@LS:
Is there anything that you will not accept outside of lying or what is illicit? Or are all alternatives just creative niches?
Is there anything that you will not accept outside of lying or what is illicit? Or are all alternatives just creative niches?
Ethics don't have much of a place in a free market... That's what regulation is for 
If everything was fair, than I would agree that bankruptcy should be illegal. But, everything isn't fair.
What about the poor sap working at Walmart who gets laid off every other year so Walmart can start them back at minimum wage and cancel their health insurance? No matter how well you budget, there is no way to save money on minimum wage. There is barely a way to just get by so long as nothing goes wrong. So, people argue that the guy at Walmart should've gone to college, worked harder or whatever else someone thought contributed to their personal success. But, we can't escape the fact that we need that person stocking the grocery store shelves. We just don't want to pay them enough to be able to live without financial catastrophe. Lets face it, a major health issue WILL happen eventually. A vehicle will break down. They'll get their car repoed during one of their layoffs and then get sued for the difference plus penalties.
I filed for bankruptcy when Walmart laid me off and offered me my job back 60 days later at minimum wage. By then I was so far behind that it would've taken 8 months for my paychecks to catch up with my overdraft fees if I paid nothing else. Yeah, probably couldn't go without insurance and food for 8 months. Without insurance I would've gone to jail and then had all those legal fees.
However, I think it's absolute bullpooey some of the people who go through bankruptcy. It's ironic really, the people who can afford to pay a lawyer $2500 to go through bankruptcy probably make enough to just pay their bills with a bit of self control. It's the truly impoverished who really could use the fresh start of bankruptcy who are denied it because of the prohibitive legal costs of filing with a lawyer. I filed pro se, but, I was a straight A student in high school and in college. I can easily understand the things I read, that is largely due to luck, mostly a product of genetics. Some people aren't that lucky. Other people are lucky enough to hold a job that actually pays a wage one can live on. I've never been that lucky. I've cleared $22k once, had to work two jobs to do it.
I've searched for creditors that pulled my best credit report, though I've never frozen a credit report. If Mercantile Adjustment wouldn't have deleted the illegal collection they had on my account I could've seen freezing Experian. I'd rather not be judged by inaccurate information, the accurate stuff is bad enough.
I have two 30 day lates listed by an old BOA mortgage from 4 years ago. Those are illegitimate too. It was only late because I had autopayment set up with BOA and they 'accidentally' didn't take my payment one month. I paid as soon as I noticed. Then the following month the payment came off correctly. The month immediately after that they 'forgot' to take my payment again. BOA wouldn't remove the 30 day lates because they said that I should've been checking to make sure THEIR system was working. I don't care enough to bother messing with them anymore. I complained to the credit bureau at the time though, including sending the credit bureas copies of my payment confirmations and the chat transcript where the customer service person acknowledged it was a problem with their system. Those 30 days were just reverified.
The system itself isn't ethical. Collections agencies report zombie debt re-aged. The credit bureau's themselves do a pathetic job of reviewing disputes.
I don't really see someone freezing a credit report as unethical, though, I don't see myself personally deciding to do it. Life isn't fair, some will always have it slanted in their direction. Paris Hilton 'earns' a lot more annually than I will probably make in my lifespan. That doesn't have anything to do with our individual merit, but everything to do with the circumstances she was born into and the ones I was born into.
I hope to have my daughter added to my husbands Amex as soon as she's legally old enough. I plan to ensure she dual enrolls, graduates early and gets to pick what college she goes too. I hope to give her every advantage I didn't get. There will be kids who's parents aren't that involved and that is sad for those kids, but, I see no reason to hold her back for some kind of imaginary 'fair playing field'.
@teenastie wrote:
@Anonymous:
Is there anything that you will not accept outside of lying or what is illicit? Or are all alternatives just creative niches?
I think its all fair game other than:
Filing BK because you were stupid and irresponsible with credit. You should have to suffer for that.
I think the AMEX backdating is a little suspect but its a nice benefit from them to prior cardholders.
I think AU's are totally blown out of proportion and alot of gaming going on with that. (The ones that have alot of AU accounts to bolster their numbers)
@Anonymous wrote:Ethics don't have much of a place in a free market... That's what regulation is for
What do we base our regulations on 
?
@delayedinsanity wrote:Credit is nothing more than an honor system of favors; what makes asking for one type of favor any more unethical than asking for another?
Please expand upon this statement...
Favors as in: I'll pay my bills and you report them? or I will appear to be credit worthy when I'm no more of a risk as the person with a sub 400 CS?
*hyperbole used to add effect
@JenniferinFL wrote:If everything was fair, than I would agree that bankruptcy should be illegal. But, everything isn't fair.
What about the poor sap working at Walmart who gets laid off every other year so Walmart can start them back at minimum wage and cancel their health insurance? No matter how well you budget, there is no way to save money on minimum wage. There is barely a way to just get by so long as nothing goes wrong. So, people argue that the guy at Walmart should've gone to college, worked harder or whatever else someone thought contributed to their personal success. But, we can't escape the fact that we need that person stocking the grocery store shelves. We just don't want to pay them enough to be able to live without financial catastrophe. Lets face it, a major health issue WILL happen eventually. A vehicle will break down. They'll get their car repoed during one of their layoffs and then get sued for the difference plus penalties.
*snip*
I hope to have my daughter added to my husbands Amex as soon as she's legally old enough. I plan to ensure she dual enrolls, graduates early and gets to pick what college she goes too. I hope to give her every advantage I didn't get. There will be kids who's parents aren't that involved and that is sad for those kids, but, I see no reason to hold her back for some kind of imaginary 'fair playing field'.
-I've been that poor working sap aswell! Over my lifetime I've spend thousands of thousands of dollars in higher interest rates on auto loans, higher insurance premiums, CL overage fees (due to 1. bad planning and 2. very low CLs ). I was penalized to want to stay in shape, but had to take hits on my credit because insurance would allow me to eat buy I twisted my ankle playing basketball (twice) and the bandage the Dr. gave me cost $4000. I could have paid the bill but I opted to finish college instead- that's actually not fair to the emergency room that cared for me!!!
-What about those that play outside the "fair playing field" does it have to be legal/illegal for it to be considered apart of the "field"
To be clear,
There are not right or wrong answers considering this topic. Socrates (the father of philosophy) felt that sitting around answering questions about questions will ultimately bring one to the truth. Ethics is something that we all should chime in on. All answers on the subject (or question for that matter) should be open to everyone Don't think you will be hammered if you add something! However, you may be questioned...
Someone mentioned Socratic method ... I'm sold.
Love this topic and will contribute when I see fit.
