no postage necessary

Although, I don't carry a credit card balance, I am thoroughly disgusted with the major bank bailouts and unscrupulous credit card rate hikes. I've also had enough of the outrageous compensation packages for CEO's that ran their companies into a ditch and were promptly awarded ludicrous severance packages. Aside from refraining from using plastic, what can one person do? Well, here's what I'm going to do.

Today, I'm considering posting the following message as my status update on facebook. Although I can't stand the endless requests to copy and paste these things, I think this one has merit.

If you're disgusted with the federal bank bailouts, unfair credit card rate hikes and outrageous executive compensation packages, here's how to fight back. Anytime these companies mail you an offer, it will have a return envelope that will read "NO POSTAGE NECESSARY IF MAILED IN THE UNITED STATES." Fill it with as much extra newspaper as possible, seal it up and drop it in any mailbox. Feel free to copy and paste this as your status update.

Now, you're saying - Well Saf, if everyone does this, they'll just pass on the added costs in the form of higher overdrafts costs, rising interest rates and endless hidden fees. Well, perhaps they will. However, if everyone did this, there would eventually reach a BREAKING POINT where people would refrain from using the mega-banks like Citigroup, Bank of America, Chase, etc. that utilize these mass mailings. Considering the vast amount of credit card offers everyone gets in the mail, this could be a viable weapon of civil disobedience. Plus, I think it sends a pretty stern message that main street is sick of Wall Street.

The more I think about this idea, the more I'm falling in love with it. What a simple way for the average consumer to express their dissatisfaction with the insurance and bank bailouts. Plus, I've always hated these unsolicited mailings that raise the risk of identity theft. Also, I'm not one who recycles, but I'd be more than happy to make some company like AIG recycle newspaper on my behalf. Kind of a subtle irony there - forcing an insurance conglomerate to act like a bunch of hippie environmentalists. I also like the circular nature of it all. They flood us with wasted paper. Why not flood them back?

Let me work on the exact wording so it's a little more compelling. I could see a message like this spreading like wildfire on Facebook. Trust me, it would spread faster than a chlamydia outbreak at Godfather's on Wheeling Island. I'll post it tomorrow. Sure beats those, "If you really love your cat, clean the piss and shit out of its litter box at least twice a day" copy and paste requests.

And I just thought a little more about my idea. It helps keep the U.S. Postal Service in business. Their profit margins increase based on the uptick in volume. And even though, they're hardly the most efficient and effective branch of the US government - at least they help keep the middle class in this country kicking. Decent jobs with decent benefits.

Fuck the banks and mortgage providers. Fuck the insurance companies. And if you don't like my idea, Fuck you. I'm on a bit of a "blogging tear" thanks to the encouragement of Stacy Del Boca Vista. Place the blame on her.