I had a nice chat earlier today (”today” has now become yesterday — burning the midnight oil) with George Goehl, Executive Director, of NTIC/National People’s Action. Quoting from a copy of his bio (which I found here, on another site):
“George Goehl has been a community organizer, strategist, and trainer for 15 years, crafting national campaigns on affordable housing, predatory lending, and immigrant justice issues. George was the founding president of the Coalition of Low-Income and Homeless Citizens and the lead organizer of a campaign to win the first Housing Trust Fund in Indiana. He was the architect of a national campaign at NTIC to pressure the Department of Housing and Urban Development to stem the tide of rising FHA foreclosures and abandoned buildings and helped launch NTIC’s early work on predatory lending. In 2004, George worked as a field organizer for the Center for Community Change, focusing on immigration reform. In 2007 he went back to his roots and became the third Executive Director at NTIC in 35 years.”
Obviously, Mr. Goehl has been fighting for economic justice for a long time. Presently, the ChangeInTerms.com site has endorsed an organizing effort against what I consider to be the “root of all evil” relative to what we’ve been experiencing in the economy: an industry that wants everything you’ve got, and control over your childrens’ dreams and lives, too.
This industry doesn’t want to be watched over or regulated. It doesn’t want the CFPA (Consumer Financial Protection Agency), because it’s been happy with the arrangement thus far (doing as it pleases, completely unfettered by a moral compass or even common sense, as evidenced by the fact that its gambling and smugness brought nearly everyone but its executives to the very brink of economic destruction).
It’s not interested in fairness, unless that is defined as “we get it all, and you get nothing.” It does not want YOU to enjoy ANY rights, or have any PROTECTION. It wants this CFPA idea watered down, or better yet, dead. No state or local options means no safe havens for at least some consumers, but the same safe havens from which this industry has been free to operate for years, imposing usurious terms that are in effect legalized loan-sharking.
Yes, I’m talking about the ABA, the American Banker’s Association.
If you are a consumer, then you are as they say in prison, “the banks’ bitch” (I guess this is a PG-13 remark — I hear it on network TV), as far as the ABA is concerned: read this, about the efforts to block the CFPA on the “Save the American Dream” site (which is a campaign of National People’s Action, among others).
With the above as an introduction, I would also like to help the aforementioned “organizing effort” by suggesting that you express support for Mr. Goehl’s “Showdown in Chicago” campaign. Quoting from an email his organization sent to me:
“Americans are more frustrated than ever at big banks and Wall Street. As a result, people are signing up to act in a united front against bank lobbyists at the American Banker’s Association (ABA) convention on Oct 25-27. We are ready for them. When bank executives land in the Windy City, they’ll be met by thousands of Americans from Wichita to Syracuse demanding big banks break their excessive appetite for greed and end their efforts to fight reforms that would protect us from their future abuses.”
Showdown in Chicago image used by permission.
We are well on our way to becoming a nation of subservient slaves to banks, which control Congressional decision making through powerful lobbies, campaign donations, and by providing “perks” that ordinary people like most of us can only see from the ground (or below, in the mines where we may be toiling away for our masters): forget what citizen-consumers want.
Banks further control us through the FED, which claims it is better suited to regulate than a CFPA (yet the FED is not “Federal” and is “owned” by the very banks that it claims to be best qualified to regulate — “how convenient“!).
Please click on the image above, and get involved, in any way that you can.
These bankers, through their association, need to know that — along the lines of picking a fight in a bar with one member of the Hells Angels — to attack one consumer, is to attack every consumer. Banks have held the strategic advantage because they can “pick off” single individuals. Only in the collective, banded together, can borrowers have a chance of leveling the playing field against these monolithic institutions and the representatives in government who allow them to exact such abuses against ordinary citizens as we have been witnessing.
It truly is time, for a “Showdown.” Wear your colors proudly (red, white, and blue), and tell the American Banker’s Association that they’ve picked a fight on the wrong turf: “This is our country ABA, and you’re through owning me.”
NOTE: I found that writing the image caption, “Americans versus the American Banker’s Association” was both ironic, and sad. The irony is that I am not against the industry. We need a strong banking system. I am merely against the abuses of those who have perverted the system without any code of honor whatsoever, except to themselves.
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on Oct 13th, 2009 at 6:58 am
YEAH!
Of course, the problem is also with health insurance companies (who needs those?) and all large corporations.
on Oct 13th, 2009 at 8:24 am
Hi anna,
If problems arise, they are associated with ethics and the values of people within any corporation. A small thing that has to do with students: in their writing, I often find that I must correct references to corporations as “they.” Corporations are an “it,” an entity unto themselves, not a “they”: Chase has been extremely abusive, with its imposition of new terms, which I believe was a purposeful effort to coerce customers into giving up their promotional rates.
Hence, people within organizations of any kind may do good things, or bad things, but core values drive their behavior, one way or another. Corporations are not inherently good or bad, or abusive or kind, unto themselves (but the actions of the people within them, either enhance or tarnish the corporation’s brand).
I don’t know that I have the time to to take on health care as an issue (I expect that ending credit card abuse may require the rest of my life, although I certainly hope not). It’s nice to hear from you. Take care.
on Oct 13th, 2009 at 10:14 am
Dear Dr Lahm,
I think I disagree. I think there is a systemic problem which encourages bad behavior and punishes good behavior within corporations and outside. Among other things, there should be a certain safety net which would encourage individuals with integrity and courage to be authentic and courageous.
on Oct 13th, 2009 at 10:41 am
Hi again, anna,
Are you sure we disagree? I do think that you are correct: there is a systemic problem. I also think that the “safety net” is nonexistent. For example, while there may be whistle blower laws, the practical reality is that one who engages in such an act will probably have a very hard time finding new employment!
Thus, I am not sure where we may disagree. I am merely saying that a corporation consists of “nothingness” without people. This is based upon definitions that have to do with the legal form of organizations.
But, it’s not necessary that you agree with everything that I say. My comments on this site are merely my opinion!
Take care.
on Oct 13th, 2009 at 10:51 pm
The insurance company’s will be turning much larger profits over the next few years due to all of our credit scores going down the toilet. I have a perfect driving record and I had a fantastic credit score that I built for 30 years. Now that I had to close my account with CHASE which I had for 20 of those 30 years I will be paying for this for who knows how long. AND I didn’t do anything wrong. Can we sue for extended emotional and monetary damages?? I wish I lived closer to Chicago because I would so be there!!
on Oct 14th, 2009 at 3:22 am
How come none of these groups ever come over and say hi to one of my various blogs?
Usually one of my four protest blogs shows up on page one of virtually any google search with the name Chase Bank in it, yet I have to come here to learn about all of these groups. (better here than nowhere, don’t get me wrong).
What is the point of having a blog if none of the protest groups ever bother to stop by and say hi?
on Oct 14th, 2009 at 3:24 am
A critique of the Showdown in Chicago logo, I do not like the dark blue lettering. Either it should be off white, or a brighter shade of a color, not dark blue. If the designers would make such a version I wouid gladly post it on my dailypuma blog.
on Oct 14th, 2009 at 9:17 am
Dear Alessandro,
The Showdown in Chicago group did not find me. Rather, one of our ChangeInTerms.com friends sent me a link to that organization. I emailed, did not immediately hear anything back, and called. My call was returned later the same day. I was told that their staff is stretched extremely thin. I understand that. There are very few organizations that can match the firepower of big banks and Congress, and the FED, all of which ignore us (with the help of the media not wanting to step on any toes), and neither starting nor funding a nonprofit is easy, especially these days — nonprofits are struggling.
From the standpoint of design, we could all critique each others work. After all, looking at Chase’s advertising news release for its new “ink” card, for example, some of the top marketing firms in the world have been hired to develop and disseminate that campaign in major media outlets (this explains why these same media outlets only cover us, reluctantly). I have some design skills, but I can’t “outgun” such an enormous budget or the staffing of these firms. Neither can you.
The ChangeInTerms.com site, if I were to offer my own self-critique, is in need of a redesign. The amount of content has grown to the point where it is becoming unwieldy to find information. I can tell, because people who arrive here for the first time make suggestions such as “contact the OCC” (which is not concerned with consumers’ issues — clearly evidenced by its consistent tendency to side with Chase and other banks); “file a class action lawsuit”; or “contact the BBB” — these things have all been explored by those of us who have been fighting from the beginning (like you and me).
Here is my point: we who are fighting, are truly a ragtag group, and whatever we do to band together is, as a result, not necessarily going to be “elegant” from the point of view of aesthetics. That being said, we are nevertheless making a difference. The people on Main Street are completely aware of the pain that credit card companies have been causing, and as I had written in an earlier post, credit card related complaints have now reached the top of the list relative to consumer complaints in general.
When I get frustrated, I look to the fact that your sites, and others like ChangeInTerms.com are at the top of search engine results. In other words, we may not get the coverage from mainstream “corporate” controlled media that we want, but the common man and woman knows the truth: credit card companies are engaged in an all-out assault on consumers and small businesses.
This is another subject, but I will make the observation that because of technology, the distribution of knowledge and information is no longer controlled — as it has been in the past — by big publishing companies, the recording industry, or other media such as TV and newspapers; people are getting their information from the Internet, and we are part of what is in effect, “the new media.” This is good news. We are reaching our audience, even if we don’t see ourselves on TV, in newspapers, magazines, and other mainstream media as often as we might like.
Here is my suggestion: I will forward an email to you with contact information for people who are behind the Showdown in Chicago organizing effort, and I would encourage you to also go to its site and fill out the form to be a supporter (that’s how ChangeInTerms.com got on its list of supporters). You can make your own decision to use its image(s), or not, but I hope you will choose to support the “cause” itself relative what they are trying to do. The ABA is trying very hard — and will probably be successful — in getting its way with Congress, if we don’t try to fight with everything that we’ve got!
For anyone else (without a blog, for instance), there are three ways on the site to “Take Action,” and I would encourage you to do whatever you can.
Take care, Alessandro.
on Oct 14th, 2009 at 10:37 am
Chase just declared a 3.6 billion dollar profit for the third quarter, almost double than last quarter. The article notes the increase in credit card defaults, but of course there is no mention that Chase could have avoided a lot of it, by not abusing consumers.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091014/ap_on_bi_ge/us_earns_jpmorgan_chase
Incidentally, Chase has gone on record that it will NOT follow Bank of America and Discover’s example of not increasing interest rates before the CARD act goes into effect. I am paraphrasing, but essentially the PR statement was that Chase will ensure that it is in compliance at the time the act becomes law. In other words, Chase will extract every last dime it can from its customers, by any legal, albeit unethical, means until the last possible moment. Why? – Because it can.
I think this should be Chase’s motto – BECAUSE WE CAN!
on Oct 14th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
Chase did not make money. Chase Bank bought businesses at well under market value and then they report every and all assets the business has even if the business may never collect on the debts. Since Chase is buying for pennies on the dollar, they can show the purchase as instant profit. In my opinion this is a scam to create what looks like a profit but is really just a shell game. If at some point Chase Bank decides to resell the business they bought for pennies on the dollar, and they don’t get the selling price they originally assessed the company as being worth, they then can report it as a loss and get a huge write off.
These are educated criminals at work, and sadly, if you follow Barack Obama’s career, he did similar things. Barack Obama got half of his political competitors disqualified because the signatures did not match the printed versions. I’m serious.
The people in Barack Obama’s camp come from Wall Street, and I am a registered democrat saying this stuff!
In my opinion Chase Bank has a vulture predatory mentality in which they wait to buy for a penny on the dollar rather than offer the targeted victim a glass of water so they can survive and thrive.
on Oct 14th, 2009 at 2:54 pm
The reason the color scheme matters to me is that it doesn’t read well and actually sucks the brightness out of the entire screen.
If you don’t believe me google the phrase “Showdown in Chicago”, click on the image tab, and you will see the logo in a much smaller size. Notice you CANNOT read it? That means the visual impact has been muted.
The letters should be white or off white, and then they would have impact. Right now the image looks smoggy, grungy, and a place I don’t want to go to, and the dark blue lettering is why.
Perhaps on the brighter LCD monitors it doesn’t look so garish, I am viewing the ad on a monitor that was made in the late 90’s by Sony that sold for 5,000 dollars when new.
I bought it for 12 bucks! But the monitor shows the true gray scale of the images and unless you have an overly bright monitor, the image is sucking the life out of the images around it, not just itself.