Woke up this morning with a nose bleed and a sore throat, feeling down from a hard week of watching people lose everything when the tides of fortune wash everything away in a sea of debt. Needles to say, there's only one prescription.


18 and a quarter miles. Yeah baby! Eat your heart out slackers.

Also, the 84RKR has generously developed some art for simsisms. It's tight like a dish and I'll probably add it to the banner when I get more time. Here it is for all to see:



Also, been listening to a lot of Dave Ramsey. His podcast is free on iTunes, I highly recommend it. He helps people figure out how to get out of debt and tells it straight. More people need to have someone sit down and tell them to dump the houses, cars and crap they can't afford.

After a week of helping people lose everything, let me take this opportunity to urge everyone to burn your credit cards, pay off the balance and never look back. They are absolutely evil. Start working for a living and stop working for VISA.

Lately I've been hearing a lot about scummy collection processes. Congress passed the fair debt collection practices act a number of years ago and most collections agencies just use it to wipe their rear ends. Know your rights. If you owe money, the FDCPA places strict guidelines on collections agents.

From Wiki:

The Act prohibits certain types of "abusive and deceptive" conduct when attempting to collect debts, including the following:

• Hours for phone contact: contacting consumers by telephone outside of the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. local time^[2]
• Contact after being asked to stop: contacting consumers in any way (other than litigation) after receiving written notice that said consumer wishes no further contact or refuses to pay the alleged debt, with certain exceptions, including advising that collection efforts are being terminated or that the collector intends to file a lawsuit or pursue other remedies where permitted^[3]
• Causing a telephone to ring or engaging any person in telephone conversation repeatedly or continuously: with intent to annoy, abuse, or harass any person at the called number.^[4]
• Contacting consumers at their place of employment after having been advised in writing that this is not acceptable^[5]
• Contacting consumer known to be represented by an attorney^[6]
• Contacting consumer after request for validation: contacting the consumer or the pursuing collection efforts by the debt collector after receipt of a consumer's written request for verification of a debt (or for the name and address of the original creditor on a debt) and before the debt collector mails the consumer the requested verification or original creditor's name and address^[7]
• Misrepresentation or deceit: misrepresenting the debt or using deception to collect the debt, including a debt collector's misrepresentation that he or she is an attorney or law enforcement officer^[8]
• Publishing the consumer's name or address on a "bad debt" list^[9]
• Seeking unjustified amounts, which would include demanding any amounts not permitted under an applicable contract or as provided under applicable law^[10]
• Threatening arrest or legal action that is either not permitted or not actually contemplated^[11]
• Abusive or profane language used in the course of communication related to the debt^[12]
• Contact with third parties: revealing or discussing the nature of debts with third parties (other than the consumer's spouse or attorney) or threatening such action^[13]
• Contact by embarrassing media, such as communicating with a consumer regarding a debt by post card, or using any language or symbol, other than the debt collector’s address, on any envelope when communicating with a consumer by use of the mails or by telegram, except that a debt collector may use his business name if such name does not indicate that he is in the debt collection business ^[14][15]
• Reporting false information on a consumer's credit report or threatening to do so in the process of collection^[16]

If you've been subjected to illegal collections practices you need to get the name of the collections company, document the event and report it to the federal trade commission. They are listed in the government pages of your local phone book.

See ya later peeps