I've been giving some thought to what sorts of things I'd like to see happen in 2010. I generally don't make resolutions, but that doesn't mean that I don't have goals. The first thing to come to mind is my anger with the idea of "too big to fail". The idea that banks or other financial institutions are "too big to fail" is something that really should disgust any right-thinking American, regardless of what side of the ideological spectrum they happen to occupy. The idea that large banks use taxpayer money to finance corporate greed, corruption, and the purchasing of politicians willing to carry water for them should be anathema to those of us who value freedom, democracy, and the free market. The idea that our tax dollars should be used to prop up the very financial institutions responsible for taking this economy into the toilet is something that makes me sick.
Of course, I'm but one person, and, financially speaking, at least, a very small fish in a very large pond. My financial decisions in and of themselves aren't going to change to balance of power in our economy. Nonetheless, I can do something positive, and with that in mind I plan on moving my money in 2010 to either a credit union or a community bank. In fact, just yesterday I began the process of transferring my money to a community credit union in Portland. I'm tired of Chase unilaterally deciding that they can change the legal agreement governing my accounts. These aren't changes that are designed to benefit me, the customer. No, they're designed to benefit the bank. They use my money, and they can changes the rules of the game any time they see fit...and yet I don't have the same right to do the same thing. WTF??
If all of us were to move our money out of one of the "too big to fail" banks, just think of the chaos it would cause for those institutions. How many of us would be shedding tears for Chase, or BofA, or Wells Fargo? Speaking for myself, and since Chase is currently my bank, Chase can go fornicate themselves. Perhaps it might be different if I felt that they actually cared about me as a customer. The reality, though, is that I'm an inconvenience. They may need and want my money, but what they hate is the fact that I actually expect some accountability.
In 2010, I'm taking my money to a place where they actually value customers and treat them as their raison d'etre>. No, my moving my (very) small fortune won't stop the funding of greed and avarice, nor will it stop outsized CEO salaries and bonuses, but that doesn't mean I have to continue to be a part of that process. It's time for me to make a chance...because I deserve better. It's something that I'd recommend to anyone, because the only way our voice will be heard is if enough of us make the decision to make ourselves heard.
