Credit Cards: We All Have Them
Posted by Michelle Moquin on August 9th, 2010
…And sometimes I really wish I didn’t. But since I, and probably many of you do, here’s the latest on those little pieces of plastic that gives us so much freedom. And yet, many of us have made them our “golden handcuffs”; me included. (Ugh) Here’s a few ways to help free yourself from those nasty fees, and every other little trick that credit card companies are trying to play on you, and what the “Card Act” does to help you. Check it out:
The New Credit-Card Tricks
Just months after historic legislation banned certain billing practices, card issuers have dreamed up new ones designed to trip up consumers.
By JESSICA SILVER-GREENBERG
Whomever President Barack Obama taps to head the new Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection could find it difficult to keep ahead of the credit-card industry.
The Credit Card Accountability Responsibility and Disclosure Act of 2009, known as the Card Act, was intended to reshape the contours of consumer finance. Among other things, it forces card issuers to give customers more notice about interest-rate increases and restricts certain controversial billing practices such as inactivity fees.
Bloomberg News
The Card Act forces issuers to give customers more notice about interest-rate increases, and restricts certain controversial billing practices such as inactivity fees.Yet some of the biggest card issuers in the U.S., including Citigroup Inc., J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. and Discover Financial Services, are already rolling out a slew of fees designed to recapture some of their lost income, in part by skirting the new rules. Some banks may even be violating the law outright, say consumer advocates.
“Card companies are figuring out how to replace old fees with new ones,” says Victor Stango, an associate economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and a professor at the University of California, Davis, who has been analyzing how the Card Act will affect consumer banking. “It’s a race between regulators writing ever-more-complex laws and credit-card companies setting up ever-more-complex fees.”
The banks have a big gap to fill. The Card Act is expected to wipe out about $390 million a year in fee revenue, according to David Robertson, the publisher of industry newsletter Nilson Report. On July 16, during its second-quarter earnings call with analysts, Bank of America Corp. Chief Financial Officer Charles Noski warned that the Card Act and other regulatory changes would prompt the bank, the nation’s largest in assets, to write off up to $10 billion in the third quarter.
“If you have every major issuer saying that we are losing our shirt, then that speaks volumes,” Mr. Robertson says. “Proportionately, these fees should be understood as almost inconsequential compared to the losses.”
So the banks are getting aggressive. According to a July 22 report from Pew Charitable Trusts, a nonpartisan research group, the industry’s median annual fee on bank credit cards jumped 18% to $59 between July 2009 and March 2010. At credit unions, annual fees soared 67% to $25. During the same period, the median cash-advance and balance-transfer fees jumped by 33%.
All of these increases are perfectly legal, of course. Banks and other issuers would have a difficult time extending credit to consumers, even at high interest rates, if they couldn’t augment those revenues with fee income. “We’re coming out of a deep recession that issuers are still working through,” says Peter Garuccio, a spokesman for the American Bankers Association.
But some banks may be going too far. In a July 7 letter to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, which regulates many of the biggest U.S. banks, a coalition of consumer groups including the National Consumer Law Center, the Consumer Federation of America and Consumer Action flagged several “potential violations of the Credit Card Act.”
Other banks are ramping up their marketing of so-called professional cards. These are like corporate cards but can carry the same terms as consumer cards-and aren’t covered under the new law. In the first quarter of this year, issuers sent out 47 million professional-card offers to U.S. households, up from 13.2 million in the corresponding period last year, according to research firm Synovate.
“This can be a very easy way around the Card Act,” says Josh Frank, a senior researcher at the Center for Responsible Lending, a consumer group.
The upshot: Borrowers must be more vigilant than ever-even before they make their first charge on a new credit card.
‘Saddled With Late Fees’
Alan Condon of Woodstock, Ga., says he carefully reviews his card statements each month, and even read the Card Act-all 33 pages-after it was passed in May 2009.
Among other things, the Card Act stipulates that late-payment fees shouldn’t be triggered on a Sunday or holiday, when there is no mail delivery.
The rule “is clearly meant to offer cardholders some semblance of relief so that they don’t get saddled with late fees for making a reasonable payment on the next business day,” says Chi Chi Wu, a consumer credit lawyer at the National Consumer Law Center.
Mr. Condon says he was shocked when he opened his credit-card statement dated June 18 and saw that Discover had charged him $39 for a late payment-and had upped his interest rate on future purchases from 17% to 24.99%. He says the company considered him late because he paid on June 14, instead of June 13, a Sunday.
“I just got mad,” says the 56-year-old computer-software developer, who says he had never before been late on a Discover payment.
“We were in compliance with the Card Act,” says Discover spokesman Matthew Towson. “The law states that if a creditor does not receive or accept payments on weekends or holidays, then the date is extended. But we accept payments seven days a week.”
Nevertheless, Discover reviewed Mr. Condon’s account at The Wall Street Journal’s request and decided to waive the late fee and reduce Mr. Condon’s interest rate to its earlier level.
The Card Act also stipulates that issuers can’t jack up rates on existing balances unless a cardholder is at least 60 days late. But there is a creative maneuver around that: the so-called rebate card.
Citibank rolled out rebate-card offers to some of its customers last fall, offering to refund up to 70% of finance charges when customers pay on time. The problem: Rebate offers aren’t governed by the Card Act, and an issuer can revoke them suddenly and hit cardholders with high charges.
The net result is the same as raising rates-and because it is perfectly legal, customers have little recourse. “Rebates on finance payments may seem like a good deal, but you could end up with a very high interest rate suddenly,” says Mr. Frank, of the Center for Responsible Lending.
“The rebate offer is clear, transparent, and we believe fully within the spirit of the Card Act,” says Citigroup spokesman Samuel Wang.
Shortening the billing cycle is another new tactic some banks may be using. The Card Act requires companies to provide a window of at least 21 days from when a statement is mailed and when payment is due.
Yet the National Consumer Law Center and Consumer Action say they have received complaints from borrowers who allege that their billing cycles have been shortened to fewer than 21 days.
“Since the passage of the act, we’ve heard from numerous borrowers alleging that they are shortchanged on billing cycle time,” says Joe Ridout, a consumer-services manager at Consumer Action.
Inactivity Fees Return
As expected, issuers also are raising basic fees in the wake of the Card Act, in some cases significantly. Many credit-card companies, for example, are increasing their balance-transfer charges sharply. “We are seeing an increase across the board in fees because card companies are sensitive about their ability to price for risk,” says Mr. Robertson of the Nilson Report.
Last June, for example, J.P. Morgan’s Chase unit alerted customers that its maximum balance-transfer fee was rising to 5% from 2% on a wide range of its cards.
“In a higher-loss environment, it’s important that we are prudent with our balance-transfer offers,” says Stephanie Jacobson, a spokeswoman for the bank. She adds that “We often do have lower rates in a competitive marketplace.”
Companies are raising their minimum finance charges, too. Before the Card Act, the average minimum monthly finance charge was about 50 cents, according to Nick Bourke, director of the Safe Credit Card Project at Pew. Now, he says, those fees can reach $1.50.
That difference might not seem like a lot, but it adds up: Borrowers pay $430 million a year in minimum-finance charges alone, according to the Center for Responsible Lending.
The Card Act’s provisions are being implemented in stages, with the last phase taking effect on Aug. 22. After that, issuers will no longer be able to charge “inactivity fees,” or extra charges for people who don’t spend a certain amount each year.
So companies are dressing them up in other ways.
Citigroup, for example, has started charging some of its customers an annual fee, which can be waived if a customer’s card activity exceeds $2,400 a year.
Tristan Denyer of San Francisco says he was surprised when he got a notice that Citigroup was instituting a $60 annual fee on his card. Mr. Denyer, 37, a senior Web designer, says he rarely carried a balance on his card, and refused to rack up the $2,400 in charges necessary to erase the fee.
“I figured this was just a tactic to get me to spend more and give them more money,” Mr. Denyer says. He says he decided to close his account.
Citigroup’s Mr. Wang acknowledges that Card Act rules forbid the waiving of annual fees based on “a customer’s annual spending on the card.” He adds, however, that “the rules will not prohibit cash-back rewards or similar incentives that encourage account usage.”
Another potential trap: low-credit-limit cards, which are popular among college students.
The Card Act says a card’s total annual fees can’t exceed 25% of a borrower’s credit line. But some issuers may be evading the fee restrictions by charging an upfront processing fee that doesn’t fall under the 25% cap.
First Premier Bank, headquartered in Sioux Falls, S.D., offers several low-credit-limit cards. Its Centennial card comes with a $300 limit and a $95 upfront processing fee.
Melinda Robinson of Lorena, Texas, learned firsthand how rapidly fees could eat into her credit limit. After receiving a card with a $250 credit limit from First Premier, she says, she was immediately charged $170 in combined fees. When she tried to use the card for the first time, she exceeded her credit limit, triggering more fees.
“When they first send you the card, they automatically charge you fees that eat up half of it,” says Ms. Robinson.
First Premier Bank’s president and chief executive, Miles Beacom, says the $95 processing fee doesn’t violate the Card Act because it is assessed before the account is opened. He adds that the fee offsets the risk associated with offering these cards to “high-risk individuals.”
Foreign-transaction fees are on the march as well. The average fee for foreign transactions has jumped to 3% of the transaction from roughly 2% in 2008, according to Ben Woolsey, director of marketing and consumer research at Creditcards.com.
Some card holders are finding they don’t even need to leave their living room to get hit with a foreign-transaction fee. Ruth Ann Sando, a small-business owner in Washington, says she has been burned repeatedly on her Visa card issued by Pentagon Federal Credit Union, the third-largest credit union in the U.S.
Ms. Sando used to do a lot of business with AbeBooks, an online retailer. But she found that she was getting hit with foreign-transaction fees even though her purchases were in dollars. That is because while the seller and shipper were based in the U.S., Abe, headquartered in Canada, provides the forum for book sellers and collects a portion of the proceeds from all sales.
So late last year, Ms. Sando says, she decided to stop buying from the site altogether. “Not buying books is the only way I can protest the fee,” she says.
“The fee is legal, but all these fees circumvent the [Card Act's] goal of clear and straightforward pricing,” Mr. Woolsey says.
Pentagon Federal Credit Union says some of its cards carry a foreign-transaction fee of 2% of the U.S. dollar amount of the transaction.
Fighting Back
While the credit-card landscape may seem littered with landmines, there are ways to guard against some of the worst pitfalls. The first and simplest: Make your card payments on time.
Second, say consumer advocates, people should dispute fees directly with the issuer when they believe something is amiss.
“Cardholders would be surprised at how much they can raise hell and get a change,” says Mr. Condon, who says he immediately contacted Discover after the late charge appeared on his statement. They might have to make repeated calls, however.
“While the Credit Card Act did make great strides in protecting consumers, it in no way closed all avenues for cardholders to get hit with fees,” says Ms. Wu, from the National Consumer Law Center. “It’s a first step.”
Write to Jessica Silver-Greenberg at jessica.silver-greenberg@wsj.com
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Zen Lill: It sounds like you are finally getting what you deserve, and has been a long time coming. Happy to hear that my “Pretty In Pink” pj’s are playing a supporting role. Albeit a short scene but hey, at least they’re in the movie!
Peace out…
Lastly, greed over a great story is surfacing from my ‘loyal’(?) readers. With all this back and forth about who owns what, that appears on my blog, let me reiterate that all material posted on my blog becomes the sole property of my blog. If you want to reserve any proprietary rights don’t post it to my blog. I will prominently display this caveat on my blog from now on to remind those who may have forgotten this notice.
Gratefully your blog host,
michelle
Aka BABE: We all know what this means by now :)
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August 9th, 2010 at 10:59 am
Michelle
I tried all day to get in yesterday. I guess it was a Zen Lill only day. I noticed that no one else got in either. If there is anything that would have been more interesting that watching the stars over the weekend, it would most certainly have been the curvaceous body of Zen Lill.
On your point thought, I read that article on the 7th and immediately checked out the science of it. It turns out that the stars were aligning in that particular pattern. My friend at Berkeley said that using the university scope he picked fields that could indicate an unusual presence in the area represented by the “X.”
I haven’t received the X-rays yet, so I can’t make a scientific comment on them. But I am definitely looking forward to receiving them.
When I read the astrology of Leo, I found it amusing that they took the alignment and made it fit their personality profile. Good for you Leos.
Herbert
August 9th, 2010 at 11:04 am
Do-It-Yourself Retirement Planning
Elizabeth K. Miller, CFA, CFP
Summit Place Financial Advisors, LLC
The recent market turmoil probably hurt your retirement savings. You know you could use the advice of a professional, but you don’t want to pay the fee in these tough times.
Alternative: The Internet has some excellent resources to help do-it-yourselfers build up their retirement portfolios. Here are free Web sites to help you answer three key questions…
1. Am I on track to retire? To answer this question, start with a retirement calculator. AARP has one at http://www.aarp.org/money (go to “Tools” on the left, and choose “Retirement Nest Egg Calculator”).
The calculator provides estimate buttons to help you fill in important assumptions, such as future inflation and potential returns on your investments. The results provide a clear analysis, and you can change some of your assumptions.
If you use higher investment return assumptions, you won’t need to put away as much money as if you use lower returns, so enter these choices carefully. I suggest trying 3%, 5% and 7% to see how your potential returns can change.
2. How should I allocate my investments? Now that you know how much you need to contribute, how should you allocate your current assets and your future contributions? In these turbulent times, start with a fresh look at your risk tolerance. MSN has a 20-question risk quiz at http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/help/tools.aspx (choose the “Risk Tolerance Quiz” under “Investing”). The results include a basic recommendation for asset allocation. Go back and change your answers so that you can see how the recommendations change.
Next take a look at an asset-allocation site. Try the SmartMoney One Asset Allocation System, which can be found under “Asset Allocation” at http://www.smartmoney.com/tools/worksheets. With this allocator, you can enter your current investments, as well as your future assumptions.
The results show you how much you need to rebalance each asset allocation in your portfolio. Try it a few times, changing your choices for “volatility tolerance” and “economic outlook,” to see how the recommendations change.
3. What investments should I choose? Now you are ready to implement your changes. If you need information on investment choices, start at http://www.finra.org.
The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) is the largest independent regulatory authority for securities firms in the US (on the Web site, click on “Investors,” then go to “Smart Investing”). It offers unbiased educational information on all areas of investing.
If you are ready to choose your investments, try http://www.morningstar.com, which offers independent research on stocks, mutual funds, exchange-traded funds and even some hedge funds. Select the “Funds” tab for the latest news on funds.
Then on the left, browse “Investing Ideas” and “Fund Ratings” for ideas for your portfolio. For information on individual stocks, go to the “Stocks” tab or enter a specific stock symbol at the top of the screen.
Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Elizabeth K. Miller, CFA, CFP, is president of Summit Place Financial Advisors, LLC, a fee-based financial services company, Short Hills, New Jersey. Miller is often interviewed by the financial media and is a lecturer at Chautauqua Institution, Chautauqua, New York. http://www.summitplacefinancial.com.
August 9th, 2010 at 11:53 am
Sorry I couldn’t get this to post yesterday.
===========================
GCC Holds Fall Semester Registration
Last Updated on Tuesday, 03 August 2010 10:49
Written by News Release
Tuesday, 03 August 2010 10:42
Guam – Community Events
Guam -Registration for Fall Semester at Guam Community College is ongoing at the Student Services and Administration Building (Bldg. 2000) from 8 am – 5 pm Monday – Friday.
Express Registration will take place from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 10 – Saturday, Aug. 14 in the GCC Multipurpose Auditorium (Bldg. 400). Returning and new students can take advantage of all of the college’s programs being in one central location at that time: the Registrar’s Office, Financial Aid, Counseling, Project AIM (TRiO programs), the Health Center, and the various college programs. For more information, contact GCC Admissions & Registration at 735-5531 or email gcc.registrar@guamcc.edu.
New Student Orientation is Tuesday, August 17 at 9:00 am in the MPA. Orientation is required for all new students, and all full-time students who have not attended a GCC New Student Orientation program. Critical information will be shared regarding Admissions and Registration, Financial Aid, Counseling, Project AIM (TRiO Programs), student organizations and other important topics. A campus tour is also included. For more information, contact the GCC Center for Student Involvement at 735-5518/9.
First day of classes: August 18.
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Maybe I’ll try posting thing a little early.
Hafa Adai
Anna
August 9th, 2010 at 11:59 am
Thanks for the piece on the military girls, Michelle. Gretta showed us the article. We all loved it. I don’t know why they picked a picture of us resting. God knows that we do need our rest. But we work just as hard as the men.
Sure, we don’t face the combat dangers as often as the men, but we are there in whatever capacity is required of us.
You are the best,
Debra
August 9th, 2010 at 12:03 pm
Michelle
You have one of the few truly unabridged blogs out there that does not require the poster to give up his blood to post. You have a blog that operates in the true spirit of the web. It grants freedom and as much anonymity as you can give to the poster.
Thank you for being a port in the storm for the oppressed in the Freedom of Expression War.
Joyse
August 9th, 2010 at 12:09 pm
Yes, we have them, but they soon have you. Literally, because the interest rates they are allowed to charge are definitely usurious.
It is a shame that for a few dollars from the credit industry, our crooked elected representatives allow them to steal billions from the people.
Landry
August 9th, 2010 at 12:17 pm
Thanks Anna fo the alert to the fine foods at the Hyatt. The frozen ahu ice cream was my favorite.
Hafa Adai
Lea
August 9th, 2010 at 12:18 pm
Michelle
I am happy that some people are getting the real story. It seems that the white news media is set on destroying the reputation of this good man.
Tim
August 9th, 2010 at 12:19 pm
Zen Lill
Did I miss something? Is Michelle hinting that you were in a movie?
August 9th, 2010 at 12:42 pm
Huge readership?
Tell me about it. I was at another place and 8 girls came up to me smiling and said that they had removed their panties too. That was before I got out on the dance floor. Rita asked me to mention her name on your blog. So she could be “famous” too. I
I asked Conchita how she knew it was me. She said that her boyfriend recognized Jorge and they put the red dress together. She says the Latinos have a few translations of your blog going out to the south American countries.
A particular big drug dealer in Columbia wants a piece of you, He says you are most definitely a hot latin woman hiding behind gringo words. He says you need a machismo experience to bring out the real you.
I don’t know mama.
But I had a great time with Jorge. He is certainly well endowed and he is not shy in bed. If he makes it to LA, this won’t have to be a HIQI.
Carla
August 9th, 2010 at 12:51 pm
Believe me Michelle enough girls showed up sans panties to make the affair more much more than I expected. I was downstairs waiting for some pards at about 10:30 when two gorgeous young things showed up grabbed a seat at the bar bought drinks and promptly turned around and flashed their pantyless assets.
I was speechless. They smiled. I asked them if they were fans of your blog. They smiled and said Michelle who? I said back in the day. They said you mean a day in the life.
I said when my two pards show up we would like to escort you up stairs. They laughed and asked if I had seen you.
That is the big question. Did you show up? No one I know saw you?
Paul
August 9th, 2010 at 1:02 pm
Hi Mischa, yes this article confirms getting fleeced once again : )
Kent, no movie was made of my weekend, though I would consider it, I moved a giant mirror into my room to zenify my home and life experiences ; ) the only thing missing was a video camera so I could replay it all, though I’m sure my companion would be happy to provide a re-enactment. I’m sure you would enjoy watching the strut of a 6 footer wearing a fedora and stilettos, it was hot, way hot…and Mischa’s pj’s played a cameo role, it was a play on words on her part…unless, were you filming on my balcony, Misch? tee hee
Carla, all men think a woman needs an experience with them to bring out the ‘real’ you, hahaha…only some of them are correct ; ) being a big drug dealer doesn’t automatically make him better in bed, in fact, women might just be afraid to tell him he’s not, and he provides drugs so why would they bother? : ) just thinking out loud…
I’m glad you had so much fun with Jorge – you now see what I’m saying about adhereing to the HIQI factor though, sometimes you don’t want to opt out at all after HIQI, and sometimes what happens after that HInotQI things change with others, but maybe not for you…
Back to work for me, Luv, Zen Lill
August 9th, 2010 at 2:07 pm
So you chickened out Carla. I had a very nice time. Drinks were on the boys all night long and I did my best to flaunt my sweet velvet muff.
I didn’t go home with one of the boys because a certain miss followed me into the ladies and said that she could see to it that my after party was a blast if I would only give her the chance.
She was an incredible looker, and I hadn’t had a female encounter since I went to Jersey to study to take their bar.
So I gave in a allowed her to feel me up. The rest was a given. If she could do that with just her fingers under testy circumstances she certainly deserved an opportunity to put those talented fingers to work in more relaxed circumstances.
Knowing that I had my date for the night and it was a she, made me so much more loose. I gave the best dry humps I could the rest of the night.
I flashed my ass at every opportunity and I went home with what turned out to all she promised.
Ursla
August 9th, 2010 at 2:37 pm
I agree with you about men. They do live in a fantasy world. The drug mogul in Columbia is a big fan of Michelle because so many girls there read her blog and discuss it openly.
As for Jorge(not mine), I’m back in LA and it was a great memory. He was nicely well endowed and he was not shy in bed.
I’m on my way to Columbia. The studio not the country, I have been offered a part in a movie. I will be bragging on the picture and when it will be out if it plays out.
I am fully aware of the “casting couch.” But I have stood firm in the past and I will continue to refuse to put out for a part in a movie.
They are mostly ugly little men who would not garner a glimpse from me in public. But I know the effect this body and face has on males. So the guy will not be able to resist putting the moves on me.
Sometimes it is a bane to be a gorgeous as I am . The gorgeous part is no exaggeration. There aren’t many women in hollywood or elsewhere who have my natural assets.
But, alas, I am a complete latin woman. I belong to my man. And that man is Jorge. He commands my body to perform, in bed his needs are my desires.
I live to please him. I go for this part because I want all his friends to see me in lights and know that I belong to my Jorge.
Carla
August 9th, 2010 at 2:40 pm
WORDS
??A husband read an article to his wife about how many words women use a day.
….??30,000 to a man’s 15,000.??
The wife replied,
‘The reason has to be because we have to repeat everything to men.
..??The husband then turned to his wife and said,
‘What?’
August 10th, 2010 at 9:17 am
President Obama really needs to clean house in the FDA. They are a bought and paid for bunch of crooks working for the pharmaceutical industry.
Here is the latest example of their willingness to kill their fellow Americans for a few dollars more.
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Drug scandal keeps getting worse
The feds can’t seem to figure out what to do with the dangerous diabetes drug Avandia, so they’ve resorted to impotent half measures–like ordering the drug’s maker, GlaxoSmithKline, to suspend recruiting for a new clinical trial.
That’s actually not that big of a deal: Avandia’s increased heart risk is so well known that trial sites were having a hard time finding patients willing to participate anyway.
But my guess is that this isn’t about protecting the patients who would have been involved in the trial. It’s about protecting the FDA–because if the agency acts on the recent recommendation by its own “expert” panel to keep Avandia on the market, it wouldn’t do to have embarrassing data from a new trial haunting them for years to come.
And speaking of that panel, the feds now admit that the carefully selected “experts” they convened to weigh one of the agency’s biggest decisions in years had conflicts so glaring you could solve the vitamin D crisis in their bright, yellow glow.
The panel, as you have probably heard, voted 20-12 to keep Avandia on the market, although most members also voted to add new warnings and restrictions.
But it turns out that one panelist, Dr. David Capuzzi, was actually a paid speaker for GlaxoSmithKline. And while the “drug” he was paid to speak about was actually the fish oil capsules sold as Lovaza, Capuzzi had also served on a GlaxoSmithKline advisory panel for Avandia.
According to the Wall Street Journal, the company paid Capuzzi a total of $14,750 over the years, with the most recent payment–$3,000–coming in the second quarter of this year.
He voted to keep Avandia on the market as is, with no additional warnings or restrictions. Coincidence? You decide–but only two out of 31 other panelists voted with him on that.
What’s more, another panelist had an equally glaring conflict on the other side of the issue. It turns out Dr. Abraham Thomas belonged to Takeda’s Diabetes Speakers Bureau between September 2007 and September 2008. He gave two presentations, and was paid between $2,000 and $3,000.
Takeda makes Actos, a direct rival to Avandia–and the drug often mentioned as the better choice (despite the fact that lifestyle changes are far better than either).
Coincidence? Again, you be the judge–but feel free to note that Thomas wasn’t nearly as lonely in his position as Capuzzi, since he joined 11 others in an effort to pull Avandia from the market.
But at this point, it’s fair to ask what else the FDA has been hiding from us. Just don’t expect any honest answers any time soon.
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It is incredulous that no one is complaining at the federal level about this neat arrangement that allows a member of the FDA to get paid by members of a group the federal government pays them to regulate.
Ruth
August 10th, 2010 at 10:28 am
[...] Herbert: Again, thanks for the update. It would be cool when you do get your x-rays to fill us in so those of us that didn’t get to see this once-in-a-lifetime line-up can enjoy it too, through you. [...]