in that state.

This should get interesting.

 

I think of Economy like this.
In your INFANCY and TEEN YEARS - Capitalism is great
Constantly absorbing new markets etc
You need that extra energy to grow up healthy and strong
HOWEVER
The constantly looking for new markets and absorbing them
leads to Economic Obesity . . .

Which is what we have now
We have created new markets [Water Market]
By attempting to remove all 'free things' cause we need those to be new markets
is not more stifling than helpful

Rocket River
Once you have a Mature Economy

 

The problem is .. . no one like them could ever be elected
NO ONE WANTS TO HEAR THIS FROM THEIR POLITICIAN

Truth from a politician . . or . . by someone in a position to actually DO SOMETHING
scares the isht out of people

Rocket River

 

Its like we've been conditioned to see capitalism as the end all be all. It worked great when we were the only gorilla on the block. Its all greed now.... I wonder what the geopolitical map will look like in 2 decades.

 

Funny article, but I wouldn't call it the truth. I share his frustration with a lot of things but also understand how and why the solution is more complicated than he makes out.

 

I don't like Bill Maher, but I did like his rant.

I wouldn't elect him to office.

Then again, I don't live in Minnesota.

 

I think the level of political discourse in this country has dropped to new lows and basically has paralyzed our gov't from ever being effective again in passing meaningful legislation.

Ever since Bill Clinton and Newt went at it, nothing ever gets done. Except for the Iraq war. Pretty crappy past 10 years if you ask me.

 

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Invisible Fan again.

 

really?? are you reading articles that suggest this??

 

He writes like he talks. Insightful, articulate, and damning.

 

This is pretty much the truth. Never before has that famous line from "A Few Good men" been so relevant. People don't want to hear the truth because they can simply not handle it. They want to hear what they want to hear. Sad really.

 

Very truthful. You ever see an article about some college/garage inventor/high school kid that has developed a solar panel/engine/biofuel that is like 100,000 times better than what we have now and everyone goes "oh that's cool" and then we go back to the Chevron station in our 18mpg SUV's at 3.50 a gallon?

I've been reading articles like this for as long as I can remember!!!!!

Why in the hell is there not a solar panel on every building in America? WHY!?

We've had the technology for years!

Life should be like this: You drive a battery powered car to and from work that uses ZERO gas. You park it in your garage at night and plug it in. Your home (and electric car) are powered by a solar panel on your roof.

Electric bill and gasoline bill equal ZERO a month.

Get er done!

You know eventually we will get there but why can't we get there NOW!?