To The Editor:
I could not help but respond to Aja Badame's deplorable opinion piece in Friday's Spectrum, entitled "Credit Gap." The author attempts to blame creditors for lack of foresight into her own financial matters. Contrary to what the author believes, credit is not "a trick" and not only the lucky can escape from debt. Credit is a valuable service, for those that are responsible and wise enough to know how to use it. Unfortunately, many have fallen into the "buy now, pay later" mentality, and are also hit by the sense of instant gratification, whether it be a new CD, boombox or car.
These purchases are seemingly inconsequential, or at least until the bill comes. This is exactly what creditors are banking on - that you will not be able to pay, and most people can't. Creditors also take advantage of most people's laziness and ineptitude by including details in fine print. Fortunately, there are many ways to avoid these pitfalls. Shop around, read the fine print, only spend what you can pay. For all of those that end up in this situation, and are looking for someone to blame, no one forced you to sign up for a card with a 23 percent APR, or to charge up a high balance. You can only blame yourself.
