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Highlands Today

Must college students be protected?

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By Norm Cukras | Highlands Today

Published: May 29, 2009

Back in the old days people who were savings conscious and financially sound were looked upon with favor by their peers. Back then people held mortgage-burning parties when their loans were paid off and they received their deeds from the bank. But times have changed.

The serpent of temptation uncoiled itself and delivered unto us easy credit, too easy; so easy that we are mired in a period of fiscal irresponsibility; one so deep that the Congress has to bail us out. Well at least some of us. And others of us will carry the burden of the government's shortsightedness.

In an effort to protect our young college students from being taken advantage of by the evil credit card companies, Obama asked for and got credit card reform legislation. The problem is the likelihood that the fiscally responsible members of our society will be penalized because an annual use rate will be added to their accounts and perks and rebates will fade away like shadows in the night.

The irony of it all is that we are protecting those who continually maintain that they should be treated as adults. Not too long ago college administrators wanted the drinking age reduced to 18 to accommodate their "adult" students. Now we are going to restrict "teenage" college students from owning credit cards. Really now, which is it to be?

At least the Congress in all of their wisdom provides a section in the bill that: Protects, "the right of individuals to bear arms in units of the National Park System and the National Wildlife Refuge System."

The purpose of this I would imagine is to allow individuals to ward off attacks by wild animals bent on stealing a vacationer's credit card and using it to buy treats at the camping grounds.

Patches

Some analysts are saying that there is nothing wrong with the current credit card system. The problem is with the user. Or should that be abuser?

What we apparently need is some sort of Credit Card Patch (CCP). Kinda like a nicotine patch. Whenever a card is used a patch wearer first swipes it across his or her individualized CCP. If the purchase is frivolous the patch sends out an enhanced interrogation technique type signal warning the consumer that they are being financially irresponsible.

Not made for surfing

I for one don't understand this whole waterboarding thing.

With just a stroke of a pen or a couple of phone calls Obama could have stopped the practice of enhanced interrogation techniques and redefined how prisoners were to be treated. Instead he had to allow the whole affair to be politicized, further dragging the country into yet another embarrassing who-did-what Watergate-type investigation. That's not only disrespectful to our country in general but to us its citizens.

We as individuals, and especially the rest of the world, do not need to know all the sordid details of what goes on behind closed doors.

Who's the leader of the group

At least when the credit card balances of conscientious user's increase they can say that they were forewarned of extra charges. That's a little more courtesy than was paid to the seniors in our county schools when they found out that the time-honor tradition of valedictorian and salutatorian was suddenly dropped. Not only do I take exception to discontinuing the practice I question the timing of how it was done. It was just plain wrong.

I could possibly understand the change had an announcement been made that the honors would be eliminated "in the future," but at the last moment? Really now. Is that fair to the students who have been working toward the goal ever since they realized they had a chance of capturing the coveted award? Rules should not be changed in the middle of the game. It's not right.

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