Free For Free

XM radio is about 80% commercial free. Unfortunately, the station that I listen to half the time I’m in the car, ESPN Radio, is part of that obnoxious minority. Let’s say there are 5 30 second spots per break. In the last few months, it has been possible, even likely, that all 5 of these spots are various debt reduction agencies or tax relief funds. Forgetting their regrettable wording decisions (“call now for a free consultation that will set you free” – time for a thesaurus guys), they have one thing in common.

Your financial situation is not your fault.

In fact, you deserve a second chance. Life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and a blissful lack of personal culpability – this is the American dream.

Let’s state this up front. These agencies wouldn’t flood the market with their advertising – literally dozens a day – unless it were profitable for them to do so. They want you to find out what the credit card companies don’t want you to know. Really? They don’t want that? Here’s my conversation with these guys if I’m a credit card company and I don’t want to settle your dumbass debt.

Debt Help Experts: Hello, I’m calling on behalf of Jill Smith. Our records show that she owes you $14,000 of credit card debt. She deserves a second chance – it’s not her fault! We are willing to pay you $8,000 up front, in cash, if you forgive the remaining balance.

Me, Credit Card Company: No thanks.

See, that’s what I say if I don’t want her to settle her debt.

Now, you may bemoan the high interest rates. Unfortunately, this is how credit works – and it was written down before you started. Why else would they exist? As a public service? No. Pay in cash if you don’t want to pay interest. Here’s a concept: don’t spend money you don’t have. How is this rocket science? Maybe for some it is too complicated. These people should be denied credit. See? That’s why we have credit scores.

But I forgot. It’s not your fault. That cashmere sweater is singing a sweet, sultry siren song that you simply can’t resist. It’s their fault! Not mine! The spirit’s willing, but the flesh is weak!

And everyone makes mistakes! I don’t deserve this debt. Except for when I acquired goods and services while attaining it.

But my problem here is not with those people who are pregnant with debt because they can’t keep their wallets closed. The advertising of those trying to “help” them irks me. The attitude that “this is not my fault, I deserve better” irks me. You deserve what you earn.

That’s not to say that forgiveness is a problem. It’s not. You don’t deserve forgiveness however. Undeserved favor is called grace, and once we make grace our God-given right it is no longer grace. There is no more central concept in the Christian worldview than the favor bestowed by God on undeserving recipients. These commercials, a product of our modern culture, are a symptom of a greater ill.

And I don’t think they capture what people know deep down inside either.

I’d like, for once, a commercial to try a different tact.

“Look. You stretched your budget beyond it’s breaking point. Maybe you felt like your justifications were good at the time, but now you’re trapped. The mistakes of your past do not need to prevent you from reclaiming your future. Call Debt Help Experts and let us help you find a way out of your debt. You’ve learned your lesson – you just need a chance to prove it.”

Is that so hard?

Addendum
I’m quite certain that this woman doesn’t know the definition of the word “selfish”. She’s also delusional if she thinks she’s going to be able to go back to school while not having an income and caring for 14 children. She claims media bias because she’s a single embryo donor and not part of a couple – I don’t care if she traded three kids for (unemployed) husbands, she’s still not going to school while caring for 14 children with no income.

I’d be interested in the mental state of the sperm donor too. Who thinks its a good idea to let his friend have 7 kids (with the last one turning into 8 ) with no means of supporting any of them? Thank goodness we have the general public to feed them all via our morbid curiosity and the media’s lust to market it. She’ll get hundreds of thousands in donations – donations which could have been used to support people that don’t intentionally put themselves and their family into harm’s way. But what’s done is done, at this point you have to support them, because these 14 kids didn’t ask for this situation.

And that is why someone here doesn’t understand concept of selfishness. Selfishness is having 7 dogs in an apartment because you love dogs. Or 14 babies. Same deal.

I’m not cranky, I just sound that way.

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