Mark Winston Griffith

Being Pissed Off About the Economy and Doing Something About it

"I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore".

This attitude is as old as politics itself, but the actual phrase was of course made popular in the 1977 movie, Network, when television anchor Howard Beale exhorted television viewers to yell these words out the window in social protest.

As the left dreams of whipping up this same vitriol among the electorate, a recent article in the Washington Post lends hope to the idea that there is indeed a social policy issue that may channel voter outrage this November. Taking their cues from the iconic "welfare mom" stereotype used by conservatives, the article talks taking political advantage of "mortgage moms" -- ordinary Americans who are besieged by predatory credit practices, and low wages while the Bush Administration and its allies grant more economic advantages to corporations and the wealthy.

Polls and focus group discussions across the country are revealing that working and middle class Americans are increasingly disgusted with the effects of deregulation in the banking and credit industry. The problem is the average person doesn't know why financial institutions and credit card companies are allowed to bypass traditional usury limits and charge such abusive rates for products like mortgages, credit cards and pay day loans. That's why it's up to the political opposition -- in this case the Democratic party -- to educate the public.

Unless consumers direct their anger at the policy makers responsible for the financial service status quo in this country, it's a wasted sentiment -- and a wasted political opportunity.

Posted at 8:05 PM, Sep 10, 2006 in Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)