Did you know the Irish stock market (ISEQ) has crashed and lost over 40 billion Euro in one year? If your not one of the few stock investors in Ireland then your answer will probably be no. Not surprising since you’re not really being told.Honestly, I am not surprised. It is starting to happen in American where big companies are downsizing, big players are selling stocks (some of the who's are insider information so I can say who, sorry) I don't think we are immune to this and it is just a matter of time.
read more | digg story
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Friday, December 28, 2007
Voting Fraud, Get your Absentee Ballots Now
Hello Everyone,
I have bad news for those in Florida and possibly anyone else in this current condition. I had changed my registration to Republican in order to vote for Ron Paul in the Florida Primaries, mainly because we're awesome and have closed primaries :( I did this change back in October and have not received my registration yet. Being a concerned voter, I went down to the registration office in St. Petersburg to verify I had been changed to Republican, since Florida registration closes at the end of the December. They had changed me to Republican, however managed to spell my name wrong, that is now corrected. I was under the impression, through inquiry, that we would be using some form of scanned voting where a paper trail is created. I asked, just out of curiosity, about how we would be voting. Much to my dismay, I was told that we are using the electronic voting machines, the same ones used at the Saint Petersburg Straw Poll at the Saint Petersburg Debate. You know, the same ones that had all the problems, voting fraud and incorrectly told you who you voted for. These are the rebranded Diebold machines that are under much controversy in their accuracy. They could not tell me why they are using them and so I asked what my options were. They told me, if I wanted a paper vote I would have to do an Absentee Ballot, which has to counted by hand. I want to urge everyone, who cares about their vote to do the same, regardless of voting type that happens to be electronic. Please get this message out and help us, regardless of your choice in candidate, and make your vote count for something and not be subject to error or problems with the machines.
I have bad news for those in Florida and possibly anyone else in this current condition. I had changed my registration to Republican in order to vote for Ron Paul in the Florida Primaries, mainly because we're awesome and have closed primaries :( I did this change back in October and have not received my registration yet. Being a concerned voter, I went down to the registration office in St. Petersburg to verify I had been changed to Republican, since Florida registration closes at the end of the December. They had changed me to Republican, however managed to spell my name wrong, that is now corrected. I was under the impression, through inquiry, that we would be using some form of scanned voting where a paper trail is created. I asked, just out of curiosity, about how we would be voting. Much to my dismay, I was told that we are using the electronic voting machines, the same ones used at the Saint Petersburg Straw Poll at the Saint Petersburg Debate. You know, the same ones that had all the problems, voting fraud and incorrectly told you who you voted for. These are the rebranded Diebold machines that are under much controversy in their accuracy. They could not tell me why they are using them and so I asked what my options were. They told me, if I wanted a paper vote I would have to do an Absentee Ballot, which has to counted by hand. I want to urge everyone, who cares about their vote to do the same, regardless of voting type that happens to be electronic. Please get this message out and help us, regardless of your choice in candidate, and make your vote count for something and not be subject to error or problems with the machines.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Ron Paul and White Supremacy
What kind of money will Ron Paul refuse? I'm not from his official campaign but I don't think he would refuse much regardless of source unless it was obtained by illegal means. Since no one seems to take notice, Ron Paul hardly gets any solicitations from lobbyists in Washington. Why? Because they know that if they give him money to push a bill he won't do so because they gave him money. He will accept the money as a donation, but will continue to do as he has always done, defend our rights and the constitution.
Now, he has received some money from corporations from a site that track it, I wish i could find the link but he doesn't outright refuse the money. The people, corporations(few there are) and others will donate to him with full knowledge that it is just a charitable donation with no influence on the 72 year old candidate. If he is already fighting for your cause and you don't have to lobby to him to get him to work to your benefit, at least give him money to keep doing what he's been doing.
I don't by any means defend the views of Don Black, however, money is money, is money, is money. Unfortunately you need a lot of it to fight the political battles and if Mr. Black feels that Ron Paul is helping America and stands for ideals, even if they don't endorse his specifically, I say go for it. I don't know much about Mr. Black and I don't think not giving him his 500 back with hurt him much. If he gives the money back it is almost against Ron Paul's message. That would be telling Mr. Black that sorry, your practice of freedom is not as good as someone else's. Mr. Black just happens to wear his negative views on his sleeve and is proud of them. What about the people that donate money to campaigns and watch kiddy pron, commit violent acts against their family, sell/use illegal drugs? I mean, I'm sorry but everyone has their rights, and if they are exercising them in a bad manner then they will get the justice they deserve upon being caught or making a mistake.
Monday, December 10, 2007
Tucker on Ron Paul Blimp
Tucker Carlson discusses the Ron Paul blimp as well as the Revolution in our country.
read more | digg story
read more | digg story
Meet the Press omitts Ron Paul. Didn't the Hearst Era End?
Again it happens. Ron Paul is not on the list of candidates worth talking to. Ron Paul will raise more money than three candidates combined who are invited but MSNBC is part of the "New Media" mind, that the country needs to know what we tell them they should know. Shame on Meet the Press for letting the "press" be the news, not report it!
read more | digg story
read more | digg story
Thursday, December 6, 2007
Religion Crapping on America
U.S. constitution
Article VI.
"The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States."
There, now that everyone is clear on that subject we can move on with this election. I don't care who you are, or what your religion is. In America's Elections, keep your religion to yourself. You are sworn to uphold The Constitution of the United States, not the Bible, not the Book of Mormon, not the Koran, nothing religious...period. Your religious beliefs are important because they display a role of character and trust, they do not qualify you to run the country, in particular, mine. I want an advocate of my rights, my privacy and my money. I know this sounds incredibly selfish, however, it is not. If you are running for office and you can satisfy those basic needs for me, then I think you are doing a great job for everyone because mine are simple...stay out of my life and protect me. I got really sick watching the debates in Saint Petersburg (what's worse is that I live here) and they asked that God awful question. How dare you (CNN) violate our laws like this. You defame our Constitution with such a disregard for our founding principles. I know I support Ron Paul, and frankly that doesn't matter. Why? Because I don't support Ron because he's the hype, the craze of this election, and not even because he's GQ's Dark Horse Candidate. I support Ron Paul because he supports me and my rights in this country. I'm not loyal to him in any way other than these. I was registered Democrat before this because I wanted change. I'm not affiliated with either party because of small issues. I'm affiliated with the party that has my rights in mind. Right now, RP has done the best job of improving the GOP and they won't even recognize it. I'm Republican because there is change coming and it is starting here. If it had happened on the Democrat side, then I would be there, but it didn't. You people need to wake up, it is not about party affiliation, it is about restoring our country, our liberty and our rights. Before I go, lets make one thing clear, I don't want to hear crap about religion unless it is from my friends and family. You politicians should damn well know better than to use your beliefs as leverage on my vote. Whatever God you choose to believe in, you better know that they are aware of the crap you are putting out. Religion is not a dog and pony show for you to better your standing in life, it is there to help you as a person grow and make it through life. Don't throw your beliefs in my face ever again!
Article VI.
"The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States."
There, now that everyone is clear on that subject we can move on with this election. I don't care who you are, or what your religion is. In America's Elections, keep your religion to yourself. You are sworn to uphold The Constitution of the United States, not the Bible, not the Book of Mormon, not the Koran, nothing religious...period. Your religious beliefs are important because they display a role of character and trust, they do not qualify you to run the country, in particular, mine. I want an advocate of my rights, my privacy and my money. I know this sounds incredibly selfish, however, it is not. If you are running for office and you can satisfy those basic needs for me, then I think you are doing a great job for everyone because mine are simple...stay out of my life and protect me. I got really sick watching the debates in Saint Petersburg (what's worse is that I live here) and they asked that God awful question. How dare you (CNN) violate our laws like this. You defame our Constitution with such a disregard for our founding principles. I know I support Ron Paul, and frankly that doesn't matter. Why? Because I don't support Ron because he's the hype, the craze of this election, and not even because he's GQ's Dark Horse Candidate. I support Ron Paul because he supports me and my rights in this country. I'm not loyal to him in any way other than these. I was registered Democrat before this because I wanted change. I'm not affiliated with either party because of small issues. I'm affiliated with the party that has my rights in mind. Right now, RP has done the best job of improving the GOP and they won't even recognize it. I'm Republican because there is change coming and it is starting here. If it had happened on the Democrat side, then I would be there, but it didn't. You people need to wake up, it is not about party affiliation, it is about restoring our country, our liberty and our rights. Before I go, lets make one thing clear, I don't want to hear crap about religion unless it is from my friends and family. You politicians should damn well know better than to use your beliefs as leverage on my vote. Whatever God you choose to believe in, you better know that they are aware of the crap you are putting out. Religion is not a dog and pony show for you to better your standing in life, it is there to help you as a person grow and make it through life. Don't throw your beliefs in my face ever again!
Ron Paul on The View 12-4-07
I just called the Ron Paul Campaign about his abortion views and something I had been thinking about. One of the arguments used on The View, was that only rich people would be able to afford abortions, since the federal government will not subsidize the clinics. Now if the Ron Paul campaign is successful in cutting out all these taxes that are a result of our excessive government spending and size. Now under a Ron Paul administration we would all be a lot better off financially because of the lack of government intervention. If I am a christian, I don't want my tax dollars subsidizing abortion clinics, because it is a religious contradiction to my beliefs. Now if you are pro-choice and you aren't taxed to subsidize abortion clinics along with an income tax and the plethora of taxes on a federal level, why not donate your money to fund these clinics? The person I spoke to a the campaign office said that many states subsidize abortion clinics on their own to provide this opportunity to those in need. The rich will not be the only ones who have access because the divide between the rich and the poor will shrink and money will be more freely available. This will not be a option left only to the rich and powerful but will remain about the same because of WORKING monetary, foreign and domestic policies that allow americans to keep more of their money and spend it on taking care of themselves, as opposed to everyone.
In the event that your state does make abortions illegal, it does not rule out you going to another state to have one. It also tells you and every other pro-choice individual in your state to do your jobs on the local government level to move things in your favor. The whole idea is to get people to take responsibility for themselves and get involved with their local governments, because you don't have to worry so much about what's going on in your community, city, county, state, and federal level. You cut the federal government out of the picture and you immediately have more voice on a local level. I really hope everyone understands this and the Ron Paul campaign confirmed that this is how things are supposed to work.
Personally, my position is pro-life, however, it is not my right to take away your right for an abortion. As mentioned before, I do not want my tax dollars going to subsidize something I feel is morally incorrect. That is what the money of the pro-choice people is for. They have a responsibility to themselves and all the others who support their position to donate, volunteer and work for reform to allow abortions on their local and state levels.
Saturday, December 1, 2007
How America Lost the War on Drugs
An interesting article done by Rolling Stones outlining how America Lost the War on Drugs.
read more | digg story
read more | digg story
Friday, November 30, 2007
Official: Google's quest for 700MHz is so on
Hear that America? That's the sound of the hammer dropping on our beloved cartel of carriers. Google's bid for the 700MHz "C Block" is on. Eric Schmidt, Google Chairman and CEO, says the following: "We believe it's important to put our money where our principles are. Consumers deserve more competition and innovation than they have in today's..."
read more | digg story
read more | digg story
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Stand Up for America
We need to do something about this. I had recently emailed our senators regarding the HR 1955 Act and asked them to vote NO. I got my response back from one of them today. It does not look good. If you are not familiar with this act please read it here: S 1959, Known as the HR 1955 This will sacrifice our constitutional rights because of loose wording (SHOULD not violate constitutional rights) and will expand our government, requiring more money that we don't have. If we want to best protect our borders and our country, BRING OUR TROOPS HOME NOW!
We need to send emails, letters, phone calls to them and let them know we support our freedom. My Senator currently wants to support the sacrifice of our freedom for security. This is even better because we are going to lose both. Please, I urge you to spread this to the meetups and everyone you know and write to our senators and tell them we don't want our rights trampled on. Our Senators WORK FOR US and REPRESENT US, they do not have office to make decisions on what they feel is best for us. They are our tool and voice put there by the US Constitution for our protection!
Here is the email I received from him:
"Dear Mr. xxxxxxxxx:
Thank you for letting me know your concerns regarding the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 (H.R. 1955). I appreciate hearing from you.Our nation is currently at war with a ruthless enemy who exploits the openness of our free society, has no regard for human life, and is prepared to go to any lengths to harm our people and our allies. It is imperative that we engage in a robust effort to gather intelligence information from suspected terrorists, and that we understand and address the root causes of terrorism to avoid future attacks on the American people. These goals can be accomplished without undermining our Constitutional civil liberties. As you know, on October 23, 2007, the House of Representatives adopted H.R. 1955 by a 404 to 6 vote. This bill would authorize several measures to analyze and prevent terrorism in our nation, including looking at what other nations have done in this area. Section 899F of this bill explicitly prohibits these efforts from violating the constitutional rights of U.S. Citizens and legal residents to ensure that we remain well within our constitutional framework as we protect our nation.H.R. 1955 currently awaits consideration by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs. My highest priority is to safeguard our homeland. Please know that I will keep your concerns in mind should the full Senate consider the provisions of this bill. Again, thank you for sharing your views with me. Do not hesitate to contact me with any additional questions or comments you may have. For more information about issues and activities important to Florida, please sign up for my weekly newsletter at http://martinez.senate.gov.
Sincerely,
Mel Martinez
United States Senator"
I understand and feel that it is easy for them to ignore us. However, as per our constitution, they are ELECTED officials and that the voices of a few can be ignored. What I am trying to get everyone to do is All the Florida and all the meetup groups across the nation need to do the same thing. There are many of us out there. More than any of those in power want to recognize. The concept is we are the voice of change. They have to listen to us if we all stand up. We are growing day by day and so our power as a people grows. We vote the same number of times they do to get someone elected. Those with money and power pay off their votes and we know that we cannot be bought. Our votes can and will outweigh theirs and we will get someone into office that will listen to us. First task is simple. We make requests, on this subject, request to get the HR 1955 voted down. We engage in warm, friendly, and concerned conversation so we have appeal and they don't discount our requests. By then we have built rapport with them and when they don't listen to us is when we make ourselves clear to them. We are the votes that elect you into office. We voted them into office to voice OUR opinions, not for them to make decisions for us (We are perfectly capable of that). They don't respect our voice, they don't get to keep office, period.
Our system has a process for us to speak and be represented through, this is a republic afterall and not a democracy. Not many people take the time to have their voice heard. We have all come under Ron Paul because he is reviving the process and reminding us of the Republic that makes this nation so great. We have a responsibility to support Ron Paul because the President is a major voice for the people. We also have a social responsibility to ourselves and our neighbors to make sure we do our part to get our representatives to represent us and give us our republic back. Holding a political office is not an office of power, it is an office of grave responsibility to make sure they are taking care of US and meeting our needs that we voice to them.We, together, speak for freedom of America, we want our country back. Ron Paul alone, though a great tool, can not do this job and get his changes passed, if we don't do our part to make sure congress will vote with him. Save the Republic, vote Ron Paul, and Do your part!
We need to send emails, letters, phone calls to them and let them know we support our freedom. My Senator currently wants to support the sacrifice of our freedom for security. This is even better because we are going to lose both. Please, I urge you to spread this to the meetups and everyone you know and write to our senators and tell them we don't want our rights trampled on. Our Senators WORK FOR US and REPRESENT US, they do not have office to make decisions on what they feel is best for us. They are our tool and voice put there by the US Constitution for our protection!
Here is the email I received from him:
"Dear Mr. xxxxxxxxx:
Thank you for letting me know your concerns regarding the Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 (H.R. 1955). I appreciate hearing from you.Our nation is currently at war with a ruthless enemy who exploits the openness of our free society, has no regard for human life, and is prepared to go to any lengths to harm our people and our allies. It is imperative that we engage in a robust effort to gather intelligence information from suspected terrorists, and that we understand and address the root causes of terrorism to avoid future attacks on the American people. These goals can be accomplished without undermining our Constitutional civil liberties. As you know, on October 23, 2007, the House of Representatives adopted H.R. 1955 by a 404 to 6 vote. This bill would authorize several measures to analyze and prevent terrorism in our nation, including looking at what other nations have done in this area. Section 899F of this bill explicitly prohibits these efforts from violating the constitutional rights of U.S. Citizens and legal residents to ensure that we remain well within our constitutional framework as we protect our nation.H.R. 1955 currently awaits consideration by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs. My highest priority is to safeguard our homeland. Please know that I will keep your concerns in mind should the full Senate consider the provisions of this bill. Again, thank you for sharing your views with me. Do not hesitate to contact me with any additional questions or comments you may have. For more information about issues and activities important to Florida, please sign up for my weekly newsletter at http://martinez.senate.gov.
Sincerely,
Mel Martinez
United States Senator"
I understand and feel that it is easy for them to ignore us. However, as per our constitution, they are ELECTED officials and that the voices of a few can be ignored. What I am trying to get everyone to do is All the Florida and all the meetup groups across the nation need to do the same thing. There are many of us out there. More than any of those in power want to recognize. The concept is we are the voice of change. They have to listen to us if we all stand up. We are growing day by day and so our power as a people grows. We vote the same number of times they do to get someone elected. Those with money and power pay off their votes and we know that we cannot be bought. Our votes can and will outweigh theirs and we will get someone into office that will listen to us. First task is simple. We make requests, on this subject, request to get the HR 1955 voted down. We engage in warm, friendly, and concerned conversation so we have appeal and they don't discount our requests. By then we have built rapport with them and when they don't listen to us is when we make ourselves clear to them. We are the votes that elect you into office. We voted them into office to voice OUR opinions, not for them to make decisions for us (We are perfectly capable of that). They don't respect our voice, they don't get to keep office, period.
Our system has a process for us to speak and be represented through, this is a republic afterall and not a democracy. Not many people take the time to have their voice heard. We have all come under Ron Paul because he is reviving the process and reminding us of the Republic that makes this nation so great. We have a responsibility to support Ron Paul because the President is a major voice for the people. We also have a social responsibility to ourselves and our neighbors to make sure we do our part to get our representatives to represent us and give us our republic back. Holding a political office is not an office of power, it is an office of grave responsibility to make sure they are taking care of US and meeting our needs that we voice to them.We, together, speak for freedom of America, we want our country back. Ron Paul alone, though a great tool, can not do this job and get his changes passed, if we don't do our part to make sure congress will vote with him. Save the Republic, vote Ron Paul, and Do your part!
Friday, November 23, 2007
Harvard Physicist Plays Magician With the Speed of Light
Lene Vestergaard Hau can stop a pulse of light in midflight, start it up again at 0.13 miles per hour, and then make it appear in a completely different location.
read more | digg story
read more | digg story
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Moments of Crisis Carry Seeds of Opportunity
Yesterday a letter from Ron Paul Headquarters made a valid point. Advertising money is needed now. This is due to the delay that occurs between the ad purchase date, and the date that purchased ads can begin to run.
read more | digg story
read more | digg story
Friday, November 16, 2007
Paid for by Plastic and your Local Merchants
"A wise and frugal government, which shall leave men free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvement, and shall not take from the mouth of labor and bread it has earned - this is the sum of good government."
--Thomas Jefferson
Ron Paul Activity Alert
Tomorrow (11/17) will be "The Great Freedom Rally" of Ron Paul supporters, hosted in Clearwater, Florida. The purpose is to raise awareness of Ron Paul, in preparation of the CNN/Youtube Debates @ the Progress Energy Center in St. Pete.
Link to Freedom Rally's Site and Registration: http://ronpaulfreedomrally.com/index.php
Link to my meetup group's event: http://ronpaul.meetup.com/242/calendar/6455850/
In Honor of Freedom
Since I had started college, I have held multiple jobs that have always handled high volume transfers of monies. It has been my experience that the worst thing that could happen to a business is if something were to happen to credit card processing. We, as Americans, cherish our plastic and often deem it as a secure way to disperse our funds for bills, clothing, food, and pleasure. The inconvenience of going into a business and at the time of purchase, you are told that their credit card system is down or that your cardis not accepted at their business.
Until recently, I never understood why it was so difficult for a business to do credit card processing and what the big deal was around it. Truth be told, the industry itself is the biggest problem.
Level 1 The bank
It all starts with the banks. They issue the credit cards that are either tied to your bank account(s) or credit line. These are the people that you pay all your fees and interest to. When it comes to any disputes you may have over a transaction, the bank has ultimate say in the resolution since they are issuing the card and usually tend to favor the customer, because you pay their bills.
Level 2 The Processor
Next in line are the credit card processors that handle the credit card transactions. They provide the communication line from the point of purchase, to you bank for authorizations and credits on your card. This is, by no means, a free service and they usually tack on a rate/fee to the merchants that is variable, depending on what information was provided with your card number.
The role of the processor is to receive any card transactions and distribute the transaction requested to the authorizing bank or company (Amex, Bank of America, Etc) and once they receive a response (usually declined or approved), they will relay that to the merchant to be handled accordingly.
Level 3 Merchant Services
On top the of that most merchants do not process directly through these companies, they usually go through a third party processor that provides the service of setting up their merchant account, maintenance and any other merchant services they provide. These companies will generally add a price tag for their services that is either a direct payment or an additional rate on top of what you already pay to the previously mentioned processors. Most sales reps for these companies make a commission off of how much business you do and you usually will see better service (if this is the case) if you have a higher volume of transactions.
Level 4 swipe where?
Currently there are a myriad of solutions when it comes down to how you are going to process a customer's credit card. Most consumers will be familiar with the stand alone terminals that you see in gas stations or mom&pop shops. This is the most widely used form because it is simplest to setup and usually is received from the company you set your merchant account up with for credit card processing. This is not the only solution, however, in the day and age of computers there is software everywhere and it all depends on the needs of your business.
-MODEMS
The first to come along outside of terminals was computer software. With the (now dead) technology of dial up, programmers could make software that would take in credit card data and use the modem to dial out. This took some time and became started to have considerable drawbacks as businesses with high volumes were forced to wait for the modem
-INTERNETS
In the golden age of the Internet, information is readily available and with each generation of service, it gets delivered faster and faster. Programmers saw this as a great opportunity to do transactions at faster speeds and this was a big must for high volume stores. Most processors will charge extra for processing on the Internet, but some do not.
Recently, it has been a growing trend to be able to process credit cards wherever the merchant may be at the time of sale. With the growth of the Internet spreading to every corner of the globe and most places having access, companies have begun taking advantage of mobile processing. They use the web as an interface to processing your transactions. As a result the only thing preventing them from running your card is access to the web and a browser. Usually the companies that provide this service will set up your merchant account for you and charge you in one, or both, of the following ways. Since they are paying for the servers and providing a merchant service you will be charged a monthly fee for keeping your account and service and/or they will charge you a small fee on top of what you pay your processing company for the account.
FIN
In the end, there is still a lot more to this industry than I care to go into, but probably will at a future date. In the world of plastic payments the only people that win are the processing companies and the banks that back the cards. The merchant is extremely vulnerable if a customer is to dispute a transaction and by them providing the service of allowing you to use your Visa, MasterCard, Amex, Disc and etc card they are giving up money every time you buy. If you ever wondered why places have a minimum purchase or convenience fee when you pay with your card, this is why.
"All wars are follies, very expensive and very mischievous ones."
--Bejamin Franklin
--Thomas Jefferson
Ron Paul Activity Alert
Tomorrow (11/17) will be "The Great Freedom Rally" of Ron Paul supporters, hosted in Clearwater, Florida. The purpose is to raise awareness of Ron Paul, in preparation of the CNN/Youtube Debates @ the Progress Energy Center in St. Pete.
Link to Freedom Rally's Site and Registration: http://ronpaulfreedomrally.com/index.php
Link to my meetup group's event: http://ronpaul.meetup.com/242/calendar/6455850/
In Honor of Freedom
Since I had started college, I have held multiple jobs that have always handled high volume transfers of monies. It has been my experience that the worst thing that could happen to a business is if something were to happen to credit card processing. We, as Americans, cherish our plastic and often deem it as a secure way to disperse our funds for bills, clothing, food, and pleasure. The inconvenience of going into a business and at the time of purchase, you are told that their credit card system is down or that your card
Until recently, I never understood why it was so difficult for a business to do credit card processing and what the big deal was around it. Truth be told, the industry itself is the biggest problem.
Level 1 The bank
It all starts with the banks. They issue the credit cards that are either tied to your bank account(s) or credit line. These are the people that you pay all your fees and interest to. When it comes to any disputes you may have over a transaction, the bank has ultimate say in the resolution since they are issuing the card and usually tend to favor the customer, because you pay their bills.
Level 2 The Processor
Next in line are the credit card processors that handle the credit card transactions. They provide the communication line from the point of purchase, to you bank for authorizations and credits on your card. This is, by no means, a free service and they usually tack on a rate/fee to the merchants that is variable, depending on what information was provided with your card number.
The role of the processor is to receive any card transactions and distribute the transaction requested to the authorizing bank or company (Amex, Bank of America, Etc) and once they receive a response (usually declined or approved), they will relay that to the merchant to be handled accordingly.
Level 3 Merchant Services
On top the of that most merchants do not process directly through these companies, they usually go through a third party processor that provides the service of setting up their merchant account, maintenance and any other merchant services they provide. These companies will generally add a price tag for their services that is either a direct payment or an additional rate on top of what you already pay to the previously mentioned processors. Most sales reps for these companies make a commission off of how much business you do and you usually will see better service (if this is the case) if you have a higher volume of transactions.
Level 4 swipe where?
Currently there are a myriad of solutions when it comes down to how you are going to process a customer's credit card. Most consumers will be familiar with the stand alone terminals that you see in gas stations or mom&pop shops. This is the most widely used form because it is simplest to setup and usually is received from the company you set your merchant account up with for credit card processing. This is not the only solution, however, in the day and age of computers there is software everywhere and it all depends on the needs of your business.
-MODEMS
The first to come along outside of terminals was computer software. With the (now dead) technology of dial up, programmers could make software that would take in credit card data and use the modem to dial out. This took some time and became started to have considerable drawbacks as businesses with high volumes were forced to wait for the modem
-INTERNETS
In the golden age of the Internet, information is readily available and with each generation of service, it gets delivered faster and faster. Programmers saw this as a great opportunity to do transactions at faster speeds and this was a big must for high volume stores. Most processors will charge extra for processing on the Internet, but some do not.
Recently, it has been a growing trend to be able to process credit cards wherever the merchant may be at the time of sale. With the growth of the Internet spreading to every corner of the globe and most places having access, companies have begun taking advantage of mobile processing. They use the web as an interface to processing your transactions. As a result the only thing preventing them from running your card is access to the web and a browser. Usually the companies that provide this service will set up your merchant account for you and charge you in one, or both, of the following ways. Since they are paying for the servers and providing a merchant service you will be charged a monthly fee for keeping your account and service and/or they will charge you a small fee on top of what you pay your processing company for the account.
FIN
In the end, there is still a lot more to this industry than I care to go into, but probably will at a future date. In the world of plastic payments the only people that win are the processing companies and the banks that back the cards. The merchant is extremely vulnerable if a customer is to dispute a transaction and by them providing the service of allowing you to use your Visa, MasterCard, Amex, Disc and etc card they are giving up money every time you buy. If you ever wondered why places have a minimum purchase or convenience fee when you pay with your card, this is why.
"All wars are follies, very expensive and very mischievous ones."
--Bejamin Franklin
Thursday, November 15, 2007
1st Post
"When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. "
--Declaration of Independence
That was the inspiring quote that made me a Ron Paul fan. I have always had an outside interest in politics, economics and foreign affairs, however it all seemed just to be something out of my reach and place in life. I accepted that I will stick to my lifestyle and stop trying to understand the things made out to be beyond basic, human understanding. I started moving into investing to appease my appetite for business and finances, which also grew my understanding of the role for money and currencies.
After witnessing the mess that was the 2004 elections, I had determined that it was useless to vote between a lesser of two evils, because in the end, you still don't get what you voted them in for. Then I heard Ron Paul from Digg.com and this man changed my view and took me by complete surprise. The consequences that the war with Iraq, Afghanistan and, soon to be, Iran is posing to the American culture and way of life, along with many implications of a major economic recession, there seems to be only one person who acknowledges these problems and wants to take immediate, corrective actions to save our country. This blog is not about Ron Paul, it just helps to know who he is, what he stands for, and understand that we know what to expect from this man as President, so you can better understand my point of view.
I have had many ideas floating around that I want to share with anyone who stumbles upon this blog, so that when they read they are to understand that under free market (we do not have a truly free market) the life of an individual is much happier and simpler than you think. These ideas is what this blog is for, to open up my world the everyone in order to contribute to the community. So, on that note of my first blog post I hope you enjoy my view on the world.
America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves. -- Abraham Lincoln
--Declaration of Independence
That was the inspiring quote that made me a Ron Paul fan. I have always had an outside interest in politics, economics and foreign affairs, however it all seemed just to be something out of my reach and place in life. I accepted that I will stick to my lifestyle and stop trying to understand the things made out to be beyond basic, human understanding. I started moving into investing to appease my appetite for business and finances, which also grew my understanding of the role for money and currencies.
After witnessing the mess that was the 2004 elections, I had determined that it was useless to vote between a lesser of two evils, because in the end, you still don't get what you voted them in for. Then I heard Ron Paul from Digg.com and this man changed my view and took me by complete surprise. The consequences that the war with Iraq, Afghanistan and, soon to be, Iran is posing to the American culture and way of life, along with many implications of a major economic recession, there seems to be only one person who acknowledges these problems and wants to take immediate, corrective actions to save our country. This blog is not about Ron Paul, it just helps to know who he is, what he stands for, and understand that we know what to expect from this man as President, so you can better understand my point of view.
I have had many ideas floating around that I want to share with anyone who stumbles upon this blog, so that when they read they are to understand that under free market (we do not have a truly free market) the life of an individual is much happier and simpler than you think. These ideas is what this blog is for, to open up my world the everyone in order to contribute to the community. So, on that note of my first blog post I hope you enjoy my view on the world.
America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves. -- Abraham Lincoln
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