This blog has been active since 2022, and has covered many aspects of unjust personal debt, such as prisoners owing debt for child support, or veterans owing money for medical care actually received at the VA. My focus has always been on individual debt. I have not addressed the larger problem of public debt. Now…
Chris Hedges – a former minister and foreign correspondent — has described himself as a socialist and anarchist. His interviews and blog posts are always stimulating. He points out: “Workers who are unable to meet their debts are far more likely to remain submissive and compliant. Debt peonage has always been a form of political control: 1. Native…
People in debt are easily tempted by offers to “pay off your high-interest credit card with a new, lower-interest loan.” However, debt consolidation is extremely vulnerable to scammers. Here are nine ways to tell if the offer is a scam: 1. The agency asks for an upfront payment A true financial counseling firm will never ask you…
Chrystin Ondersma is a law professor at Rutgers Law School, and an internationally recognized expert in bankruptcy and household debt. Here are some highlights from her latest book, Dignity Not Debt. “Anyone who has debt and feels ashamed and alone must understand that it’s not their fault—our whole system is designed to force you to rely…
Trump’s offensive against the Consumer Finance Protective Bureau (CFPB) is not really about libertarian small-government. Nor is it really aimed at cutting back excessive federal spending. The agency’s cost– which is only $750 million per year- does not have a meaningful impact on the federal budget. The closing is mainly about large financial favors for…
Marshall Allen, a ProPublica investigative reporter who fought for the rights of patients facing unfair medical bills, died last May at age 52 from a heart attack. Allen approached his stories with the moral conviction that doctors, hospitals, drugmakers and insurers could be more transparent and humane. He first showed how a hospital system refused…
Reform #1. Resolve or Dismiss all medical debt lawsuits initiated by hospitals or collection agencies Medical debt — unlike home mortgages, student loans, and auto loans — is almost never truly voluntary. People who seek medical care are hurting; they come to the hospital on the worst days of their lives. It is immoral to…
Coerced debt is typically a form of family exploitation. It commonly begins with using a partner’s credit without their knowledge. One partner might buy items on Amazon.com using their partner’s credit card information stored in the computer. Or, someone might use a partner’s social security number and other personal information to take out a loan….
In recent years, there has been a widespread imposition of “stay-or-pay” contracts. These agreements force workers to compensate employers if they leave their job before a set time period. The contracts are called “TRAPS” – a Training Repayment Agreement Provision. Employers could legally require workers to pay “liquidated damages” for on-the-job training or use of…
Astra Taylor and Hannah Appel Astra Taylor is a filmmaker, writer, and political organizer. She often appears on Democracy Now and The Laura Flanders Show. Hannah Appel is co-founder of the Debt Collective and a professor of anthropology at UCLA. She is also a director of the Institute on Inequality and Democracy. Their joint article…