In 2007, consumers and their advocates will have an opportunity to make a difference in the cause of economic justice. As some politicians talk about "economic growth" and how well our nation is doing, those of us with our ear to the ground and in contact with actual every-day people have begun to hear a real rumbling in our country. Those tremors are from Americans, concerned about the massive consumer debt they have, the mortgages they fear they can't maintain and their children's education that they simply can't pay for. That real anger, that very real distress is beginning to manifest itself in many different ways.

First, we are beginning to see many more broadcast and written news stories about the growing personal debt problems consumers are facing. A day doesn't seem to go by without a story about bad debt collectors or small loan problems or the impending foreclosure crisis.

Second it appears to me that judges and juries are responding appropriately and angrily when they hear about the sharp, unfair and deceptive practices being used by corporations against ordinary consumers. When we shine the light on mandatory arbitration abuses, or the absurdity of a normal person attempting to fix a credit report, or the prevalence of yo-yo auto scams, courts seem to be getting better at understanding that these are not isolated instances, but systemic corporate problems that need to be challenged and fixed.

Third, the U.S. Congress has already begun to take some action, holding hearings on credit card debt and predatory mortgage lending, with more sure to follow on these and other topics we care about.

The challenge before us is obvious. How do we take our nation's shifting mood about debt and the abuse of consumers by corporations and turn it into legal victories and real legislative change? And that is what we must and will do and do well. And we need your help!

Register with NACA

By registering with NACA, we can keep you informed about the legislative and legal fights in your community and across our nation. And you can tell us your story, about how you’ve been mistreated in the consumer marketplace and help us teach our legislators how things really work for consumers. Only together can we succeed in our collective fight for consumer justice.