Bank service fees and Payday loan joints are exactly what the protestors should be focusing on, in my opinion.
Banks are supposed to be making their money off the cash we leave on deposit there, no off ATM, debit card/service fees. ‘Fees’ should not be revenue streams. Period. That is ‘predatory’ capitalism and, if anyone was watching out for consumers it wouldn’t be allowed. Profit generated by overcharging customers for service fees ought to be taxed at 100%, in my humble opinion.
What really pushes people to rage, where I live, is that our tax dollars support bodies meant to oversee industries and protect us from exactly this. But government after government have gutted their funding, and interfered, until they rely on the very industries they are meant to police, for funding. So we’re paying the people meant to protect us, to watch us get screwed.
Payday loan companies get around laws disallowing 120% interest rates, by calling them fees, service charges, etc. But no one really took notice, when they appeared, because it wasn’t aimed at them. It was the poorest and most vulnerable that were being served up, on a platter, to be exploited by ‘predatory’ capitalists. Now it’s the middle classes turn, but what can turn the tide?
Calling them dirty hippies, or artsy fartsy, I don’t think is a bad thing. They should be embracing that, in my opinion. They should be looking square into the cameras and saying, ‘Excuse us for feeling that more creative minds clearly need to address what seem intractable problems in our society because our elected officials continue to demonstrate that they are not up to the task!’
Then they should propose an Xprize solution to our worst problems. Out of the hands of the politicians and into the minds of creative thinkers. $1,000.000 prize. Create a fair, workable, cost effective solution to any problem you can name. Take the top three, hold a vote, let the public pick one. Of the people. It’s so elegant. Choose any issue that government has been working on over 2 terms, like immigration reform. The government has already spent 10 times that amount.
They should be proposing that no elected official should be getting over $200,000 a year pension. Especially not when services are being cut to people in need. If they feel it’s unfair they should be invited to defend why they deserve it, publicly. The people deserve to hear it and welcome the discussion.
But if they don’t get some focus, soon, they are going to lose support, in my opinion. They need to give people something to think about. Y’know, think different!
