America the Land of the Greedy

As many of you that have read my Hubs already know, I enjoying writing Hubs on topics most writers wouldn't touch if they were paid too! This article America the Land of the Greedy will be no exception.

I recently graduated from college at age 48 and can honestly say that my High School education thirty years ago was ten times better than the education I just paid for.

While in school, I was only able to find part time work as an umpire and because of the money I earned in this seasonable profession I was unable to qualify for many benefits from the State such as food stamps. Unfortunately I'm honest and didn't lie to get these benefits as many of my fellow citizens do.

So I applied for and received Credit Cards, which helped tremendously, especially in today's economy. Because the curriculum was so easy a fifth grader could graduate easily without even studying (all the exams are multiple choice) I got really good grades and qualified for government grants.

Soon I was receiving grants that easily paid my tuition and then some, well being a person that has learned a few things in my life, I used the extra income to pay off those pesky credit cards.

Knowing the temptation would be too great if I left them open with a zero balance, I cancelled the ones that I had paid off . . . or at least I thought I did!

A couple of months later I received a bill from both CC companies claiming that I was being charged for not keeping my balance above zero. These charges were from cards that I had been told over the phone were cancelled. So I called again and was told of course that it was a mistake and that if I would pay the balance off that they would make sure it was closed permanently, Hmmm! I did as I was told and felt for sure the matter was closed.

Lo and behold months later I received statements from both Credit Card companies saying that I again owed them money. As you can imagine I was furious and this time not only called them but sent them written notice to terminate the cards. This seemed to settle the matter until I checked my credit report a year to the day after canceling my cards the first time.

Both credit cards are still open, but I have not received another bill, so I'm willing to let it go for now.

The one remaining credit card I do have is now playing the same game with me claiming ignorance while saying they don't have my correct address to send me my bill. So because my payment is late this month ( I received a bill one day before it was due ), they are now charging me twice the interest the Mafia would have charged me.

Because I have learned to live a frugal lifestyle while making less per year than what most people pay in rent or mortgage a year and even learning how to save money, I will simple pay the balance off and no longer do business with the greedy bastards.

The reason I'm writing this article is to help others that find themselves in similar situations to know that there is hope and to make them aware that they are not alone. Living in America the land of the greedy is an eye opening experience, the key is to accept this and change your way of thinking to learn how to deal with it.

Many companies play the ignorance and disinformation game with us the consumer, but what they don't realize is that most of America has had enough.

To quote the fictional character from the movie Network Howard Beale played by Peter Finch,

"I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!"

But of course being mad ain't going to pay the bills, so I have to out think my opponent.

My opponent?

The greedy bastards that run this country and profess ignorance while spreading disinformation at a hefty price.

Some say that ignorance is bliss and I would agree except it comes with a very steep price tag, one which I'm no longer willing to pay, are you?

So you ask what can be done, short of revolution and rioting in the street, well I for one am going to give them exactly what they want. Let's face it they want our money, so I'm going to give it to them.

I'm going to practice what I preach and give them their money and nothing else, no more freebies. I will pay everything I owe off in less than a year, by living frugal!

But, and this is the key, that is all they are going to get from me. I'm done playing their silly games of ruining lives and shattering dreams.

See folks, when I was a kid, I didn't grow up wanting to be a person in debt up to my ears always owing, continuously working to the very end to pay for someone else's dream.

The American Dream . . . it ain't my dream!

Living in America has turned into one scam after another, for instance, I recently moved from one part of the state to another part. I called my internet provider to let them know I was discontinuing my service, two months in advance. The customer service rep I talked to told me she was not authorized to do that type of transaction and asked if she could put me on hold, twenty (20) minutes later I was still on hold.

I gave up waiting and hung up, a couple days later I called back and went through the same process, this time I was only on hold for ten minutes before I gave up. This little game was played out every time I called them, in essence, they like my credit card companies would not allow me to discontinue service.

I can't force my credit card companies to cancel the accounts and I can't force the internet provider to cancel my service.

After trying unsuccessfully to cancel my service three times I gave up and just discontinued my service on my own. Figuring they would try to charge me for the equipment, I took it with me.

Now the internet provider calls me at least five times a day, usually by texting me sometimes they leave messages. When I call the number listed all I get is a recording telling me that if I provide a address which they already have since they continue to try to bill me, they will come pick up the equipment for free.

This game they are playing has now gone on for over five months, finally about two weeks ago I got to talk to a live person and she provided me with a location that I could drop off the equipment, of course the closest location is over an hour away from me and the only time I can do it is on Saturday as they are closed all other times. Since I work on Saturday's, I rarely get the chance but made the effort and drove the forty miles to drop off the equipment, of course they were closed.

Of course they say that if I don't pay they will put it on my credit report, guess what, I don't care about my credit report anymore, because that is a scam also!

America is one BIG SCAM, the American DREAM is a scam, buying a new car is a scam, the War in Iraq is a scam, Terrorism is a scam, Global Warming is a scam and the list goes on and on and on . . .

When I went to get the power turned on in my new place the Power company required a 250.00 dollar deposit, WOW! That was four months ago and yet I have yet to get a bill over 100.00 dollars, why does the Power Company get to charge me that much, because they are a monopoly and the only game in town.

But I thought there were no such things as a monopoly in America . . . oh yeah, I forgot, silly me America is One Big Scam!

America makes up it's own rules and then only plays by them when it works in their favor. Does it really take TEN years to discover that Iraq doesn't have weapons of mass destruction and never did, does it really take TEN years to track down the Taliban in Afghanistan and put them out of business?

Get real folks we are getting scammed every time we turn around, if Social Security will not be around when I retire why do I have to continue to pay for it?

"I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!"

• Does anyone really believe we can keep anthrax out of the country but can't find the hundreds of tons of marijuana and cocaine being imported into this country? SCAM!
• Does anyone really believe we can put a man on the moon but can't figure out how to make a car that gets more than forty miles to the gallon? SCAM!
• Does anyone really believe that their vote counts in a Presidential Election? SCAM!
• Does anyone actually believe anything the Government tells us is the truth? SCAM!
• Does anyone actually believe the War in Iran and Afghanistan is because of terrorism? SCAM!
• Does anyone actually believe the most wanted man in the World was killed, but that we didn't keep a shred of proof and actually dumped his body in the Ocean? SCAM!
• America is the land of the greedy, but we as a society can change this way of thinking by learning to give what we don't need and expecting nothing in return.