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Why does the USA have so few legal protections for ordinary people, and how can we change that?

I’m just a regular person making about $70K a year in a big city, and I’ve recently felt incredibly powerless dealing with private companies. For instance, my landlord’s auto-pay system had a glitch that excluded my pet rent and water bill. I ended up with over $1,000 in late fees. Despite hours on the phone, it turns out their system doesn’t really do auto-pay and requires a fixed amount instead of covering the full rent. It feels like a scam, and my options are to pay the fees or potentially spend a fortune on legal action.

Another frustrating experience was trying to cancel my pest control service. I had to endure a 40-minute call followed by 35 minutes of arguing, just to finally cancel. There’s no online cancellation option, and the process felt like a timeshare sales pitch.

Why do ordinary people seem so unprotected against these shady practices, and how can we change this? How does one person even start to address these issues?

Kolanaki ,
@Kolanaki@yiffit.net avatar

That latter issue is actually being worked on, law wise, right now.

jg1i ,

Explain how!

MedicPigBabySaver ,

nytimes.com/…/us-government-unsubscribe-membershi…

Kolanaki ,
@Kolanaki@yiffit.net avatar

The FTC is working on a bill or something to make “one click cancel” required.

kittenzrulz123 ,

Most countries have Capitalism but few suffer as badly as post-Regan America (except maybe post-Thatcher UK).

Sam_Bass ,

Because we ordinary people do not possess extraordinary funds to buy that protection

AA5B ,

Vote. Seriously. Recent history around consumer protection has been very partisan and this is something that impacts us all

One party creates things like

  • cfpb
  • net neutrality
  • ACA
  • education assistance

The other party. Cancels, sues, interrupts. Project 2025 probably tries to entirely destroy

UnderpantsWeevil ,
@UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world avatar

One party creates things like cfpb

Putting warning labels on predatory lending. Spending more time fighting various right-wing interests in the right-wing dominated courts than doing any actual regulating. Does nothing to deliver actual money to the people who need it - all they can do is regulate the extent to which a private loan is shitty and extortionary.

net neutrality

Tries to regulate the ISP monopoly rather than breaking it up. Doesn’t actually guarantee internet access to anyone. Doesn’t extend high speed internet or establish public internet access points. Also constantly under fire in the right-wing dominated courts, such that they can’t effectively deliver on their function.

ACA

The best thing about the ACA is the extension of who qualifies for Medicaid. Everything else is a band-aid on a band-aid. Just open up Medicaid as the Public Option and you’d have done more good for more people in the long run.

education assistance

Doesn’t limit the total cost of education. Can’t even extend loans at the Prime Rate, because some private middle man always needs to get a cut. Doesn’t improve access to education by setting up new public schools or vocational programs. Doesn’t increase teacher pay, reduce student housing costs, or mitigate the cost of living while pursuing an education.

Blah blah, the Republicans Are Worse. But the Democrats only ever seem capable of operating through the private sector via subsidies and civil penalties. Where is the actual public infrastructure? What does the public sector actually own and operate? What is being delivered at cost rather than as a profit-center for a third party?

FierySpectre ,

It’s sad that this is the best option for y’all.

Buttflapper OP ,

All of these are really important policy changes that have positively impacted our society. How do you spark change to the effect of all these? I recently reached out to the Federal trade commission on one company that has some extremely predatory practices but don’t think that’ll do anything. What other methods can I use? Email congressman or something?

Maeve ,

After two hours of calls to try to resolve mobile data failing to work with a particular company who said I'll have to factory reset my device, I said I would have to do it later, but would probably end up contacting the FCC. After I hung up, mobile data was magically working in less than two minutes.

SoJB ,

And for the cherry on top, the party in the 2-party system that claims to be the “good” side trying to implement all these citizen-friendly policies have enjoyed multiple majorities in the last 40 years that would have allowed them to do these with the snap of a finger using well documented legal mechanisms.

And yet, they do not.

That liberal sneer about leftists just wanting to complain rather than fix things? Also projection.

Really weird how everywhere I turn, the “good” side is doing the same fucking thing as the bad orange side.

rbesfe ,

“both sides are the same” is exactly what republicans want everyone to think

djsaskdja ,

They’re not the same. They’re just different shades of shit.

faltryka ,

I once got screwed by my mortgage provider and was helpless. I submitted a complaint to the CFPB and they contacted my mortgage provider and made them make things right. That directly translated to significant money back in my pocket.

UnderpantsWeevil , (edited )
@UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world avatar

I once got screwed by my mortgage provider

This is the root of the problem. You shouldn’t need to borrow money from a private third party in order to have a home.

Boozilla ,
@Boozilla@lemmy.world avatar

The country was founded by slave owners. After that we had various “industry barons” like railroads, petroleum, automobiles, etc. Now we have multinational corporations (with larger budgets and more power than several countries) calling the shots in congress. It’s always been like this. Post-WWII provided a brief respite, but that limited run of the “American Dream” was temporary and no longer exists.

Part of the solution would be: worker cooperatives. We need a lot more of those. It won’t solve everything, but it’s a really good start.

Random123 ,

Ill add a worker cooperative might be even better than a union because a union can easily be corrupt

SnotFlickerman ,
@SnotFlickerman@lemmy.blahaj.zone avatar

Any group of people can become corrupt if it is filled with corrupt people.

stoly ,

Basically we got all our rights in the post war period. Baby boomers and their parents had an excellent time, got theirs, then pulled up the ladder behind them. Zoomers will probably fix this but it’ll be interesting to see if it sticks this time.

murmelade ,

Sounds like what we really need is WW3

yardy_sardley ,

I’d rather have a New Deal 2

june ,
@june@lemmy.dbzer0.com avatar

Accelerationism isn’t a good look

AndrewZabar ,

We need a kind of everybody union.

I had this conversation with lots of people if everyone saw a company is doing things or taking advantage of people imagine if on the exact same day, one million customers canceled their accounts. That kind of unity can give all the power needed to the regular people. But you can’t get people to cooperate or even to have enough self-discipline to go along with something that isn’t for their immediate and measurable benefit. And so the big players know they can abuse and exploit.

Boozilla ,
@Boozilla@lemmy.world avatar

I have had this same thought many times! Vote with our wallets en masse. It’s kind of almost happening to fast food.

rimmedalpha ,

A more perfect union, that can establish justice and domestic tranquility. One that provides for the common defense, promotes the general welfare, and secures the blessing of liberty for ourselves and future generations.

trolololol ,

In Australia ACCC takes care of abusive businesses, surely there must be something like that? Even 3rd world countries like Brazil has something like it.

AndrewZabar ,

Nope. America is OWNED by rich people. It’s a corporation and they make the laws so all the laws are to help them have more power.

SubArcticTundra ,
@SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml avatar

I wouldn’t see it so black-and-whitely. I don’t think Tim Walz is owned by anyone and he is running for VP.

AndrewZabar ,

He’s beholden to the corporations controlled by the wealthiest 1%. Anyone who gets elected is already someone who “plays ball” because they don’t get to there otherwise.

Maeve ,

AIPAC owns him.

SubArcticTundra ,
@SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml avatar

I haven’t been to Brazil but as far as its politics goes I don’t think it’s that 3rd world

Landless2029 ,

We have the Federal Trade Comission but it needs to have the balls to really protect us.

Even when they step up its usually a small fine the offender just writes off as the cost of doing business.

Corp breaks a law. Makes $100m profit. Gets $10m fine. All good for the books!!

WammKD ,

True but Lina Khan’s been doing some great work in changing that agency’s track record.

RobotToaster ,
@RobotToaster@mander.xyz avatar

One big union? For all the industrial workers in the world? I wonder if anyone has thought of that before.

yeather ,

Too bad it never works.

emerald ,

I think going back in time and video gaming Reagan would be a good start

thelasttoot ,

Video gaming?

linearchaos ,
@linearchaos@lemmy.world avatar

You should consider the kind of things that happen in video games.

olafurp ,

The US is incredibly bad at reining in capitalism. It also only has two parties that are both heavily influenced by lobbyists.

To fix it, not sure, calling politicians and showing up to stuff will help but it’s always going to be an uphill battle. Anyway, just vote, if you get the option to choose then vote for a third party as long as you’re not in a swing state.

The real solution is still voting reform to get more diverse opinion so if that’s on the ballot vote for it and try to get other people to do the same. The UK missed a major opportunity for voter reform.

This can happen over a couple of generations by removing winner take all representatives for a state and cause a hung parliament. Coalition talks will then be more likely to include concessions on the two state systems to get a governing coalition.

You can look at the UK as being the same only one generation ahead if things go well.

SubArcticTundra ,
@SubArcticTundra@lemmy.ml avatar

Yes, IMO when there is more competition, politicians start caring about the little things besides the big things like inflation.

Landless2029 ,

I agree with one correction.

Vote even in non swing states.

There are far too many registered voters who don’t vote.

Texas could be blue every year if half the dem no shows just voted.

Also even less vote outside of the presidential election.

Maeve ,

Did not the same international business conglomerates and the same billionaires donate to both major political parties?

KillingTimeItself ,

moving away from something like FPTP (what the majority of america uses) and to something like IRV (maine uses this iirc, and most euro countries also do) can vastly improve things.

As for american elections the states themselves have a lot of control over their own voting process, and even some of the federal process. So just voting locally for voter reform can be quite impactful.

KillingTimeItself ,

because private companies were never meant to big this big and powerful.

They have so much power because they lobby and control the government, part of the problem is dems being generally unappealing and trying to focus more on less significant social issues rather than doing things like, taking away the rights that big corpos never should’ve had in the first place.

It’s a give and take game, the less regulations you have, the more companies you have and the more capital you have moving through you, the more you have the less regulations you have and the less capital you have moving through you.

HubertManne ,

Yeah I am seeing this more and more. You even see it business to business. We need regulation, monopoly busting, and progressive taxation.

WammKD ,

I don’t know if you’ve been following what Lina Khan’s been doing with the FTC but there’s some incredibly antitrust work which she’s been putting into play. They’ve been really going after monopolization and Biden’s been putting forth rules to make breaking subscriptions easier, which would help with OPs particular problem: nytimes.com/…/us-government-unsubscribe-membershi….

FlashMobOfOne ,
@FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world avatar

To make major, sustained, positive change would require widespread violent revolution.

AndrewZabar ,

It’s the only thing we will have left pretty soon. Capitalism is pretty close to flatlining. Then we will have a Corporate Congress and the nation will become The United Corporation of America - in name as opposed to now where that’s what it is but it’s not yet called that.

FlashMobOfOne ,
@FlashMobOfOne@lemmy.world avatar

I do anticipate fascism becoming overt after November, but the powers that be will market it well, like that time they turned Nazism into ‘White Nationalism’.

Maeve ,

We already have corporate Congress.

RangerJosie ,

I can’t tell you. Because the mods won’t like it.

But it rhymes with Piolence.

chemicalprophet ,

Capitalism.

GiddyGap ,

European countries are also capitalist countries, but they have much better consumer protections and laws. It can be done.

How_do_I_computah ,

Good question and good examples. With things like forced arbitration in user agreements I’d love to know more on how to turn things around on this.

Buttflapper OP ,

I spoke to a lawyer about something similar to this recently and he basically just laughed at me. Told me there is no way it’s worth it, would cost tens of thousands of dollars to fight it in court and would basically have no gain to me personally at all. Overturning such a small amount no matter how wrong or immoral it is would be extremely costly on both sides but they have way more money to throw at the issue than I do which I totally agree with honestly. So you can do something that’s totally immoral, just as long as you have tons of money behind you to pay for it

bobs_monkey ,

And this right here is one of the fundamental injustices of the American legal system. It’s completely fucked that some conglomerate can basically railroad an individual into poverty from a bullshit lawsuit and that private individuals without deep pockets essentially have zero recourse in the legal arena.

brygphilomena ,

$1000 is likely small claims court. At least where I was, no lawyers are allowed for small claims so the landlord would have to come to deal with it himself or a representative of the payment company.

some_guy ,

I just started listening to a new podcast series called Master Plan that talks about how this happened deliberately and systematically over decades. It followed the Powell Doctrine. You can hear a conversation between the primary host, David Sirota, and Brianna Joy Gray (she’s not one of my favorites, but I tuned in because it was him) on Bad Faith podcast.

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