It is 2018; the U.S. is experiencing the second economic crisis in ten years. Congress passes the Emergency Consumer Credit Stabilization Act of 2018 (ECCSA) after little discussion and debate. ECCSA authorizes the treasury secretary to dump hundreds of billions of dollars into the credit card industry which is being plagued by consumer defaults. ECCSA is quietly inserted into a big appropriations bill.
Prior to the passage of the ECCSA this is what the newspapers are saying:
“The 2016 Elections: Lowest Voter Turnout in U.S. History ” - New York Register Sun
“Personal Income drops for the Fifth Year” – Chicago Register Sun
“US Express Card Purchases Employment Services Company, Peoplepower, Inc., for $20 billion” – Los Angles Register Sun
“Consumers have continued to leverage themselves. They have exceeded their capacity to borrower and ability to pay it back,” says Jack Doe, Chief Economist, Bank of The Americas.
In the ECCSA is a new program euphemistically called “Consumer Lifeline Program” (CLP). CLP allows credit card companies to offer the “option” of allowing consumers to “work off” their debt. CLP is essentially a legally authorized indentured servant program. Internal memos from US Express Card indicate plans to sell pools of cheap labor to companies all over the world. The memo states “We have successfully created a perpetual circle of customers for ourselves and clients.”
Do you think this can happen? I think so. Just think about the past eight years.
I am concerned that our current economic model of relying heavily on consumer spending, which is funded in large part by credit card debt, is not a model to rely on for future economic expansion. We cannot improve our economy or better yet, maintain or improve living standards by relying on consumers who are unemployed, underemployed or underpaid. But, I am not an economist so what do I know.
In order to Submit A Story, you must be a registered member. It is free to join. Login or Register.
economy financial+crisis budget+deficit unemployment credit+cards bailout jobs deficit wall+street+bailout personal+finance debt mortgage+crisis economic+crisis social+security mortgage deficit+hawks retirement+savings economic+stimulus obama financial+conglomerates credit+unions health+care+reform tarp financial+oligarchy financial+regulatory+reform 401k money scams income+inequality capitalism debt+management new+normal investments gdp globalization savings neoliberal consumer+protection stocks government+spending middle+class risk investing economic+growth federal+debt financial+planning debt+settlement health+care financial+literacy stock+market foreclosure economic+policy u.s.+treasuries bank+of+america china consumer+spending cfpa credit+card+debt federal+reserve ira financial+bailout unemployment+rate loan+modifications financial+stability+plan negative+equity move+your+money wall+street wills full+employment estate+planning consumer+credit auto+industry president+obama innocent+fraud mutual+funds neo-liberal aig life+insurance consumer+financial+protection+agency budget job+guarantee checking cash+flow bonds job+growth compound+interest u.s.+treasury+securities fdic taxes net+worth class+warfare wages goldman+sachs derivatives mortgages debt+consolidation inflation federal+deficit refinance fico+scores real+estate republicans credit+scores banking+system mortgage+foreclosure financial+crisis+inquiry+commission deficit+commission pete+peterson stimulus evil debt+collection liquidity treasury+securities ppip job+loss trickle+down+economics cash+management debt+hysteria home+buying economic+purgatory banks deficit+hawk bartering emergency+savings efca debt+to+gdp retirement home+closing currency community+gardens economic community+banks finreg online+scams income+taxes foreclosures yuan estate investment+yields happy+year #finreg email beige+book mortgage+modifications federal business+roundtable economics dot+com+bubble chris+dodd malicious+software deflation corporate+bailouts economic+policies returns housing+bubble fiscal+sustainability deferred+annuities bailouts debt+is+evil modern+monetary+theory disability+income+insurance scam teach-in fixed+rate+annuity lobbyists credit+card+law center+for+responsible+lending balance+check+book credit+report warren+mosler variable+rate+annuity corporate+tax+breaks big+banks fiat+currency general+motors economic+indicators budgeting financialization insurance foreclosure+rescue+services gross+domestic+product race+to+bottom bank+fees credit+card open+auction lost+decade personal+income new+capitalist+manifesto overdraft cfpb geithner commercial+real+estate personal+consumption emergency human+capital direct+deposit reaganomics economic+justice trade+deficit market+fundamentalism etf destruction wall+street+bailouts exports card+act balance identity+theft gas+prices obama+administration public+option living+standard unemployment+benefits economic+mobility imports banking securities+laws save keynesian wiped+out laid+off citigroup financial+sector unemployment+insurance fox+news+channel deductibles strategic+defaults arra free+credit+report money+market+accounts afl-cio fox emergency+funds human+capitalism savings+tip financial+reform credit+rating+agencies credit+reports money+market+mutual+funds principal+reduction roger+ailes moody's uaw employment denmark propaganda refund+anticipation+loans jobs+data lehman+brothers corporate+welfare u.s tax+refund debt+forgiveness bankruptcy disposable+income national+infrastructure+bank greece option+arm mortgage+loan+modifications output+gap interest+rates universal+health+care eu fundamentals living+wage great+recession ltcm senate+democrats eurozone john+mccain minimum+wage new+democrat+coalition keynes gold frontline ben+bernanke california+budget american+recovery+and+reinvestment+act jobless+recovery jobs+report income regulations payroll+tax euro existing+home+sales democrats slavery mark+to+market budgets tax+holiday financial+regulation fannie+mae housing+market cowards debt+servitude gmac life+settlements federal+budget de-regulation subprime bad+bank deficit+errorists target+date+mutual+funds national+debt free+markets savings+plan fiscal+policy alan+greenspan phone+scams free+trade financial+regulations cost+of+unemployment savings+bonds shadow+banking+system #wallstreetscam time+value+of+money pensions credit+markets fair+debt+collection+practices+act tax+code cdo paulson future+value income+tax refinancing predatory+home+lenders cash u.s.+debt warren+buffett treasury+department present+value 20-year+mortgage
