Moving right along... when I saw the commercial, I bolted upright in bed. "Newspapers?" I shouted at the television. "Forget newspapers - if the @#$% banks would stop sending people those stupid invitations to a new credit card, even when you have a card of theirs already, we could save the whole freakin' planet!"

No, I do not CARE how successful these stupid campaigns are. If a bank sends out 100,000 invitations and (I'm told) 2% -- just 2% sign on, they've won. That's 2000 people. I find it hard to fathom that 2000 people out of 100,000 is considered a postive ROI.

I'm serious. How many invitations to open a new account or get a new credit card do you receive in the mail, every week? How many are for your real name? A name the computer made up for you? How many are for one of your kids or your dog? How many offer interest rates that might peak your attention (something below 21% would be a start, but I'm thinking 10% and lower)? And how many offer you extra cards for family members or employees - frreeee! After all, free is good when they expect the added person to pile up the charges on the account.

So, of the possibly 100,000 pieces of 5-6 pages of wasted paper the banks mail out to people, I'm told if 2% of the receivers respond favorably, the bank considers this a successful campaign. Oh, if only our social media projects could return a 2% ROI and be considered successful!

But, that's not the point. The point is - the ONLY people responding (ok... the majority of the people responding, IMBO) to these invitations are probably people who not only don't need the extra account or credit card, they're people who shouldn't HAVE one! They are going to default in payment or declare bankruptcy and you and I will pay - with higher interest rates! The banks are NOT going to make money on these people! 

Let's not even get into the COST of sending these out! Let's not get into the envelopes the invitations are in. Actually, let's get into both of those. Does a 2% response really cover the cost - because the banks that send me invites send them multiple times a week! Over and over. Week in, week out. Do they not have a way to say, "Gee, Yvonne has NEVER responded to our invitations. Maybe we can take her off of our mailing list." ??? The cost of printing, putting in window envelopes, and mailing... has to be up there. It's certainly not free.

Mother Earth would be better off without these unwanted bank invitations. I'm beginning to believe that Mother Earth (and all of us) would be better off without banks, altogether. All they do is raise our fees, charge us for using an ATM to access our account, pile up the junk mail in our mailboxes, and lie to us about their great customer service.

Plus, if you're a small business in need of funding to grow and HIRE PEOPLE - which would HELP THE ECONOMY - they smile condescendingly and say things like, "We don't fund startups." Or, "You don't have a track record yet. You're only 2 years old. Come back when you have more income and don't need a loan." Ok, they don't add the part about coming back, but it's there, in their smile. And, one of my favorite responses, "What's your product? Social media isn't a product. We aren't even sure what social media is." Sometimes they say this, "Your business is on the Internet? What if the Internet goes away???"OMG!

Yes, I know they need proof you can pay back a loan. But, even with proof, they shake their heads and make excuses - then go on TV telling the world what a great resource they are for small businesses!

I've decided it's time to give credit unions a chance. I'm so done with banks. I can deal with the loan denial - it's business, it's not personal; generally, banks that won't fund a rising star just aren't a good match. But, I cannot bear another credit card invitation. STOP already!

p.s. you can opt-out according to several places online; this one is called Stop the Junk Mail.