CHOOSE RANT

Title:   Credit Cards Day:    August 3rd, 1999 Author:  Ruiner				I've been thinking about this one for a little while, and it's not a pleasant topic. It's one that, if you're still in high school, you may not have experienced yet. Oh no, it's nothing bawdy or sexual, it's something financial. It's about the woes of credit cards. Straight up, I'll be the first to admit that I screwed myself on the whole credit issue. But let me also say that I had lots of help strolling down this road of wickedry and temptation. Hell, it's been so long since I've had available credit on these cards (save for one) that I don't honestly remember what caused all of it. Let's hearken back to the old days, around six or seven years ago. In the working world, away from college, I had no credit. I didn't really feel I had a need for it at the time. I was a cash-man, and to a degree I still am (sure that's out of neccesity, but there is a good amount of preference there). I was driving that beat-up Caprice Classic, the Tank-That-Could-Not-Be-Killed (which I saw the other day - weird). Well okay, I killed it but who's counting. It died of an automotive form of heart failure and I was screwed. I was living with the parents and working my butt off but I had not saved any money. So how was I to get a car? Luckily my father didn't want to see me walking to work, especially when I was getting paid on a regular. So he took a leap of faith and co-signed the loan for me to get the Sundance that I still drive today. The payments were mine, the title mine, but the burden of responsibility belonged to both. And believe it or not, I didn't really screw up with that one. There were some late payments, which had to be accounted for in time, but everything got paid nice and tidy. Life was good. Well apparently I did fairly well cos' that built up my credit rating. The rating was up, so 'release the vultures!' Next thing you know, I'm getting envelopes from credit card companies. Not your standard apply with us and we'll consider you for an account. No, these were Pre-Approved applications. A veritable noose waiting to be tied. To me, it was free money. And that's where the peril began. Well I started with my first Visa, and began to dig a hole. Next thing you know, there's a second one. I considered trashing it, but heck, it had a larger limit. Why not keep the one that would let me charge more? And then down the road, I got one for a MasterCard. Sure, they're part of the same company, but what if a place won't accept Visa? I should keep the MasterCard. Let me be big credit man. And let's not forget that this new card had an even larger limit. Argh, I just want to smack myself thinking back to all of this. So then the spending began. A restaurant here or there, a few inconsequential items. And cards. I was involved in this highly-addictive card game along with some of the guys, and you could buy cards through companies, rare cards that were fun to play with. I cringe at the thought of how much of my money went down the drain like that. And I would buy cards for the friends, since I had the credit cards. They would pay me cash, but would I turn right around and send that to bills? No, apparently not. Always there was some other pitfall luring me away. And then there was the first Origins convention I went to, conveniently payed for by my credit cards. And the four or five-hundred I pulled out of an ATM during that trip? Sheesh, nothing at all. I really seem like a drug fiend when it comes to these cards. As the bills started mounting up, I made even 'wiser' choices. Like, well I have this payment due from this company and I'm tapped. But I can use the ATM to get money from one to pay the other, a financial 'shuck-and-jive' so to speak. Idiot. Eventually interest kicked in and the bills escalated, one of them transcending the credit limits of the card. And a second one did as well. I'm ashamed of the evil trend I got sucked into. Now life is irritating, because I have to juggle three card payments along with everything else in my life. And their minimum payments don'' even cover the interest being consumed by my monumental debt. So if I squeak by with nothing but the minimum, then the amount I owe increases. And I'm frequently late with payments, never having been a genius with my money. So I get these annoying, occasionally evil phone calls from debtors trying to get their payments. It's funny in a sad way to be in an indebted household. You'll see people frequently screening their phone calls, or telling someone that their spouse or roommate is not home when they're obviously in the other room. And I know that the collectors know this, but it's just part of the routine. They try to enforce the rules set up by the wicked banking organizations. Most of the time, they're fairly nice people just calling to remind you to pay up. Some of them have been thoroughly vile, using threats and insinuations to browbeat someone into subservience. There really should be huge warning labels on any credit card applications plain enough for a new adult to understand. "Yes, they offer you free money, but they will put a lean on your soul should you take it." These vultures, some of them send applications to first year college students living in dorms. Citibank, you know who you are. These kids are so enrapt in following their hormones, they won't give second thought to assuming a bill when they have no source of income. I know this for a fact. There has been talk of legislation for credit card companies to stop their predatory tactics. There are already safeguards out there to stop some of the harassment going on at the hands of the collectors. People know that even though credit opens up plenty of doors for people out there, it has an evil side to it that draws in the unsuspecting. I admit that I screwed up and I'm going to have to pay for it a long time, but the gun was handed to me fully loaded, and it's one of those cheap versions without a safety. So how does my life suffer now that I'm trying to rebuild my credit? Well I don't have (nor do I really want) any of those Cheque Cards you see all the commercials for. I've been unsuccessful even in getting check protection for my banking account because that's tied in to credit. Getting an apartment with my Ruined rating was nigh-impossible, although we did get a local house without much fuss. I shudder to think what routes I'll have to take if my car ever passes on. Yeah, it could be worse, cos' I haven't gone down the route of bankruptcy. I know someone who's done that, and let me tell you that is no option for me. So I wonder in the future when people have to use those 'credsticks', will there still be legalized lonesharks like the ones who currently own my soul? B.Mooney