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Why Do Most People In America Feel Like They Have No Rights?
Posted by hotwheels • 7/23/09 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: rights in america where have they gone
How many times have you thought to yourself, "Thats not right" or been over charged with something, or even felt like you are being taken advantage of. Most people in America do not protect their rights as Americas because they feel they have no way of protecting them. Why? two reasons, 1st most think they can not afford an attorny to help, and 2nd most are intimadated by them. Tell me what you think?
User Comments
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I'll tell you what I think....the last few times we have needed legal help to protect ourselves we were blown off by attorneys because the financial reward was either not high enough for them, they didn't/don't want any more clients (re: poor clients), or they didn't want to bother going after the company that is accountable.
Why do people feel like they're powerless? Because unless they have money, getting legal representation simply isn't an option.-
It's true. And this is all up and down the legal system--from everything from tennant rights to being accused of murder. If you have money, you can get away with anything. If you don't have money, you get arrested (and often convicted) for nothing.
And it's the same with health care. I have two different kinds of friends who acquired AIDS in the 1980's. One group is all dead-they didn't have preventative health care, which would have stopped the virus from manifesting into diseases. The other group is alive--they all had very good health care.
It's terrible. Our country is seriously threatened by classism. -
Yep - I spoke to one brutally honest attorney who basically told me that the bank who allowed funds to be fraudulently withdrawn from our account is in the wrong, but the amount stolen (plus fines) simply wasn't enough to capture the attention of an attorney. Even if it was our entire life savings.
Greeeaaat. *angry face* -
You mean the bank made YOU eat the loss?
That's outrageous. -
Oh you have no idea, Melinda! Not only did they keep the fees they collected for the overdrafts, but never ever returned a dime to me. I took it to the highest level I could and challenged them for two years on it. They simply stonewalled me and everyone else they corresponded with.
There are so many complaints lodged against this bank I'm shocked they're still in business. -
God I hate banks. I seriously do. That really sucks.
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Yep, me too! They seriously screwed us. Just a week or so ago a friend called me and was all "Do you remember telling me not to bank with this bank?" Me: "yep." Her" OMG! They screwed me over!!" Me: "told you so
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I gotta ask: what bank is this?
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- [rant] That's the result of living in a country where banks and financial institutions and their practices are not appropriately regulated by government. That's the result of the strength of right wing mentality in your country and their influence in politics. That's the result of those citizens who shout "socialism" and prevent the implementation of appropriate legislation to protect citizens, when the fact is that America has been a social republic since the original New Deal.
Now here's the irony. When it comes to the polls what do we see? The majority of right wingers who are under-educated and poor folks, and who are the most likely to be victimized by financial institutions and banks, are the ones who vote for politicians who do not support government regulation of the banking and financial institutions. They are the poor who unwittingly enable corporations to take advantage of them. ***head desk***[/rant] -
Well, since we're not going to court, I guess it's OK...
Citizen's Bank. Apparently because they're international, they don't have to play by the same rules.
TT:
Damn straight! -
Whew! We don't use them. We use Sovereign and TD Bank North in MA and in CA we use Washington Mutual.
They all suck too--but at least when I had they screwed up, they reimbursed me all the fees.
You know--that Citizens always try to sound like they are SO on your side too! Bastids! -
I had an ex who worked for the bank. Believe me you, they are NOT on your side!
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I'll tell you something that will make you hate banks more. They did know about the risks they were running years ago: apparently many senior boards of banks did discuss the bonus culture and how it was leading to short term gains being emphasised over long term stability.
They decided to do nothing, because they were afraid that if they changed the bonus culture, their best people would bolt to people who stuck to the old system. This decision, more than any other, led to sub-prime and collapse that followed.
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attorneys around here do not take small cases. They are not worth their time. They think that just because they went to school for this law degree and took a state test they should charge $500 an hour. I went to school and took a state test and saved peoples lifes almost everyday. I made a whopping $12 an hour. If they would put other people first and not them selves then maybe more people would use them instead of getting revenge in other ways.-
- Are you aware of the size of the student debt load law students carry? The total tab to attend law school in America today is comparable to a home mortgage prior to the foreclosure fall-out.
Nationally, public law school graduates way back in 2003-04 paid an average tuition of $11,860 per year for in-state residents and $21,905 per year for out-of-state residents, while private law school grads paid an average tuition of $26,952 per year, as reported the American Bar Association. Add the cost of books, transportation, housing, food and personal expenses, and the total cost of a three-year law school education could easily surpass $150,000, according to the Law School Admission Council.
Well, that debt load is growing by leaps and bounds.
Although several scholarships and loan repayment programs are available, most law students borrow money to pay their way through school, and debt for law school loans can accumulate quickly.
The average annual salary for a first-year attorney in a firm of two to 25 lawyers is around $68,000. For a law firm of 500 people or more, the average salary is roughly $125,000 per year. -
How unfair that these attourneys who are paying their own debts from loans they had to take, are forced to spend their time with cases that will actually pay them enough to do it.
No, they should all go bankrupt so that they can help people sue major corporations for peanuts.
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Not if your HOLLYtheHOUSEWIFE... in the words of madea u gotta get the gotters,and stand up and make ur voice be heard! That's what I'm doing -
I can't speak for other people, but I have no problem making people do the right thing. There is not always a need for hiring an attorney, though. Usually the threat (direct, offhand reference, etc) is enough. Also actual physical intimidation can be useful. Not the threat of violence mind you--just putting on the "game face" -
Is that your game face, gnomey? Because honestly, the hat might be working against you.
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Anok, have you tried taking your story to the media? Sometimes companies will do the right thing out of embarrassment.-
That's an excellent idea actually. I'd go to a TV station. In San Francisco, there's a guy oh Channel 5 who specifically looks into stuff like this.
There's got to be someone like that in your neck of the woods too.
At the very least, I might just have to egg their windows.
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The reason people are feeling powerless is because the system has made everyone powerless to some extent.
Democracy is a matter of giving up more than you get. (the remainder is lost in the wheels of government itself.)
The US system has gone so awry that nothing is dealt with at face value anymore. A gov't bill for buying Fighterjets all of a sudden gets a "hate speech" portion attached to it. Done so that someone who has that as their priority will vote for it. Before long, special interest makes up more than the bill itself.
Until this country stops allowing this kind of corruption, we'll all be powerless.
Now it's a matter of what A will give up to get B's vote, and what B' Is willign to vote for to get their amendment attached. It's a joke.
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