Blacks and Debt Harassment

If the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau gets its way, a proposed rule would expand how often you and I can be contacted for debt collection.  The proposal includes allowing debt collectors to call people with outstanding bills (primarily medical) more often for each debt in collection.    The proposal would also allow collections to contact you via social media by leaving messages on your Facebook and Twitter pages or by text.  Can you imagine?  .  

As a result of the proposed rule, a survey was conducted to find out how people feel about it: 

• 76 percent oppose allowing debt collectors to leave messages for people in places that are not private---like your job or a relative's phone.

• 74 percent oppose allowing debt collectors to contact them via private direct messaging on Facebook and Twitter.

• 73 percent oppose allowing debt collectors to call them up to 7 times a week.   So, for example, if you have five outstanding debts, you could be called up to 35 times in 6 days (unless they decide to add Sunday). 

This rule would undoubtedly focus on people who are struggling to make ends meet for one reason or another.  One in 5 poll participants says they were contacted by a debt collector within the past month with 1 in 3 being black and an average income of $50,000 or less.

Needless to say, if passed it would amount to government-sanctioned harassment by debt collectors.  And we all know, bad debt equals bad credit for many minorities and debt is the worst poverty.

Just Say NO to Omarosa

There's an old saying that goes something like, "Be careful who you piss off on the way to the top because when you fall there won't be anyone to catch you."

I wonder if Omarosa has heard that saying.  The Apprentice villain, everyone loved to hate, appears to be trying to extend an olive branch to get back in our good graces so we can buy her new book scheduled for release in August.

The woman, who is known in the black community as the Trump loving-ass kisser, has now flipped the script and wants us to support her new book project, which the Publisher claims is a tell-all about the foolishness going on in the White House.  She wants us to empathize with her and the torment she went through the while serving as the Director of Communications for the Office of the Public Liaison.  Yes, this is the same woman who gave a television interview during Trump's campaign and said, "Every critic, every detractor, will have to bow down to President Trump. It’s everyone who’s ever doubted Donald, who ever disagreed, who ever challenged him. It is the ultimate revenge to become the most powerful man in the universe."

So now that she has become his critic, does that mean she will be bowing down as well?

As a black woman it does pain me to speak ill of Omarosa because, Lord knows, we get enough criticism from white America but here is a woman who literally sold her soul to the devil.  If she had done her homework she would've known about Trump's history when it comes to dealing with blacks and other minorities.  (I found it in a Google search) 

Only she knows why she put Trump on a pedestal and tried to stay near his side.  Perhaps she thought it would give her some much needed clout in the high society circles or in that Deplorable Base of blue collar, neo-nazis, skinheads and white supremacists.  Perhaps she saw Trump as a meal ticket to bigger and better opportunities.  Ironically, it was only AFTER she was removed (or left) her position in the White House that she came out and said she felt it was her call to duty to serve in the administration and not to serve Trump personally.    

Whatever Omarosa's reasons were for singing Trump's praises and dissing those of us who would've had her back during the tough times on Pennsylvania Avenue, she must now atone for her sins and maybe she will be forgiven---but not by me. She may be selling but I'm not buying!

And as much as I can't believe I'm saying this:  I hope Trump's base turns their back on her too and calls her out for her disloyalty.

JUST SAY NO TO OMAROSA AND HER NEW BOOK!

Stop Blaming Others for Your Failures Papa John

John "Papa John" Schnatter took a page out of the late Attorney Johnnie Cochran's bag of defense tricks when he pulled out the race card as the blame for his company's drop in pizza sales. To be clear, John didn't come right out and say, "Those black niggas in the NFL are messing up my money" but that's what he implied. 

During a recent conference call with investors, the 55-year-old Schnatter blamed low pizza sales on the NFL Players protest.  You know the protest I'm talking about...where predominately black players are taking a knee during the national anthem to protest the injustices committed against blacks in this country.  Thanks to the ignorance of Donald Trump,the protest got turned into a protest against the anthem itself and the military, which is definitely NOT the case.

During this conference call, Schnatter is quoted as saying "The NFL has hurt us by not resolving the current debacle to the players' and owners' satisfaction."  As a result, he says he is pulling ads from some of the NFL games for the remainder of the season.  He blamed a 24 percent drop in his company's stock to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell not being able to control those black players who are exercising their rights under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.  He, like Trump, has made this an issue about disrespecting the anthem, while closing their eyes to the FACTS behind the ongoing protests. 

Schnatter has, very cleverly (and stupidly) used the NFL protests to cite his company's poor sales performance. The fact that some of his products aren't all that great doesn't seem to be a factor.  I can tell you, first hand, how bad their chicken philly cheese pizza is. Without coming out and blaming it squarely on the black players, he knows the overwhelming majority of protesters are black and they are an easy scapegoat since he can rally the Trump base to be on his side and take up his cause.  And guess what?  That's just what they did!

The day after the Papa John conference call, the white supremacist website, The Daily Stormer, came out and pledged its support for Papa Johns's pizza and posted a photo of a pizza with the swastika symbol displayed with pepperoni.  The called Papa John's the "Official Pizza of the Alt-Right."

I bet Papa John's pizza sales will probably drop even lower.  Whether or not the majority of whites support the NFL black players peaceful protest, I do believe the majority will fail to support the company knowing they are supported by a neo-nazi, racist group.  Schnatter knows that too since he was forced to come out and issue another statement on the matter:

"We condemn racism in all forms and any and all hate groups that support it.  We do not want these individuals or groups to by our pizza."  

TOO LATE!

Perhaps the Trump base will keep Papa John's in business.  After all, he did support Trump's campaign financially. Perhaps the NFL owners will rally to his defense, since he has been the official sponsor of the NFL since 2010 and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, owns at least 100 of the Papa Johns franchises in Texas. 

One thing I do believe is, he has lost the support of the general public and the people on social media will not let him forget it.

Blogging for Good Customer Service

This is written as a follow-up to my previous post Avis Needs Some Customer Service Tips.  

First of all, let me say kudos to Avis for taking the time and effort to respond to my September 6, 2016 rant. When I posted the blog link on Twitter for all the world to see, Avis sent me a tweet asking me to contact them directly about the issue.  Although I didn't respond to the tweet, the local rental car company did notify me that my grandson's cellphone was miraculously found----even after I was told the car had been rented out to someone else just hours after I called to report the phone had been left in the vehicle.

OK---today all is well and now I can move on to the next issue but here's my point:  If there were no social media platform to air my grievance, that cell phone might still be missing today.  Had I not taken the time to write about my experience and post it on Twitter, Avis would have never known how one of their local franchises were responding, or in my case, NOT responding to their customers.  Remember, I called a total of 18 times before I wrote anything.

It's a shame that anyone would have to resort to a social media arena to make a complaint but perhaps this is what is needed more often.  Companies would be forced to stop ignoring or taking advantage of little people like me if we use our social media voices.  

Hopefully, one day the police who have been killing young black men and under the alleged "I was threatened for my life" banner will get that message.

For me, blogging is a means to a resolution.