Unseen Toll: Wages of Millions Seized to Pay Debts

[n2doc]

Back in 2009, Kevin Evans was one of millions of Americans blindsided by the recession. His 25-year career selling office furniture collapsed. He shed the nice home he could no longer afford, but not a $7,000 credit card debt.

After years of spotty employment, Evans, 58, thought he'd finally recovered last year when he found a better-paying, full-time customer service job in Springfield, Mo. But early this year, he opened his paycheck and found a quarter of it missing. His credit card lender, Capital One, had garnished his wages. Twice a month, whether he could afford it or not, 25 percent of his pay 2014 the legal limit 2014 would go to his debt, which had ballooned with interest and fees to over $15,000.

"It was a roundhouse from the right that just knocks you down and out," Evans said.

The recession and its aftermath have fueled an explosion of cases like Evans'. Creditors and collectors have pursued struggling cardholders and other debtors in court, securing judgments that allow them to seize a chunk of even meager earnings. The financial blow can be devastating 2014 more than half of U.S. states allow creditors to take a quarter of after-tax wages. But despite the rise in garnishments, the number of Americans affected has remained unknown.

At the request of ProPublica, ADP, the nation's largest payroll services provider, undertook a study of 2013 payroll records for 13 million employees. ADP's report, released today, shows that more than one in 10 employees in the prime working ages of 35 to 44 had their wages garnished in 2013.

more

http://www.realclearpolicy.com/blog/2014/09/15/unseen_toll_wages_of_millions_seized_to_pay_debts_1073.html

[truedelphi]

1. Debt as a topic is so last month! As it is war war war that we

Need need need!!
To distract us all
From their greed greed greed!!

Grab a gun and fight a good fight
(And it just ain't important
To know who is right.)

But I know who is wrong
And I know their names names names
It's the One Percent with their
Stupid War games!!

[closeupready]

2. Wow - 1 in 10 employees! That number is astounding to me.

K&R

[BlindTiresias]

3. Don't move to the United States

Biggest mistake you can make. It has the illusion of prosperity to outsiders but once you start digging or see the practicalities you see a glorified banana republic, or at the very least a formerly developed nation on the road to quickly becoming a glorified banana republic.

[truedelphi]

4. But don't you think that we would have more democracy here -

If we weren't so intent on spreading it around to other nations? <sarcasm alert>

[closeupready]

6. While that's on the simplistic side, it certainly is more challenging

to improve your life from any given point A, than it is if one is attempting to do that somewhere like Europe. And the statistics actually bear that out, that upward mobility in the US is essentially dead.

Quite the switch from the circumstances prior to WWII when people fled Europe for the US in order to seek a better life where one could really provide for one's self and one's family. I don't think Americans are fleeing for Europe now, but at a minimum, the challenges facing middle-class Americans do not make it an appealing destination for those who could bring enterprise and brains and initiative, when judged on balance with - for example - Germany or the UK or, closer to home, even Canada.

[BlindTiresias]

10. For now, yeah

I wouldn't be surprised if we see an uptick in emigration by the close of the century, though, and especially if the US economic dominion ends and leaving the US could mean entering a new economic domain and a "fresh start".

[truedelphi]

5. With Both Parties having major politicians in the thrall of the Biggest Banks -

There has been a repetitive whammy to normal Americans (the 95 % of us)

One:

We got to watch Main Street's monies go off to fund the Big Bank and Big Financial Firms Bailouts

Two:

Those monies then enable those companies to fund more Big Bank and Big Financial Firm-supporting politicans

Three:

That leaves us no one to vote for

Four:

Meanwhile our jobs continue to be outsourced and NAFTA'ed away from the middle class

Five:

That means it is more likely that
a) we are unemployed
b) we are underemployed
c) we are carrying massive debts, while being unemployed or underemployed

Six:

Simultaneously, we dip into our retirement monies, try to get equity loans on our homes, or even lose our homes to foreclosure (As many people did during the economic crunch after the housing bubble burst)

[truedelphi]

7. And that brings us to Point Seven - the distraction of endless wars n/t

[PeoViejo]

9. ...and Team Sports

Another distraction to keep the Serfs entertained and distracted, while the 1% fuck them Royally.

[LakeVermilion]

11. Reminds me of the fall of the Roman Empire...

High unemployment, off to the Colosseum.

[PeoViejo]

13. Even the Arena has survived

..with modern-day Gladiators.

This time around, we have to pay for our Bread.

[SammyWinstonJack]

8. REC!

[Laelth]

12. k&r for exposure. n/t

-Laelth