Credit Cards, Republicans, Pelosi and PollsDear Mark: Now that the new credit card laws have gone into effect, my wife and I cannot agree if the actions taken by Congress have made things better or worse. What do you think? — Viva Visa in Vicksburg Dear Viva: The answer is truly a mixed bag of positives and negatives for consumers. The rules include new protections for credit card holders but also loopholes for increased fees and interest rates along with decreased credit limits. The irony is that Congress included a disclosure provision in the new credit card rules. The provision requires credit card companies to show the cardholder how many months it will take to pay off a balance when only minimum payments are made. Wouldn't it be nice if Washington would do the same thing for the American taxpayers and the national debt? Although, at the rate our national debt is increasing, there isn't a calculator big enough to compute the number of monthly payments we need to make to get the creditors off our backs. Dear Mark: The Republican Party seems to be the party of "no" when it comes to any of the major legislation in Congress. Doesn't it take two to tango for bipartisan cooperation? — No, No, No, in Newark Dear No, No: With respect to Democrat legislation such as health care reform, cap-and-trade and more stimulus bills, the answer should absolutely be no. The bottom line is that our country is broke, and spending of this magnitude is not the answer to our financial well being. Just as a 400-pound man in an ice cream parlor needs to be told no, and just as Tiger Woods in Las Vegas needs to be told no, the United States Congress with a $12 trillion debt needs to be told no. Dear Mark: More CIA documents have been released, and they clearly show that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was briefed on the CIA's use of waterboarding in April of 2002.
Where is our heralded press these days? If this had been a George W. Bush official lying like the speaker, the story would continue through the upcoming November elections. — Double Standard Dave in Davenport Dear Double: The classic question of "what did you know, and when did you know it?" isn't uttered by the mainstream media when Democrats are in control of Washington. Pelosi made headlines in 2009 when she accused the CIA of lying to her about waterboarding. The media ran with her story as the CIA became a convenient scapegoat and the symbol of everything bad in the United States in terms of foreign relations. According to an Associated Press story, "With the exception of Tuesday, Pelosi has waved off all questions about the CIA dispute, indicating she would remain silent on the matter." Of course she will remain silent — the truth would destroy her credibility among her fellow elitist libs. Dear Readers: The latest Rasmussen Survey is out, and it is not good news for the Pelosi-Reid led Congress. It shows that 71 percent of Americans say that Congress is doing a poor job. Only 10 percent of voters say that Congress is doing a good or excellent job. The 10 percent figure seems awfully high. Rasmussen must have found those respondents in San Francisco and on Mars. Dear Mark is a public platform for your enrichment and entertainment. E-mail your questions to marklevy92@aol.com. To find out more about Mark Levy, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2010 CREATORS.COM
|
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
