YIPEEE, THE RECESION IS OVER AND OTHER NUTCASE PUNDITS' REMARKS! START CHARGING UP YOUR CREDIT CARDS-GET A NEW CREDIT CARD INSTANTLY!!

Hooray, the government in the USA and the UK has formally announced that the recession is over! Let's all celebrate by charging up our credit cards and using our available lines of credit against our homes!

Oh oh, I just noticed along with millions of others that my charge cards are still near that limit set for each of them, and due to that fact, the credit card companies have notified me that now, due to that fact, my interest rate will be increasing on some of them to ridiculous amounts.

I do not understand it. They want me to keep as high a balance as possible, but then penalize me for doing so by raising the interest rates? I guess I did not take the time to read the 10 page small print (Willy Wonka movie contract comes to mind) information and disclosure statement that is sent every few months with a large notice stating new rules.

So I looked at my line of credit provided by my generous "home equity line of credit" extended to me in 2004 which I have not yet used.

I forgot that in 2008, I received a letter advising me that it was canceled since my home was re-valued by them and that line evaporated as a result.

I then looked at my about to be thrown out junk mail. It contained a GET THIS VISA CARD NOW offer printed just for me, with my name even imprinted on a faux visa card inside the mailing.

This card COULD be mine for real, and all I had to do is call the number listed or fill out an on-line application for a QUICK response...and instant response. I noticed that I was already pre-qualified to contact them at any time.

So I decided to fill out the on-line application instead of talking on the phone to "Raznish" and trying to understand which of the 500 Indian dialects he was using, in attempting to talk with me.

The on-line application page started with a bold headline that informed me that I was already pre-qualified. That was comforting news to me, after the bad experience I had with my credit cards and their news and the home equity line file.

The application form was very encouraging and further informed me that my line of credit was GUARANTEED to be provided to me and that I was already pre-qualified (in case I forgot that I was) for a line of instant credit of $300-$10,000, just for filling in the application.

I saw that $10,000 figure and I was sure excited. I filled in my name, that is all it needed. I thought, wow, the easiest application I ever had!

I clicked the APPLY NOW button, and before I could blink, I was approved!

I was immediately informed that my new VISA card, that I was pre-approved for, was already waiting to be sent out, all I needed now is to provide them with my address and a $99 processing fee...and it would be sent to me. No questions asked!

However, I still was not sure of that $10,000 credit line, so I kept clicking on all types of boxes on that web site.

Finally, a copy of the Agreement that I automatically agreed to abide by if I sent them the $99 processing fee appeared and I had to read its many pages.

It said, in the small type of course, that my card was initially going to have a $200 line of credit, and that was all I would get until some time in the future that they may decide at their sole opinion to increase it.

Furthermore, the $99 application fee WOULD BE AUTOMATICALLY CHARGED TO THIS NEW CARD, AND I DID NOT EVEN HAVE TO SEND IT IN!

Further down in the "AGREEMENT", the small print also informed me that there would be a $99 annual fee for the privilege of having this particular VISA card, and that this fee would also be automatically charged to this new card right away.

So, now let's see. the line of automatic credit was $200, and from that line of credit they would charge the $99 processing fee and the $99 annual card fee immediately upon issuance, leaving me a $2 credit availability to spend on anything I wanted. There was also a $39 over limit fee, and a $39 late payment fee.

So as I attempted to celebrate the end of the recession as announced by government officials around the globe by charging something, buying something for the family, I was thwarted in my attempts to celebrate this auspicious occasion.

That was my personal non-scientific attempt to take advantage of the end of the recession.

I heard from several friends who called my attention to the fact that the recession ended, so I asked them how they celebrated the end of the recession. They basically responded with a puzzled..."what do you mean?"

"How are you celebrating the end, the end of the recession?", I asked.

There were no answers to my puzzling question, but my question seemed to kindle a sort of questioning of the announcement beyond its headline.

Nobody was celebrating apparently.

Without celebrating, how will the economy be stimulated, then?

I'm curious, anybody out there celebrating, yet?