Credit Check or Get Out

Mecklenburg County (Charlotte, NC) tells 18,000 employees give permission for extensive personal checks or face termination. This is not the standard background/criminal check. I've been through that. It's pretty extensive.

I bring this up because I've followed the evolution of the credit check (worthiness check). Your worthiness number affects credit, insurance rates, job applications, rental application and seems like it could spiral out of control to further classify society.

www.charlotte.com...

[edit on 20-2-2008 by ColdWater]

I have always taken the stance that if you're not extending me a line of credit then my credit info is worthless to you. I would encourage everyone to write their representatives and get this practice banned.

there are so many variables that determine the financial history of a person that i can't see how it can be a valid indicator for anything. job loss, identity theft, medical emergency, etc...anyone who has had any sort of financially damaging incident (whether or not it was in their control) is treated as a lesser person. if someone is doing their job and doing it in a satisfactory manor then i fail to see why you need to check their credit. even if they're doing a bad job, just fire them or reprimand. credit checks say nothing.

The thing that worries me isn't that I can't get credit. I pay in cash and don't need it. It just seems this credit score is morphing into more than a tool for evaluating credit worthiness. The amount of employers who request credit checks has tripled in 10 yrs. Car insurance rates are byaffected credit score and now the job you already have could be taken away if your credit score is too low.

Eventually two or three agencies, probably one after they consolidate, will give you a number and you'll take that number to every buisness, rental agency and employer. And the higher your number the better your job, the better place you can live, the less you'll pay for goods.

Those who opt out of the credit system or have a lower number will be punished.

i did get a letter from progressive (a few months after i had switched away from them) telling me they regretted to inform me that i was not eligible for a lower rate due to my credit score. driving record? pfft, they apparently don't care if you're a careful driver. but if you had some turmoil? yeah let's compound that by giving you a crappier deal and making life even harder.

I feel for you my friend.
We are manipulated from very early on that life revolves around the sacred credit score. I would like to be free of all credit cards, but the noose is already too tight. Like you say, without a decent score, you are deemed less than worthy. So many things can affect that number, it is not a fair ruler to go by. Say I owe $200,000 in debt, and my dear great aunt left me money in her will that (after taxes) will allow me to be debt free. I am now free of debt, I am a happy guy, I try to live the rest of my life without credit, am I less a person than I was prior? The idea that your holy number can drop when you pay off and cancel your cards is dumb enough, if we adopt this score as a way to decide our entitlements, then we are complete idiots.

I suppose when it comes down to it, it really is US vs. THEM in terms of how you want to be classified.

The whole idea is to force us into a "cashless society". The powers to be wants to eliminate the use of cash as a form of payment except for very trivial purchases (such as a piece of bubble gum). When that happens it then becomes very easy for the government to track your spending habits. Remember when cash becomes eliminated, there will be some nameless beaurcrat wandering "How in the hell can this guy afford $5o for dinner on his salary" and then log you as someone to watch. Use of credit checks to determine if you can get a job or hold a job is just part of the scheme. The reason given to us is that it provides your employer information of people who could possibly be influenced to illegal acts because of their "money problems".

When actual cash is eliminated then all "cash assets" become electronic accounts. Electronic accounts (such as your savings account) are now easily accessible by electronic means. In less than five minutes of searching databases the government can find and seize all your assets. This will become a tool to easily curtail your civil liberties. Most people cannot see the relationship between credit checks and the move to a "cashless society" but it is very simple. To get or keep your job, you will need a good credit score, to get a credit score, you need to have and use a credit card. Of course use of that card will provide information on how you spend your money.

I have stated before. When cash is elimanted from our society and when this society becomes "cashless", kiss your civil liberties goodbye.

I think that some are failing to see the underlying point here... Your credit score is predicated upon your ability to manage debt. As one poster acknowledged, if you do not have debt then your credit score will drop as a result. The powers that be NEED you to carry debt; it is how they know they have you by the shorthairs and can push you into indentured servitude. Think about it... what is the need for loyalty to an employer if you owe no one money and have the wherewithall to simply walk away if you become fed up enough?

To wit, the credit score IS the MARK OF THE BEAST! Although a topic for a different thread, we are beginning to see the need to have and keep this mark in order to find your place in society. There is no room in the global economy for those who have no need to be subservient to their corporate masters. Think about it... Your credit score is NOT a primary indicator of your ability to a.) be responsible, b.) manage finances, c.) perform on the job etc... as we are led to believe - although it is used for such. The reason you are seeing it used in the manner described is to determine your level of servitude to your corporate handlers. The greater the threat of falling into full financial default, the more likely you will be to conform and take orders!

"The Credit Score"

The ultimate form of discrimination. If you can afford it we'll give it to you for less. If you can't afford it well we'll simply jump your intrest rate.

This form of discrimination needs to be eliminated.

I remember the other thread about Medical Credit Scores more discrimination at its finest.

Originally posted by kozmo
I think that some are failing to see the underlying point here... Your credit score is predicated upon your ability to manage debt. As one poster acknowledged, if you do not have debt then your credit score will drop as a result. The powers that be NEED you to carry debt; it is how they know they have you by!

Good post. I concur entirely. I'm not a literalist concerning the bible, but there's a lot of similiarity between the "mark" and credit score.

reply to post by kozmo


Also kozmo you forgot to add: If you carry debt, then you will assume the cost of that debt such as a high interest rate. On top of being forced to be indebted to your coporate and government overlords, you will also be rquired to pay 18% a year interest on that debt. Think about it. Force people to use credit cards, etc. to get a good credit score. Then further destroy their independence by tacking a high interest rate on thier purchaces making their obligation to their "masters" even higher. We seem to be in agreement that this is a way (although not the entire attack) to make the public economically servile to both the coporations and the government

reply to post by jagdflieger


COMPLETELY!!! The true irony is the fact that these are the same tactics employed by the mafia... lend money to extremely needy people, attach incredible usury rates and when they cannot pay it back, the mafia could either a.) kill them or b.) compel them to do something for the mob in order to "pay it off." Even then, once in the system, it was the mafia that determined when your debt was paid off - which was usually never! The key being that this was classified as usuary and was illegal. But, never underestimate the government! They don't like someone else coming up with such schemes and getting rich unless it's them!

I liked your carry-thru on my post, however, you failed to accurately portray the true interest rates. Most Americans would KILL for an 18% interest rate. Most are getting raked over the coals with 27% or as high as 30%+!

i had a card when i was in college that had a 21% rate. i messed up one payment and it hit 27%. years later when i was having trouble (out of work, then found a job that didn't pay enough to make ends meet), i called them to see if they could work something out to get it paid off. they basically told me they could lower my minimum payment for 3 months. wtf is that supposed to accomplish? no reduction in interest, no willingness to settle, waive fees, etc. i had other cards that weren't as bad on the interest, but they were also unwilling to budge. so i filed bankruptcy. i couldn't afford to pay them all and have enough to live off of. and of course the government wouldn't help us because i actually HAD a job, even though it wasn't enough - i even worked 2 jobs AND went to school at night. i probably could have gotten my wife pregnant, quit my job, and gotten assistance. but because i'm not that type of person we suffered. in that situation the BK was the best thing we could have done. we're pretty much back to where we were - able to pay our bills, handle our debt, and have a little fun money once in a while.

sorry i kind of got side-tracked there a bit...i'm just upset at the whole system.

Sorry about that kozmo. Since I have not had a credit card for over 20 years (or more), I lost track of the real interest rates. Gee when the mafia charged interest rates like that, it was illegeal. When VISA does it, it seems to be allright. Another real kicker is that you end up paying interest on the interest (since I belive that unpaid interest is added to your debt). Of course we do have all those "credit counselors" who will help us handle our credit card debt.

In ND it is standard to have an extensive background check for most jobs that require a 2 year or more college education. This includes bank checks and run of the mill credit. It is the same type of check that the bank did when I bought my house.

I think the main thing an employer would be interested in is whether you have defaulted on loans or have had credit card charge offs. In my opinion if you get a credit card and run it up to $2,000 and decide not to pay, its stealing, it doesn’t matter if you steal $2,000 from a person or large company it’s still stealing. Bad things happen but more often then not people get out of control with spending. They buy a car trade it in a year later roll $4,000 negative equity into the new car, then they get bored of that one and do it again till their practically making a mortgage payment for a car and they are $10,000 upside down in with no hope of being able to trade out of it, stuck for five or six years.

Cars are the worst investment you can possibly make. Unless you have lots of money try to buy one for cash. The only loan anyone should have is a moorage, at least you can write off the interest. A 21% interest rate on a car is ridiculous; you will end up paying $25,000 for a $15,000 car at the end of the loan. Unfortunately you need to have good credit to get a decent interest rate on your mortgage or a mortgage at all. The best thing to do is get a credit card, charge $100 a month on it and pay it off each month. This will help you build credit.

People want instant gratification and won’t wait to save money so they live beyond there means. You would be surprised by how many people who have these problems.

If you owned a business and you saw on someone’s credit report that they owned $50k in back child support, has charged off credit cards, has bankruptcies, what would you think? If you have $5000 on a credit card and you can only afford to make payments of $100-$200 a month, it can take you years upon years to pay it off, while each month you’re throwing away $50-$80 in interest charges, it’s crazy.

If you’re a grown person and sign a contract and break that contact how can you get mad at the company? You did it to yourself; I think many employers see it this way. If I was looking to higher an office manager to manage all my companies’ money I would like to know that she is good at managing her own


[edit on 11-3-2008 by jojoKnowsBest]

In my opinion, the only business an employer should look at is if you are dishonest. Have you stolen? Have you sued a previous employer, if so why? Are you dependable?
The rest is a dark agenda we are not fully comprehending yet, but we soon will.

Getting a new place to rent? Do you pay your rent? Are you quiet? these are things owners concern themselves with.

There have always been precautions taken in different areas, but to delve into your innermost information is totally out of line and should be abolished.

Next, if you're FAT you wont get that rental, after all, it means you could be sloppy about your lifestyle.
There would be no end in sight.

I would like to chime in what I think could be an important piece to this puzzle.

I have recently taken a new job, as I was filling all the necessary paper work, I do what I always do, and ask about how my paycheck will work? The HR person said that I had 2 options, the first one was direct deposit (which I normally don't do because I like to have an actual check in hand. Not to mention I don't like having to give out ANY sort of private information, and to me, my bank account information IS very private to me.) or... the alternative was that they were going to soon change to "cash cards" in other words, she said that they're moving away from live checks and into giving their employees cards which would be "filled" every pay period. I did not like this alternative any better. So I went ahead and did a direct deposit. As if this wasn't scary enough already, this was already the second employer that had given me these 2 options (no live checks anymore).

I understand this whole idea of wanting to move to a cashless society since the dollar is now near worthless. However, this doesn't bode well for us as soon we'll be moving to the real ID, and then to be chipped. Lets be honest with each other too... do you honestly think that this would be a good idea, especially if you decide to travel outside the country? I would love to see a japanese person's reaction when they see the silly american handing him a cash card from his employer to try and pay for souvernir's. Let us not forget that this would also easily become an ID thief's wet dream!