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This Week in Review
WEDNESDAY, Apr. 20
April 28, 2005
Went to work this morning listening to a nonsensical David Marcus essay on National Public Radio denouncing teenage drug abuse in all its forms. He got all huffy because today is 4/20, Stoner Day or whatever the kids are calling it these days. Yes, yes, it's all very bad. But Marcus completely missed the real significance of today—it's Adolf Hitler's birthday! On this day in Braunau, Austria back in 1889, little Adolf was born. To celebrate, our fearless leader George W. Bush today paid homage to the giant banks and credit card companies who've so loyally funded his presidential campaigns by signing a 500-page bill making it nearly impossible for not-so-wealthy citizens to declare bankruptcy. Never mind that the big credit card companies can slap down all sorts of unexpected penalties and rate hikes on people who miss a payment by a mere hour. Or that the companies are increasingly scheduling due dates on Sundays or holidays, which increase the odds of racking in late payments. Or that many of these fees and rate increases are buried in legalistic fine print that few attorneys even understand. And guys like Marcus wonder why 4/20 is all the rage.