Sunday, July 18, 2004
5/07: Why I don’t become a lawyer, do interviews or the consumer advocate circus
Updated 5/30/07:
I finally decided to write a book and changed the title of this entry and made some updates.
1) I’m not going to become a lawyer
a) You have to be licensed in every state you want to practice and each court has different rules.
b) Money is a lot more important than legal skills. If I had the cash, I could HIRE competent lawyers to represent me or others in any court. That would be a winning strategy, I could put my credit knowledge into their filings.
Nobody can know everything, and unfortunately even top FCRA attorneys say really stupid things:
“The main problem with a BK consumer is that they have already caused maximum damage to their credit/rating. Causation to damage is tough where they have ruined their credit with a BK [a max derog]. “ [David Szwak, cream skimming NACA Consumer “Advocate” Attorney]
My Bankruptcy Affidavit and my Bank One / First USA press release show just how little the nation’s top attorneys know about credit.
c) I learned that NACA is not at all what they claim to be:
Cream skimming CONSUMER ADVOCATE lawyers sold out to the corporations
d) I also learned that attorneys are licensed to lie (litigation privilege) and to submit false corporate affidavits:
My 7/4/05 Complaint to the Arizona State Bar about the Capital One lying attorneys
e) I’m too old, 48, and I’m looking forward to a more enjoyable life soon. Lawyering is not my idea of fun.
2) I finally decided to write a book, hopefully in winter 07/08.
I know that I don’t want to relive my litigation and I always questioned whether anyone would want to read about the corruption throughout America. It’s depressing. “129 ways to lose a slam dunk case in an American court because you have no lawyer.” “Why I left America, a country in rapid decline.” It’s just plain depressing.
Looking for co-author to write a book NOT about credit repair
It won’t be a credit repair book, that’s at CreditFactors as a subscription. Printing a book about credit is not feasible because credit and scoring CHANGE so fast and as I discover new software bugs, I have to update at least once a month.
3) Why I decline requests for interviews
I don’t have any time to waste. The media is part of the “system” and I’m NOT a “player.” Credit is too complicated. The media is looking for SIMPLE solutions and of course sob stories. I got neither.
In 97, I spent a lot of time on a WSJ interview, only to have the editor completely change and delete what I said and of course he deleted all references to my web sites. And Experian happened to shut off my credit reporting account, blacklisting me forever—the death of a mortgage broker career.
So I declined interviews until Anne Kadet with Smart Money Magazine asked me in 2003 about the refusal of Capital One to report the credit limits and the effect on credit scores.
After explaining to Ms. Kadet the Balance/Limit ratio and my dealings with the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond’s James McAfee, she decided to OMIT any explanation of how to calculate the ratio as well as any references to me and my web sites.
When I asked what happened, she wrote:
“I didn’t include anything about you because I had to keep the article short and your story was very complicated. Sorry about that. You were very kind to be so generous with your time.”
The article was NOT short at all. It was 5 pages long and some of the biggest waste of ink and paper I can imagine. Ms. Kadet didn’t elaborate what was so complicated and I replied to her:
“No offense, but with all the mundane bla bla bla in the ** 5 ** page article, neither a lack of space nor that it’s too complicated sounds true to me.”
I asked: “Does your magazine contain advertising by Capital One, the credit bureaus and Fair Isaac?” I didn’t get a reply.
So, don’t bother reading Smart Money Magazine, either written by stupid reporters for stupid readers or edited to not reflect negatively on their advertisers.
All kinds of 3 letter news organizations request to talk to me, of course I decline. When I offer to provide answers to specific questions if e-mailed, I don’t hear from them again. They mostly look for sob stories.
I understand that readers mean well when they recommend me to reporters, but the mainstream media is never going to print the truth about credit and credit scoring because the CRAs, Fair Isaac and banks are major advertisers.
4) Why I don’t participate in the consumer advocate circus
Actually, it’s a circuit, but circus is a much better word to describe the consumer advocate activities.
As I go through the dockets and filings in FCRA cases, the same expert witness names pop up over and over. Several contacted me over the years, requesting information about one thing or another or trying to get me to find plaintiffs for class actions.
Most are “consumer advocates” by name only. They make a living getting paid for expert witness testimony and speaking engagements, some are selling their books. They testify for Congress because that’s a great resume filler and it adds to the credibility of their expert witness testimony, so they can charge more.
I’ve seen those resumes, requiring a minimum $2,500 retainer for an expert opinion years ago and it’s probably higher now.
I’m not aware of any of these so-called consumer advocates linking to my web sites or mentioning my sites or suits in their books or anywhere else. They never contributed anything to my web sites or lawsuits. NOTHING.
They can take a flying leap along with the media, the politicians and the many consumer advocate lawyers looking only for “sexy” cases.
I have no intention of ever performing in this circus. I will not cater to advertisers. I’m a nonviolent anarchist. I document what’s going on and some readers get it and file their own suits.
I’ve been wanting to leave the US since 2002, but my litigation kept me here. Now, I’m not sure where to go anymore. Most other countries on this continent are either politically and economically aligned with the US (NAFTA, CAFTA) and if they aren’t, they might well be the next US target. Suggestions are welcome!
FYI - if you’re wondering why I do what I do, please read my bio
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