Been Kicking SunTrust to the Curb

By Karen

And the cats are miffed about how it’s eaten into their blogging time. But it felt GREAT.

A few months ago, when Bank of America announced that outrageous $5 debit card fee, SunTrust notified me that my free checking would begin costing $14-17 a month, PLUS $5 for the debit card.

On September 1, I marched into a SunTrust branch and unloaded both verbal barrels on the desk jockey. She narrowly salvaged my business by switching me to “Solid Choice” checking with no fees, and free check-printing — in exchange for a $5,000 minimum balance.

A few weeks later, I ordered my free checks, which consisted of 4 pads, an assemble-it-yourself box, and a skimpy register that will last about 2 weeks in this age of so many checkless transactions.

Balancing my checkbook yesterday, I discovered a $16 charge for those “free” checks.

I called customer service, and got, “We discontinued free checks November 10.” However, NOWHERE on my statements or Solid Choice paperwork did it say that.

SunTrust’s attitude was, “It’s YOUR responsibility to know what we don’t tell you. Go pound sand.”

Next, I returned to the branch, where the branch manager refunded my $16 after I dumped a ton of disgust on her. Then, in a breathtaking stroke of obtuseness, she offered to upgrade me to an even BETTER account — requiring a $10,000 minimum!

Driving home, I passed 5 small banks. I checked all their Web sites and picked 15-branch Village Bank. Checking requires a $500 balance or a $6 fee. I’ll collect 0.25% in interest (which increases on a sliding scale to .40%, based on balance), compared to SunTrust’s princely, flat 0.04%.

Hey, we’re talking only pennies, but it’s the principle.

The mentality of SunTrust and its ilk, “Bend over so we can stick it to you again,” is what fuels Occupy Wall Street.

Being homegrown, Village Bank can’t afford to constantly be drilling new (loop)holes for screwing people if it wants to stay in business. It should be a refreshing change.

(BTW, SunTrust turned chicken with BofA and dropped the $5 debit card fee, like it was doing us a big favor. Too little, too late.)

Obama Passes Through – Again

By Cole

President Obama’s back in town when his bus rolls into Richmond tomorrow about 6.5 miles from here — as close as I’ll ever get to him — to talk about his jobs plan.

Obama’s destination is a fire station where he’ll talk to firemen, some county employees, and a smattering of local officials. The public is not invited.

Obama couldn't fit much of the public in here, anyway.

It’s Obama’s last stop on a 3-day tour through North Carolina and Virginia. He flew Air Force One to Asheville, NC, where he hopped onto the armored bus the Secret Service drove down for him.

After the fire station visit, Obama will fly the short hop back to DC — presumably on AF One — while his bus toodles up I-95 below him. This raises several questions:

Q: What happens if there’s a fire while Obama’s in the firehouse? Do they just let the place burn?

A: The fire trucks will be parked outside so the firemen can discreetly respond. Not that I wish ill on anyone, but wouldn’t it be funny if fire broke out and the room emptied on Obama? I bet he’d be rethinking that “no public allowed” decision.

Q: Why is Obama wasting double fuel traveling by air while his bus makes the same trip without him?

A: Hmmmmm… Good question. Obama?

Q: What’s Obama’s point? Does he really expect to gain broad support for his jobs plan by sneaking through town, snubbing voters?

A: It’s probably a money thing. The Miami Herald questioned who pays for this trip.

If Obama doesn’t appear before hordes, he can’t be accused of campaigning, so taxpayers must foot his travel expenses. But if so, why should ALL taxpayers pay for his visits to only a handful? And why should they have to pay for a plane AND a bus to make the same trip?

While thousands of Occupy Wall Street people are in the streets protesting greed and reckless spending, Obama thinks it’s a good idea to joy-ride/fly through two nearby states which are, coincidentally(?), critical to his re-election, pretending he’s not campaigning so he won’t have to pay for it.

And he wonders why his cred is in the toilet.

Cats Support Occupy Wall Street

By Adele

Wall Street would be swarming with cats if only:

1) We had thumbs so we could draw clever signs

2) We could march around on 2 legs while holding our signs

3) We weren’t so short, we’d probably get trampled

4) Karen would ever let us out of the house

But we want all the humans who love us to know that we CATS ARE MAD AS HELL, AND WE’RE NOT GOING TO TAKE IT ANYMORE. 

In case you haven’t noticed, we’re staging subtle solidarity protests every single day. We call them Occupy Couch.

You may be wondering, “What do corporate greed and political corruption have to do with housecats? Cats have it made!”

Let me tell you…

Humans who get laid off and can’t find work, or who get sick and end up buried under medical debt, start sliding into bankruptcy. That’s whey they start buying us cheapo poisoned cat food from China.

When humans lose their homes to foreclosure, we end up in shelters or on the street.

This isn’t about cats losing cushy perks. Our very survival as pets depends on the prosperity of the 99%.

Besides, any protests that Virginia’s disgrace in Congress, Rep. Eric Cantor, calls “gathering mobs” are doing something right. Cantor’s attitude is, “Let them eat cake!”

Critics say Occupy Wall Streeters are pointless because their demands don’t fit on a bumper sticker.

Wall Street is a symbolic ground zero for greed and corruption. The protesters could be marching on almost any government building, health insurers and Big Pharma, retailers whose inventory consists of cheap goods made by slave labor, any company that has outsourced jobs or has an incomprehensible call center in India, any company that hides profits off-shore and pays almost no taxes. 

The list could go on and on. You can’t “boil down” the myriad ways the wealthy, wily 1% steal from and screw everybody else — unless we fire up the cauldrons and literally boil down a few of them as examples.

The Tea Party should love that. They’re one step from burning witches themselves.

We hope the protests keep growing — and people follow through at the polls and unemploy every rich, self-serving, two-faced politician who thinks the 99% should go pound sand.

Eric Cantor, we’re looking at YOU.