The new feudalism

In fact, this bill comes close to being a representative microcosm of US politics. Wealthy corporations get their puppets in the Senate to pass a bill that makes life harder for veterans, the elderly, the poor, and the sick while giving a free ride to the Ken Lays and Leona Helmsleys of the nation and the violent 'moralists' who provide them with political cover.

Everyone gets in a lather about gay marriage, abortion, acting 'French', acting 'tough', or being 'Christian.' Then one day you wake up in a country where if your adored grandmother breaks a hip and can't pay, she can't get bankruptcy protection for her house. You wake up one day and your neighbor whose Reserve unit got called up to go to Iraq can't get bankruptcy protection after losing half or more of their yearly salary by mandate of the federal government. You realize that if your credit card company can come up with a good enough reason, they could charge you any arbitrary amount of interest they pleased.

I'm gonna have to ask you to go right on ahead and read Natasha's post at Pacific Views, The Credit Card Companies Win.