Help The Middle ClassNews and Information For The Heart Of America
Update: Credit Cards Working Out New Ways To Charge You
Norman Hockett didn’t realize that the small plastic rectangle that arrived in his Fresno mailbox in the fall of 1958 put him at the vanguard of the credit revolution.
Fresno was the proving ground for the BankAmericard, the granddaddy of mass market credit cards, and Hockett was one of the first 65,000 people to get one. [...]
Middle Class & Jobless: The Struggle To Pay Your Mortgage
As job losses rise, growing numbers of American homeowners with once solid credit are falling behind on their mortgages, amplifying a wave of foreclosures.
In the latest phase of the nation’s real estate disaster, the locus of trouble has shifted from subprime loans — those extended to home buyers with troubled credit — to the far [...]
AP sources: Obama Picks Sotomayor For Supreme Court
President Barack Obama tapped federal appeals judge Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court on Tuesday, officials said, making her the first Hispanic in history picked to wear the robes of a justice.
If confirmed by the Senate, Sotomayor, 54, would succeed retiring Justice David Souter. Two officials described Obama’s decision on condition of anonymity because no [...]
Texting May Be Taking a Toll on Teenagers
They do it late at night when their parents are asleep. They do it in restaurants and while crossing busy streets. They do it in the classroom with their hands behind their back. They do it so much their thumbs hurt.
Spurred by the unlimited texting plans offered by carriers like AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless, [...]
Chrysler Dealers On the Chopping Block Have Until June 9 To Sell-Off Inventory
If you’re ready to take advantage of the sale of the century at your neighborhood Chrysler dealer, especially if it’s one that’s doomed to close, you may want to hang on a bit longer.
Prices on Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles are already low but some experts see them getting even lower.
There’s a June 9 deadline [...]
The Jobless Chronicles: Losing the Income, but Also the Camaraderie
I WAS around No. 1,892,450 of the 2,111,000 people who lost their jobs in the United States last October. It happened near the end of the month. I wasn’t new to layoffs — my first one was in 2001 — but this was different. This time, I not only lost my income, but also I [...]
Credit Card Bill Leaves Small Biz Out In The Cold
Washington’s credit card crackdown applies only to personal cards, leaving some small businesses unprotected.
When the Senate passed its credit-card reform bill on Tuesday, Senator Christopher Dodd called it “a great day for consumers.” But what will it mean for small business owners who’ve been struggling with inflated rates and unexpected fees on their credit cards?
That [...]
Post-Recession Consumers Will Shun Shopping Binges
Frivolous spending, one of the hallmarks of America’s consumer-driven economy, is on its way out, with budget shopping becoming the mantra for households.
April store sales results Thursday showed clearly how the recession is training consumers to embrace value at all levels – whether it is shopping for food at Wal-Mart (WMT, Fortune 500), or buying [...]
Iran’s Ahmadinejad Wants To Debate Obama At UN
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad proposed on Monday a face-to-face debate with President Barack Obama at the United Nations if he is re-elected next month as Iran’s president.
But he balanced the offer with a sharp rebuke to Washington and its allies over Iran’s nuclear program. He reiterated that Iran would never abandon its advances in uranium enrichment in [...]
Public Colleges And State Universities Are Cash Strapped
At the 50,000-student University of Florida, only 50 or so undergrads major in geology. It’s not exactly an easy subject.
But Michael Perfit, the department’s chairman, says that thousands of UF’s liberal arts undergrads fulfill their science requirement with geology – and they do a lot more than sort rocks. Students learn about the patterns of [...]
