The coming financial crisis

[Seabiscuit36]

And I dont intend to change that. If its so hard for a store to take credit or debit cards, then they should just invoke a minimum purchase, or stop taking them, we don't need a pity party at the register about how much things are costing the store.

  Actually a Minimum Purchase policy is against Visa/MC/Amex/Discover regulations, and if stores are caught, will be fined and lose the ability to use credit cards. 

When they go all cash, its clearly better for the business, but the problem lies with losing customers who do utilize credit all the time against carrying cash, businesses will ultimately lose customers over a small percentile.  I had it out with the pakistani down the street over a minimum purchase policy, i wanted a pack of cigs, he said i had to spend 10 bucks, i basically explained the policy, he said he didnt care.  Told him have fun with the phone call he gets.  Next time i went in there the sign was down, and he gave me the death stare. 

And Dio, they cant tell you in writing why they dont want you to use credit cards, it's in their contract. 

[rjs246]

I don't see this as a pity party at all. I see this as yet another in a long line of financial burdens imposed by a system that HEAVILY favors massive corporations over small, local businesses. Huge companies don't give a shtein about these fees and don't think twice about them, but they are prohibitive to traditional small shops. The corporatization of this country is scary and 'little' things like this represent a serious problem to any company isn't an enormous corporation.

[ice grillin you]

I don't see this as a pity party at all. I see this as yet another in a long line of financial burdens imposed by a system that HEAVILY favors massive corporations over small, local businesses. Huge companies don't give a shtein about these fees and don't think twice about them, but they are prohibitive to traditional small shops. The corporatization of this country is scary and 'little' things like this represent a serious problem to any company isn't an enormous corporation.

the problem is the people of the country....in many instances the corporations only exist if the people let them...and we have to many wings and ff's who only care about themselves and their families and farg everyone else...like george carlin said everyone is to worried about their cell phone that can make pizza than they are about actual human beings

[Seabiscuit36]

Big Corporations own the Government. 

[rjs246]

Big Corporations own the Government. 

Yes. That is the point. They own the government, the government makes and enforces rules, and allows behavior that directly benefits big corporations making life difficult for the little guys. The whole process serves to take many steps toward snuffing out the entrepreneurial opportunities that the average person has in this country.

I normally like being right about everything, but Big Brother taking over this country is something that I wish I had been wrong about.

[Wingspan]

I don't see this as a pity party at all. I see this as yet another in a long line of financial burdens imposed by a system that HEAVILY favors massive corporations over small, local businesses. Huge companies don't give a shtein about these fees and don't think twice about them, but they are prohibitive to traditional small shops. The corporatization of this country is scary and 'little' things like this represent a serious problem to any company isn't an enormous corporation.

the problem is the people of the country....in many instances the corporations only exist if the people let them...and we have to many wings and ff's who only care about themselves and their families and farg everyone else...like george carlin said everyone is to worried about their cell phone that can make pizza than they are about actual human beings

lol...yeah you have me pegged.


and carlin said nothing of the sorts...the actual quote is

"Everyone has a cell phone that will make pancakes for them so we're all fat and happy and satisfied and we don't question a lot of things."

it has nothing to do with caring about other humans...in fact Carlin was adament in not caring about other humans, that we were all just animals taking up space and that at some point the earth is going to shake us off like a bad case of fleas. And there is nothing we can do about it.

[rjs246]

George Carlin aside, doesn't the bigger picture of stuff like this scare anyone other than the two resident uber-liberals?

I mean, I guess I can sort of see how you could argue that massive corporations are somehow good for our economy and therefore this isn't a big deal. But bigger the socio-political impact of shtein like this really scares the shtein out of me. Which is why I'm so thankful that I have beer to calm me down.

[Cerevant]

Big Money will own the government as long as the lobbyist / PAC machine continues to run.  But hey, who cares about campaign finance reform...

[Phanatic]

I get hammered on 99 cent downloads. I lose 30% of every sale to the credit card companies. Then there's another 9% that goes to distribution. Good thing I'm not expecting to make money that way.... or at all...

[Wingspan]

George Carlin aside, doesn't the bigger picture of stuff like this scare anyone other than the two resident uber-liberals?

I mean, I guess I can sort of see how you could argue that massive corporations are somehow good for our economy and therefore this isn't a big deal. But bigger the socio-political impact of shtein like this really scares the shtein out of me. Which is why I'm so thankful that I have beer to calm me down.

This is where the uber liberals talk out of both sides of their mouth. They go on and on about big business and the conservative goverment being bad and draging down the economy...but then they want the liberal arm to sweep in and save the day. And on top of that, they like to point out the people who are looking out for themselves and their families. like this...

...and we have to many wings and ff's who only care about themselves and their families and farg everyone else...

Well I am not going to sit at my computer and endless bitch that someone else isn't helping me or my family. I am going to do what I can to protect my family and myself from any crisis set on by the same goverment and big business that the extreme liberals rally against. I am not excluding others...I am setting a priority. It's not my concern that a select few want someone else to come in and fix their problem.

...credit card companies charge to use their service?
...stores are raising their prices to protect themselves from rising fuel costs, correct?

I will take measures to ensure that I make sound financial decisions to protect myself and my family from the same detriments that the corporations face. And no crying from doi or icee will ever change that. It's a fairly simple concept. Sometimes life sucks...the world has always been a fight or flight survival, now is no different.

[Seabiscuit36]

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/06/24/lawrence.price.of.paradise.cnn

Hawaii is gonna suck for my brother

[rjs246]

Wing: All of that is fine. Understandable. Admirable. Taking care of yourself and your family is not my concern here obviously. My concern is with the 'tough shtein' 'too bad' flippancy of people's responses to these things. This is serious and it is something that should be addressed or it will have serious ramifications on the country. Acknowledging the problem and doing something, even in small ways, can address the problem while still allowing you to provide for your own situation.

Whatever. Socio-political ramifications!

[Wingspan]

People are always going to have that response, until it directly effects them. Sometimes it has to get worse before it gets better. Once they are forced to change because of the conditions...it will force the government or big business to change because their cash cow (the american public) will dry up.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

I apparently don't have to be included in the discussion to have an opinion anymore.

I agree with Dio's original rant explicitly for many reasons.  Naturally and predictably, I don't think the corporations are as much to blame as are the idiots that use credit cards to leave beyond their means, but the whole credit industry is off its rocker, and the "subprime crisis" was just the beginning.

If people actually lived within their means and paid cash, inflation would be curbed, values and prices would better reflect the true market, and the country would be a better place to live.  However, instead of letting some things return to reality, the government is bailing out the corporations and individuals that made awful decisions with credit.

America... farg YEAH!

[Seabiscuit36]

I apparently don't have to be included in the discussion to have an opinion anymore.

I agree with Dio's original rant explicitly for many reasons.  Naturally and predictably, I don't think the corporations are as much to blame as are the idiots that use credit cards to leave beyond their means, but the whole credit industry is off its rocker, and the "subprime crisis" was just the beginning.

If people actually lived within their means and paid cash, inflation would be curbed, values and prices would better reflect the true market, and the country would be a better place to live.  However, instead of letting some things return to reality, the government is bailing out the corporations and individuals that made awful decisions with credit.

America... farg YEAH!

Well Said