The funny thing about thieves is that they are so darn clever. They are sneaky, and most of the time you don't even know that you've been robbed until they have taken your goods, and gotten away clean. The image we most commonly conjure up when we think about being robbed is a thief who comes in the night, who stealthily enters our private domains, and makes off with our our precious valuables.

Lately, we are being bombarded with images of a change to that image, because of the explosion in the number of white collar crimes. First, it was Enron and the like. Then came Bernie Madoff. Though we haven't seen any prosecutions yet, and maybe we never will, I would include the financial institutions and insurance giants that have taken our tax dollars (aka, the stimulus package) and thrown themselves a party with multimillion dollar door prizes.

We all know that these crimes of theft have cost us dearly, and we have a nebulous idea of how this is going to impact us for years to come. Still the idea is a little absract, because we can't really measure how many actual dollars have been taken out of our own pockets.

If we truly knew the dollar amount of our vulnerability, we would be shocked, and much more likely to find a way to take action to protect ourselves. That is why I am humbly asking you to read on, so that you will become more aware, and outraged, and angry enough to take action, to simply protect yourself from the biggest thieves of all.

I am talking about the thief who steals your dreams.

In the true fashion of classical burglary, these thieves are diabolically sneaky. They lure you into their trap, by seducing you with images of comfort, and riches.

Simultaneously, they are maddeningly brazen as they go about their task. When the trap is sprung, you are trapped like the proverbial fly caught in the web. The more you struggle, the more entrapped you become.

Who is this thief? None other than the Credit Card Companies. How many of you have been silently victimized by their actions, such as the sudden increase in interest rates, outrageous service charge fees, lowered credit limits, payments not credited until after debits have been charged, causing more charges, and on and on and on. And this is what happens to those of us who have stellar payment histories!

One of their more outrageous practices is to penalize creditors who may be having difficulties, by increasing interest rates, which requires the debtor to make higher payments. Struggling gets you more entangled.

The most dire consequences of their actions is not just the money they charge, but the fact that they could be stealing your dreams and your future as well. Planning on buying a home? If you are, then you know how important your FICO score is to fullfilling that dream. All it takes is for one credit card company to significantly lower your credit limit, and your dream can dissappear in a flash. That one credit limit reduction could lower your score by as much as 40 points, making you ineligible for the loan that could make your dreams of home ownership come true.

That one limit reduction can change your ratios of debt to avilable credit, which may cause other credit issuers to change your rating with them. The company that lowered your credit line may also decide that with your lower credit limit, your debt ratio on their account is too high, so they will now need to increase your interest rate. Then, the other credit companies are alerted, and the cycle repeats itself. Now, what just happened to your dream of homeownership? 

 Sadly, the thief who steals your dreams is not just an abstract idea.

What can you do to protect yourself from this outrage? You can fight back! The time has come for everyone to stand up, sound off, and take action! Right now, the credit card companies have had free reign to do as they please. Congress says that yeah, they have plans to pass some legislation to make the bad boys behave, eventually. Do you believe that? I guess we could wait and see. And wait. And wait.

If change is going to happen, it is going to be up to each and every one of us to take action. The first action I am taking, and encourage each one of you to take, is to just stop using credit cards as much as possible! The best action, is to not use any of them at all! It is not easy, but it is worth it. Imagine a world where the credit card companies are so desperate for you to use their service that the actually provided a service model that we would want to use! The only way that is going to happen is when we stop using the despicable disservice that they are providing now!

It might seem like an impossible task right now, but what great thing has ever been accomplished, if at first the task did not seem to be impossible?

You are not at the mercy of this devilish system. YOU can have a voice, and YOU can make a difference! The choice is yours, to continue being duped, taken advantage of, and silently remaining a helpless victim; or You can take a stand, voice your frustrations, and help to slay the beast that steals our dreams.

Please share your frustrating experiences, your victories, and even your defeats with us. By sharing our thoughts, and ideas, we can begin to take the actions that will change the system! Also, please join the Credit Card Revolt group, and post your stories there!

I am looking forward to hearing from you!