Just call me Lucifer
’cause I’m in need of some restraint
— The Rolling Stones
Dante’s Inferno described Hell as nine layers of suffering. Each layer was progressively worse than the last one.
Now many people are in a different kind of Hell. Credit Hell.
Dante’s version of Hell is remarkably similar to Credit Hell.
Dante’s first circle of Hell was limbo. Most Americans are in the credit version of limbo. They say they are going to pay off their debts, but never do. They don’t necessarily suffer, but they are never going to make it to financial heaven.
The second circle is Lust. People borrow money to get things to show off. They lease cars they can’t afford and rack up credit cards balances to buy stuff they don’t need. They fight a never-ending battle to keep up with the Joneses.
The third circle is Gluttony. In modern times, we call it Greed.
Dante used the words “avarice” and “miserly” to describe those in the fourth layer of Hell. We use two different words: Wall Street.
After Wall Street ran through trillions of investor money, they borrowed trillions from American taxpayers. They will keep us all in Credit Hell for generations to come.
The fifth circle is where the wrathful are condemned to fight each other for eternity. That sounds like Congress. Congress allowed big banks and credit card companies to create most of Credit Hell.
The sixth circle is for the heretics who went against Orthodox thinking. Credit Hell was caused by politicians who ignored history and orthodox economics. They came up with concepts like “too big to fail” and “sub-prime lending.” They got America onto a rung of Hell that will be difficult to get off of.
The seventh circle is for the violent. In “The Godfather,” the Don says something like, “A lawyer can steal more with his briefcase than can a hundred guys with machine guns.” Change the word “lawyer” to “credit card company” and you can see why those credit businesses don’t feel compelled to carry Uzis. They can make huge impact on society without guns.
The eighth level of Hell is for the fraudulent. We have that going around these days, too. This level of Hell has 10 different sections and the section for fraudulent advisers encases the sinner in individual flames. I see this in Bernie Madoff’s future.
The ninth, and most severe, circle of Hell is for traitors against humanity, like Judas. They are encased in ice.
I would reserve the last level of Credit Hell for those in the payday lending and tax refund anticipation loan business. They exploit the most vulnerable members of society and, in a stroke of evil genius, got us to believe it was socially acceptable.
In another era, loan sharking was against the law. Payday lenders and tax refund anticipation loan companies get rates that the loan sharks could only dream of. The lenders use celebrities like Magic Johnson in their advertisements, and no one bats an eye.
There is, however, one major difference between the Hell that Dante envisioned and Credit Hell.
Dante’s Hell came from his imagination. Credit Hell exists in the real world.
To get rid of Credit Hell, restraint is the word. We need to restrain our spending and impulse buying. We need to restrain our lawmakers when they get close to corporate lobbyists. We need to restrain Wall Street when they get obsessed with runaway greed and we need to restrain payday lenders and tax refund companies in the manner that we formerly used to restrain loan sharks.
If we do that, credit Hell will someday be mythical — like the Hell in Dante’s Inferno.
Don McNay writes for the Richmond (Ky.) Register.
Opinion
Modern-day Dante: Nine stages of credit hell
- Opinion
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OUR VIEW: Feb. 14 vote about ideas
If you read any of the letters to the editor in the past two weeks regarding Tuesday’s District 2 Edmond school board race, then you already know that this election is not about the individual candidates so much as it’s about what type of school board do Edmond residents really want governing their school district?
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What are your presidential 10 Commandments?
As we brace for the upcoming presidential campaign, we should be honest about our responsibility in the process. Before we get pushed, pulled, bribed, frightened, bullied, flattered, fooled or charmed into voting for a candidate, let’s take a mature thoughtful look at what the profile of the president should look like. In order to do that, let’s do an exercise. Sit down with a pencil and paper and draft your proposal for the Ten Commandments to be obeyed by the president. Let me share some of my suggestions.
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What would Reagan do today in Oklahoma?
As we celebrated the 101st anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s birth on Feb. 6, several of us at Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs started discussing what Reagan might do today. Here are some of the ideas we came up with.
- LETTER: School counselor says Roy ready to help all students
- LETTER: Supporter calls Duncan 'a firecracker'
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Consequences of an overregulated nation
Overreaching government regulations are costing jobs and killing our economy. They are a heavy burden on our nation and its citizens — in some cases worse than our nation’s increasingly out-of-control debt.
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LETTER: Supporter: Duncan shows passion for children’s needs
To the Editor:
The families in the Edmond Public School District are fortunate to have Kathleen Duncan as their advocate on the Edmond Board of Education. Duncan has worked tirelessly for the welfare and benefit of the Edmond schools’ students. -
LETTER: Teacher supports Duncan’s re-election
To the Editor:
On Feb. 14 patrons of District 2 have an opportunity to re-elect the current president of the Edmond School Board, Kathleen Duncan. Duncan has served as a board member for 10 years. When people move to the Oklahoma City area, they buy a home here because of the exceptional quality of Edmond Public Schools. This speaks to Duncan’s goal of “Excellence in Education for All Edmond Public School Students.” -
LETTER: Supporter: Duncan understands diverse issues
To the Editor:
Kathleen Duncan understands the diverse issues that effect our schools. She carefully studies the district’s issues and works tirelessly as an advocate for all students. Her votes as a board member have an impact for years to come and she takes that responsibility very seriously. - LETTER: Reader says incumbent's personal agenda in the way
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OUR VIEW: Feb. 14 vote about ideas
