I'm ya Huckleberry

It's no secret: I've never been the best at handling my money. Not the worst, but certainly not the best.

After my divorce almost two years ago, though, I made up my mind that things were going to change. For the most part, I've done very well. I am rarely, if ever, late with my bills. The money I waste on poor gambling choices have been slowed to a trickle. I eat out much less, and when I do, it's more the cheap chinese joint or the fi-dolla footlong, instead of 80 bucks for steak dinner or sushi every time.

Until poker became my thing, I was actually one of the worst gamblers on the planet. And another non-secret is that I love to put my money on the line. I'm not a very good blackjack player, don't understand craps, no one is really good at roulette, and those machines ... well, let's don't even go there. No, about 90 percent of any wagering I do these days comes in the form of Texas Hold 'Em, where because it's a game based more on skill than luck, I fare pretty well. I am certain I win more than I lose.

What I am trying to say is that over the past 20 months or so, I have changed. I am much more financially responsible, and that has all to do with my new family. Although I still lean more towards "live for today," tomorrow is just as, if not more, important.

That's why I am so pissed about the recent -- let's call it -- attack on my financial health, and I feel the need to share.

Unless you've lived under a big ole rock where antennas and cables and satellites don't reach, you know that the country is in a money mess. Insurance giants are folding, banks are in need of rescue, people are losing their homes. Things have been tough on Giuffrias Avenue, as well, as we don't nearly have the disposable income we had when the Mama and I first got together.

But somehow, we always manage to find a way to do the things we really want to do. And unless I lose my job any time in the near future, we always will.

There are some financial institutions, though, who don't give a rat's tookus about their customers, and I learned that the hard way yesterday.

One of the things I have always done is watched my money closely. I was proud of myself last August when I saw the market was beginning to tank, and I wasn't going to let my retirement money sink with it. I moved all of my 401k into government stocks, and saved about $16,000 over the next four months.

I keep close tabs on interest rates -- especially on my credit cards. Recently, I made the mistake of trusting a bank that I heard was in the process of doing awful things to their customers. "They're just getting a bum rap," I thought.

Citi group was just a huge taker in the multi-billion-dollar bailout given to financial institutions recently by Congress. I wasn't in favor of it then, and even less so now.

Citi, though, before the bailout promised lawmakers that they would not raise interest rates, no matter what their situation. They were given billions of dollars, and then obviously changed their tune.

But that's not the worst part, I found out personally, and also see that it isn't just me.

I was sort of leery when the limit on my longest-holding card was raised a few months ago. Now understand, about 70 percent of my credit card debt is in this account. The reason being that it's by far the best rate I could get (7.9 percent), and although I use credit much less as of late in an attempt to eliminate my debt before I'm 50, I still have a pretty significant amount I owe to Citi. The weird thing was that I had asked for a limit increase about eight months or so previous so that I could transfer other balances.

I was denied then, but then without asking, was given an increase of more than $2,500 a month before Christmas.

Now, I understand why.

Imagine my surprise (I guess that's the right word) when I saw my interest rate was jacked to 14.9. I call Citi, and demand an explanation.

Carlos says, "Sir, these are tough economic times. This is happening to everyone." I say, "Tough economic times? That's your reason? You just got about $30 billion from the government. You feel the need to rape your broke customers who depend on you? This is completely unacceptable." Carlos: "Sorry, sir."

My options were limited to accept the almost-double raise in interest, which would mean paying about 80 to 90 bucks more per month just in interest charges, or to "opt out," which I didn't immediately understand, but realized quickly that it was my best option.

By the way, if you don't know, it means that you go back to your original rate, but when your card expires, your account is closed. For me, that's not a problem, because I don't really depend on credit for daily living. What about the people who do? Guess that doesn't matter.

When I followed up with research, I read about a woman who was with Citi for 12 years, was never late on her payment, and her rate was raised from 7.9 percent to 16.9. There were hundreds of stories just like that. Also, saw a report on CNN before it happened to me about others in the same boat with Citi.

Where is this all going, besides giving me a venue to vent?

My main thing is this: On Tuesday, a new president will take office, and he has a mountain of chores ahead of him. In my opinion, this should be at or near the top of the list. After finding a way to stop hard-working people from losing their homes, President Obama needs to find a way to stop banks from stealing from the American people.

That, I know, will be some kind of chore, but it has to be done. We cannot be bullied by them any longer. Any of them.

I, for one, have learned a lesson. This will only make me more determined to become less dependent on credit. I have taken the first step, and am going in the right direction.

If you haven't already, I would suggest you all do the same.