There is evidence that the banks & credit card companies have found a way to extract a few extra dollars from.....

[usaf-vet]

....... us each month, even if you pay the bill in full each month.

For the complete discussion on that topic, see: https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=20046918

But that discussion got me thinking about this and where we are at this point in our history.

Think about this:
1. They force us all to get credit cards if we want to rent a car, take a trip, or fly.
2. They slowly but surely raise the interest rates.
3. That forces small businesses to charge a small fee to use a card.
4. Now that they have the entire buy public tied to a credit card, they make the next move of this long-term plan.
5. If you have paid in full on each credit card for years and are never late because of electronic bank-to-bank payments.

6. Then this is the good one. They FUCK UP the USPS mail system to control voting by mail so they have better control over whose votes count. But in many cases, your mail never arrives as it used to it is slower and unreliable.
NOW Louis DeJoy has resigned. His work is done. https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2025/0218-usps-announces-tenure-plan-of-pmg-louis-dejoy.htm?

7. They stack the Supreme Court to ensure right-wing control for years.
8. They hand this maniac IMMUNITY
9. Oh! And now credit card/banks are so greedy they bleed your bank balances by adding fees WHEN YOU PAY YOUR BILLS in full on time. See the link below.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=20046918

I might have missed a step or two, but please join in and add your two cents worth. It's interest-free!

[OLDMDDEM]

1. This is one reason why we had the Consumer Federal Protection Bureau. I don't think we still have it. If we

do, it has been put in a very weak condition to do anything to help us.

[magicarpet]

2. Eloon's next grand scheme is to turn X,....

.... (formally Twitter) into a banking/savings/payment/credit platform side by side with his social media operation.

[List left]

3. wasn't there something about...

No taxation without representation?

[MichMan]

5. No taxation without representation is a myth

Hundreds of cities across the country impose non resident income taxes on people working there who live elsewhere. None of them permit non residents to vote in their elections.

[FakeNoose]

7. In Pittsburgh (where I live) only city residents are charged income tax

... but the city charges the non-residents a "services tax" if they work in Pittsburgh but live somewhere else. This is justified as reimbursement for public services, road repairs, garbage removal, etc. and it's withheld from paychecks just like state and federal taxes.

I don't know how other cities justify it, but Pittsburgh has been taking a small amount out of every paycheck. Nobody fights it because it only amounts to about $20 per year. I'm retired for 8 years so my number may be off a little, but not much. The city income tax was 1% (I think) but again it's withheld along with state and federal taxes.

So your point about taxation without representation is - I guess - moot. People always have the option to look for a job somewhere outside the city limits if they don't want to pay taxes to the city.

[MichMan]

8. People not liking taxes are of course free to move.

Don't like not having SALT deductions or high property taxes; I guess people should just move to low tax states then instead.

Non resident income taxes are still taxation without representation. Detroit imposes 2.4 % income tax on residents and 1.2% on non residents who work there

[Pull_Left]

10. So True

My flex-hours office is downtown, but live north of town, and they tax my full paycheck (not proportional) and I can't vote on city issues.

[Mike 03]

4. Since so many businesses are raising prices simultaneously, won't the

accumulative effect of all this inflation be to tip many individuals and families over into poverty--to not being able to pay their bills?

Two dollars here, six dollars there, .75 cents here... You add that up every month it is going to be enough to topple some people over. Talk about diminishing returns--what is the point of killing off the ability of customers to pay for things?

Won't people stop buying what they can live without? Even then, there are already so many families in this country that choose between food, rent and medical care each month.

Greed is going to destroy people but it's also going to hurt these companies. If I issued credit cards, I'd rather get a $300 check each month than charge $305 and risk that customer cancelling their cards.

[usaf-vet]

6. Exactly right Mike 03. I have long thought the conspiracy is even bigger than most think. I have always thought.......

... that the millionaires and billionaires have long known that the SOCIAL SECURITY Trust Fund has a certain amount in it. They have calculated some of the following numbers with better data than I had.

Here is the data I dug out over the last few hours.

The best available information is 2.7 trillion dollars in the Social Security Trust fund.
On any given month, 68.6 million receive an average of $1838.00 per month.
I then looked at U.S. Covid deaths over the lifespan of the pandemic. 7.0 million worldwide.
An estimated 1.2 million Americans died.
https://www.wsj.com/politics/national-security/cia-now-favors-lab-leak-theory-on-origins-of-covid-19-eff4e67c?
I then look at how many of those 1.2 million were estimated to be on Social Security.
https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/quickfacts/stat_snapshot/?

United States: Data from 2020 shows that adults aged 65 and over accounted for a substantial share of COVID-19-related deaths. The age-adjusted death rate for this group was 533.5 per 100,000. Notably, the death rate increased with age:
Ages 65–74: 234.3 deaths per 100,000
Ages 75–84: 589.8 deaths per 100,000
Age 85 and over: 1,645.0 deaths per 100,000
https://www.statista.com/statistics/1254488/us-share-of-total-covid-deaths-by-age-group/

The estimated savings to the Social Security Trust Fund due to COVID-related deaths in the U.S. is approximately $105.87 billion over the expected remaining lifespan of those individuals.
This calculation assumes an average age at death of 75 years, with an expected remaining lifespan of 4 years had they survived. Each deceased recipient would have collected an estimated $88,224 in Social Security benefits over that time.

So let me ask this question: if these numbers are remotely correct. It would be possible to save an estimated $88,000 over the lifespan of a senior citizen on Social Security and receive an average of $1838.00/month x 12 months/year = $22,056.00/year. Doing the final math step by $88,000/$22,056.00 would require 3.98 years to save that $88,000. IF THOSE SENIOR CITIZENS DIED, each one would leave $88,000 in the Social Security trust fund..... If you were a president with no compassion for anyone else, wouldn't you let them die so you and your billionaire friend could get your greedy hands on it someday soon?

[halobeam]

9. Just a mention that interest begins on their billing closing date and not the due date.

Even if you pay in full on the due date, you will still not have a zero balance. Granted there are cards that give a grace period between closing date and due date, but not all.

I didn't know this, but am glad I pay in full at least a week before the due date. Now "my" personal due date for my cards are the business day before their closing date.