Help us out by throwing some cash in the bucket:
Click here to read Hightower's personal message about
REAL CHANGE
(not small change)
Hightower Lowdown
"You can put earrings on a hog, but it won't hide the ugliness." -- Jim Hightower
June's Lowdown
One in three Americans are now poor, sapping our nation's social, economic, and moral strength
Poverty in America: Bigger than ever and rapidly spreading. The flood of poor people in this Land of Plenty is being swollen by turbulent economic waters sweeping millions of Americans downstream from the middle class. This is our nation's true economic crisis. Unlike the manufactured "fiscal cliff" hysteria that continues to consume Washington politicos and pundits, the present pace of poverty really is dragging down our economy and our nation's potential for greatness.
[read more]
Stay in the Loop
Sign up for monthly issue announcements and breaking news:
In This Issue
Insurance giants panic at the prospect of competition
Everyone hates corporate healthcare-- now, public demand could really change it
Also in this issue:
Do Something!
Recent Lowdowns
Subscriber Features
Manage your account by logging in. Don't have an account? Get the Lowdown in the mail every month -- for the unbelievable, ridiculous, low, low price of $15 per year! Save a tree and read it online for just $10 per year!
Dig Deeper
Find more content in these topics: Corporate greed, Money, Wealth
Search
The General Store
Have a gander at the whole store here...
Home | Contact | RSS | Privacy policy | Copyright Public Intelligence, Inc., all rights reserved 1999-2013
BIG MONEY WINS, PEOPLE LOSE
On April 30th, the Senate voted down a proposal by Sen. Dick Durbina top Democrat to allow bankruptcy judges to lower the monthly mortgage payments of homeowners trapped by exploding interest rates. This bill would keep families in their homes, stop the decline in housing prices, and boost our economy.
But bankers screamed and Timid Timothy Geithner, the treasury secretary, cautioned against creating uncertainty for Wall Street.
Obama, who had pledged to stand with homeowners on this issue, suddenly disappeared. Then every Republican senator backed the bankers, as did 12 Democratic senators Baucus (MT), Bennet (CO), Byrd (WV), Carper (DE), Dorgan (ND), Johnson (SD), Landrieu (LA), Lincoln (AR), Nelson (NB), Pryor (AR), Tester (MT)and that brand new Democrat, Spector of PA.
Meanwhile, there is a boom going on in the economyin dunning the deceased!
Were not talking about collecting from big-time debtors who still owe several hundred thousand dollars on their yacht. No, these are workaday people who died while still owing maybe a couple of hundred bucks on their bank credit card, health insurance, or utility bills. A special sub-set of debt collectors now hits on the bereaved next of kin: Hello, Im very sorry for your loss, but theres this $211.36 balance on your mothers Visa, and we wondered who will be covering this?
Folks, there is no legal requirement whatsoever that the debt of those whove passed on must be paid by relatives out of their own pockets!