Collateral Damage: Credit Cards and Loaded Guns

Finally, Congress has passed a credit card reform bill that has some teeth. Most of the heinous credit card company practices have been curtailed in the bill. Some may argue that some of the reforms do not go far enough but as far as I can tell the overall bill is satisfactory. All of the usual suspects have been addressed, the hiking of fees on existing balances, payment cutoff times that are set at odd hours and don't take into account holidays or weekends, ample notification for interest rate or other fee changes to your card account, and many others that you can think of. Unfortunately, none of these reforms kick in until July 2010. So, those of us who already have been dinged have another year of suffering.

Though the credit card companies have threatened that the most stellar card users will bear the brunt of making up the revenue shortfalls that will be incurred through compliance to the bill, they are already charging these users more to make up for the losses of those who are already defaulting left and right. As a responsible credit card user who always pays on time, my response is to pay off the balances and not use the cards again. If others respond in this way then the credit card companies will have to capitulate if they wish to keep us as customers. They want us to keep using their cards so they can keep making money, don't they?

Anyhow, pardon the wordy way of getting here but, the truly heinous piece of this legislation has nothing to do with the credit card reform portion at all. Egregiously slipped into this bill is a provision allowing registered gun owners to carry loaded guns into national parks and wildlife refuges. What? What the heck is wrong with our Congresspeople? Why is it necessary to slip in this type of lightening rod, not to mention dangerous, provision into this type of reform bill? In this age? In this time? Sadly, the machinations of government hasnot changed and the back-washing continues.

So, some time in the future when you pay off your credit card debt and you decide to celebrate by taking that long delayed car trip to experience our national parks and you get there and you are surveying the natural beauty of the country and as you go to take that perfect picture at sunset you drop the camera and the flash goes off as it falls over the ledge shocking some poor sod who grabs his gun in fright and just then the camera hits his hand causing him to pull the trigger and the bullet ricochets in the canyon and maims you or someone you love and then and only then will the populace realize that the right to bear arms should not blatantly undermine public safety. Collateral damage at its finest. Anyhow, since guns scare the shit out of me, I guess I won't be going to Yellowstone anytime soon.