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Letters: Occupy Wall Street, Bank of America fees

Marketplace Staff Oct 6, 2011
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Letters: Occupy Wall Street, Bank of America fees

Marketplace Staff Oct 6, 2011
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Kai Ryssdal: We mentioned this earlier, how the Occupy Wall Street protests have been growing the past week or so. I talked to Jeremi Suri from the University of Texas the other day about who the protesters are, and where things might lead.

Mike Cowley wrote from Montpelier, Vt., to say, in essence, go find out for yourself.

Mike Cowley: You mentioned that it didn’t seem like the protesters were downtrodden. And I was surprised to hear you didn’t offer any evidence for this, because it seems to me that you are perpetuating the myth that the protesters are disconnected from economic hardship.

Here’s another plug for the website we mentioned in the John Dimsdale piece, We Are the 99 Percent, stories of how people who did everything right are still being squeezed.

The Pentagon’s Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy ended late last month. We did a story about some gay former military who’re looking to re-up. One reason — the bad job market.

John McKinnon from Bangor, Maine, says that the repeal is a huge step. But for gay veterans, equality is still a ways away.

John McKinnon: When the gay service member is successfully in re-enlisting, they are going to be at a significant disadvantage, especially if they are married. Thanks to DOMA, the Defense of Marriage Act, gay military spouses will have no health care, no commissary, no housing allowance.

We told you the other day Bank of America is going to start charging customers $5 a month for using their debit cards at some point next year. B of A shares — and its fortunes — have been hurting, so the fee’s one way for the bank to replenish its coffers.

A lot of you wrote in expressing outrage. Valerie Anderson from Cayce, S.C., did something about it.

Valerie Anderson: I opened a Bank of America credit card account, and I am going to use that credit card like I use my debit card and then I will just pay off the balance every month and there should be no fees.

Should be no fees, she said. Here’s hoping.

If you’ve got a personal finance tip, or anything else you want us to know? Write us.

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