The government’s response to plastic spending is apprecciated
What is this? The government is actually protecting the consumer?
The Federal Reserve issued new rules on Mar. 23 to protect Americans from being stung by unexpected fees or restrictions on gift cards that are not used in a timely manner.
This will surely affect us all, since recent polls show that more than 90 percent of Americans use gift cards, which should be no surprise to the average consumer. Whether it is for Christmas, birthdays or Hanukah, our wallets are often heavier from the bulk of valuable plastic.
All factiousness aside, the government does help us in many ways everyday. Rarely considering the military to the FDA, all government-run programs.
However, having the government go out of their way to serve the interests of the consumer would be much appreciated if done more often. It may not always be easy, since, God knows, the Federal government must be difficult to run. Yet, would it be too much to ask to put consumer protection programs on the agenda in the Legislature?
Not only would consumer protection help us, but assist politicians as well. Of course, it is hard to ignore the special interest groups that often have an eye on the members of Congress. However, in the end of the day it is the voting public that decides who is elected.
This is where we become involved: it should be our responsibility to vote for the candidates that will represent our interests best. Or, relatively the best, as we know that ideal candidates often do not get nominated for one reason or another.
For those that do elect their favorite candidates, they expect certain decorum from said politicians, like defending consumers against greedy companies that put unnecessary restrictions on gift cards.
With all this talk of ‘big government’ these days, Big Brother should take such newfound power and run with it in the right direction for the country’s sake. The economy, despite murmurings of improvement, still needs help and increased consumer confidence to bring it out of the pits.
So the time is ideal for the power of the consumer, and it is the government’s job to make that happen.