The Same Banking Geniuses that Destroyed Our Economy Get Paid and Paid and Paid

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From CNN: If you’re out of work like Steve Lippe, who was laid off from his job as a salesman in January, you know you already have problems. But looking at the fine print that came with his new unemployment debit card, he became livid.

“A $1.50 [fee] here, a $1.50 there,” he said. “Forty cents for a balance inquiry. Fifty cents to have your card denied. Thirty-five cents to have your account accessed by telephone.”

…The National Consumer Law Center says fees range from 40 cents to a high of $3 per transaction.”

And where are these fees going? Banks like JP Morgan Chase which has contracts with seven states and is negotiating with two others. But hey, you’re unemployed. If you don’t want to pay the fees, just wait ten days for a check.

BTW, in many states, child support payment debit cards nickel and dime you to death this way, too, lest we forget which segments of society must always benefit off the backs of the unfortunate. In both instances, you can opt for direct deposit, but it’s hard to know about the fees until your card arrives. Which I’m sure is accidental.

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WE CAME UP SHORT.

We just wrapped up a shorter-than-normal, urgent-as-ever fundraising drive and we came up about $45,000 short of our $300,000 goal.

That means we're going to have upwards of $350,000, maybe more, to raise in online donations between now and June 30, when our fiscal year ends and we have to get to break-even. And even though there's zero cushion to miss the mark, we won't be all that in your face about our fundraising again until June.

So we urgently need this specific ask, what you're reading right now, to start bringing in more donations than it ever has. The reality, for these next few months and next few years, is that we have to start finding ways to grow our online supporter base in a big way—and we're optimistic we can keep making real headway by being real with you about this.

Because the bottom line: Corporations and powerful people with deep pockets will never sustain the type of journalism Mother Jones exists to do. The only investors who won’t let independent, investigative journalism down are the people who actually care about its future—you.

And we hope you might consider pitching in before moving on to whatever it is you're about to do next. We really need to see if we'll be able to raise more with this real estate on a daily basis than we have been, so we're hoping to see a promising start.

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