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Consumer Group: Kardashian Card Dangerous
The Kardashian sisters today came under fire by consumer advocacy groups for the predatory hidden fees of their newly released prepaid debit cards.
The Kardashian sisters today came under fire by consumer advocacy groups for the predatory hidden fees of their newly released prepaid debit cards. Called the Kardashian Kard (kute!), the card comes “loaded with hidden fees and weak consumer protections,” according to the Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports.
Here’s a sampling of the card’s fees:
- Consumers signing up for the Kardashian Kard have two options: A six month plan for $59.95 or a 12 month plan for $99.95. The six month plan covers the $9.95 purchase fee, $5 minimum deposit, and a $7.95 monthly fee for the duration of the plan. The 12 month plan is identical except it includes the $7.95 monthly fee for the full year.
- In addition, consumers will be subject to a $1.50 fee for withdrawing funds at an ATM (plus the fee the ATM operator charges); $1 fee if ATM or point of sale transactions are declined; $1 fee to check balances at ATMs; $1.50 to speak by phone to a customer service representative; and $9.95 to replace a lost or stolen card.
- After the initial six or 12 month purchase period for the Kardashian Kard expires, consumers must pay a $7.95 monthly fee for as long as they use the card. Cancelling the Kardashian Kard will result in another $6 fee.
The card is being marketed to young people with little or no access to traditional financial institutions. In other words, poor minorities.
-Cord Jefferson is a staff writer at The Root. Follow him on Twitter.
Poll: Majority of Americans Against the Death Penalty
Americans are finally shunning the death penalty, and it means a lot for the black community.
Unless I’m mistaken, this is big news for both the nation at large and African Americans in particular:
According to a national poll of 1,500 registered voters conducted by Lake Research Partners, 61 percent of Americans surveyed said they would prefer alternative punishments for murder, such as life without parole, over the death penalty.
As America is one of the few developed nations still enforcing capital punishment, that its citizens are finally shunning the practice is exciting, and it means a lot for the black community.
Since 1976, 34 percent of the people killed by the state have been African American, while 41 percent of inmates currently awaiting execution are black. What’s more, a 2000 study by the US Department of Justice found that from 1995 to 2000, 72 percent of the cases approved for death-penalty prosecution involved defendants of color, meaning more and more black inmates are constantly on their way to replace the ones executed.
What we’ve created with American capital punishment is a practice that’s not only generally morally questionable, but also one that’s deeply and perhaps intractably racist. Human beings choose who lives and dies in the justice system, and because human beings hold any number and size of prejudices and animosities, it follows that their decisions will often lead to prejudiced results.
To that end, capital punishment should go, and most people now know that. The problem is getting the government to understand and acquiesce. In an America in which the support of 60 percent of the public can’t end Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, don’t hold your breath for an end to the death penalty.
-Cord Jefferson is a staff writer at The Root. Follow him on Twitter.
A Theory About Why Blacks Didn't Vote in 2010
With the midterms behind us, let’s take a look at some of the important leaders Democrats put forth in order to advertise their case to the African American community.
You can tell a lot about a company by how they advertise, and to whom. For instance, it’s no mistake that American Apparel, the go-to hipster uniform if there is one, spends much of its ad bucks on full pages in trendy downtown magazines like Vice and Blackbook. In the same vein, you have to expect beer commercials during NFL games.
In many ways, political parties are like companies unto themselves, and not just because they accept millions on corporate donations each year. Political parties also advertise a lot, especially during election season.
Now that the midterms are just behind us, let’s take a look at some of the important leaders Democrats put forth in order to advertise their case to the African American community:
- Tatyana Ali
- Keshia Knight Pulliam
- Russell Simmons
- Common
The special guest list at MTV Spring Break 2011? Hardly. Those are people who were put forth to black media outlets on Democratic National Committee-sponsored phone calls, calls designed to galvanize African American voters and put Democratic candidates over the top. Ostensibly, the idea was that ginning up votes from the blacks is as easy as having rappers and actresses tell them voting's cool.
And we’re shocked when only 10 percent of African Americans get to the polls on Election Day? Maybe try talking to them like adults next time.
-Cord Jefferson is a staff writer at The Root. Follow him on Twitter.
Black Republican Running for Freshman House President
South Carolina Republican congressman-elect Tim Scott is wasting no time in his chase for congressional glory.
South Carolina Republican congressman-elect Tim Scott, a member of 2010’s The Root 100, is wasting no time in his chase for congressional glory. Today, the 45-year-old announced that he is running for the Elected Leadership Committee’s freshman position. The committee serves as a gathering place for House Republicans to plan policy and messaging, and this is the first year a freshman representative will have a seat at the table.
In an e-mail to his colleagues, Scott wrote, “I am writing to ask for your consideration for the Freshman Leadership (E.L.C.) position that has been created for our class. … My goal would be to ensure that the principles that our class stands for – fiscal responsibility, limited government, and a transparent and accountable Congress – remain front and center in the new Congress.”
Politico reports that Scott will likely run against South Dakota’s Kristi Noem. If so, the ELC would stand to benefit greatly from either winner. Scott and Noem are both tied to the Tea Party movement and they’re both minorities, two key constituencies that will be important to the GOP as it moves into the 21st century.
-Cord Jefferson is a staff writer at The Root. Follow him on Twitter.
Welcome to Retirement! Ready for Your Funeral?
The American Human Development Project today released a report showing that, at 71 years, African Americans living in Washington, DC, have the lowest life expectancy of anyone in the United States.
A presidential commission convened to cut the budget deficit today recommended raising the Social Security retirement age to 69. Also today, the American Human Development Project released a report showing that, at 71 years, African Americans living in Washington, DC, have the lowest life expectancy of anyone in the United States.
In other words, on average, blacks in our great nation’s capital can eventually look forward to having two years of rest and retirement before they die. What respect for our elders.
-Cord Jefferson is a staff writer at The Root. Follow him on Twitter.
