A bill that would put credit card reforms in place now rather than in three months was just blocked in the Senate. So it's time to take the fight straight to the banks!

Tell the credit card companies exactly what you think of them, and that they won’t get your business until they stop raising interest rates, adding new fees and penalties, and other tricks prior to the credit card rules going into effect in February.

What better way to tell the banks "bah, humbug!" than to stop charging on their cards during the holidays.

 http://www.creditcardreform.org/learn.html

We can put the pressure on at the corporate level now if we all speak out together!

http://www.creditcardreform.org/learn.html
If we had a watchdog to prevent credit card tricks and other financial scams, we wouldn’t have to rely on Congress to fix problems after they happen. An independent regulator would put our money needs first, but the banks hate the idea! http://www.creditcardreform.org/learn.html

Cell phone on your holiday list?
Verizon just hit most smartphone customers with a $350 fee for canceling their service early. Tactics like these are outrageous, and it’s time they're stopped so we can shop for the best wireless deals. A bill was just introduced; let’s move it now! 

"Miscarriage reports from pregnant women who have taken the H1N1 swine flu vaccine are starting to pour in from all over the nation. Vaccines and pregnancy simply do not mix safely. In fact, the package inserts for the swine flu vaccines actually say that the safety of these vaccines for pregnant women has not been established."

"As the residential market continues to grapple with the current recession, the manufactured housing market seems to be going through a cycle all its own – a cycle that experts say is outperforming its site built home sibling....."

"Addiction to prescription painkillers — which kill thousands of Americans a year — has become a largely unrecognized epidemic, experts say.

"European scientists and health authorities are facing angry questions about why H1N1 flu has not caused death and destruction on the scale first feared, and they need to respond deftly to ensure public support.

Accusations are flying in British and French media that the pandemic has been "hyped" by medical researchers to further their own cause, boost research grants and line the pockets of drug companies.

Britain's Independent newspaper this week asked "Pandemic? What Pandemic?"

France's Le Parisien newspaper ran the headline: "Swine flu: why the French distrust the vaccine" and noted a gap between the predicted impact of H1N1 and the less dramatic reality.

"Dr. Anthony Morris, a distinguished virologist and former Chief Vaccine Office at the U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA), states that “There is no evidence that any influenza vaccine thus far developed is effective in preventing or mitigating any attack of influenza” and that “The producers of these vaccines know they are worthless, but they go on selling them anyway.”

It was unbelievable the first time the credit card companies jacked up our interest rates, doubled minimum payments and tacked on huge fees to try and beat a new February law that will help end many of their abusive ways.

Now, they're at it again, and getting even more creative. But with your help, we can stop them cold! 

Just days ago the House passed a bill to freeze interest rate hikes on your card balances, and give you new protections starting Dec. 1 – just in time for the holiday season. House members read your emails and listened to your complaints, and acted quickly. Now, we need the Senate to do the same – a vote could come any day!

Email your Senators right now to stop the rate increases – we can’t afford to wait!

http://cu.convio.net/site/PageServer?pagename=Action_Center

This continued attack on your wallet is no accident. A major credit card reform law that you helped pass goes into effect in February. The card companies begged Congress to delay its implementation so that they could “update their systems” to comply with the new law.

But instead, they’ve spent the time hitting us with new tricks – like a fee for paying off card balances each month. Or variable rate cards that only “vary” if interest rates increase, but don’t give you the full break if they drop in your favor.

If the companies can retool their computers to accommodate these tricks, there’s no reason they can’t abide by the new rules right now. After last week's bipartisan House vote , we have real momentum. Now the Senate must hear that we can’t afford the card company tactics, especially with the holidays approaching.

Email your Senators right now to stop the rate increases – we can’t afford to wait!

http://cu.convio.net/site/PageServer?pagename=Action_Center

After you email the Senate, please forward this to anyone you know who is fed up with these tactics. We have immense power when we band together – let’s put the pressure on now!

Sincerely,
Gail Hillebrand
DefendYourDollars.org
A project of Consumers Union
1535 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94103-2512