When President Obama signed the credit card bill in May, there was one stipulation included for the benefit of the credit card companies: The changes go into effect in the middle of 2010.

That means, as Suze Orman has pointed out, that the credit card companies have an entire year to have their way with you. And nobody will hear you scream.

And look, here they are now, approaching consumers with a long to-do list of wrong that would make former Pastor Ted Haggard blush.

The USA Today reports that "Most issuers have raised rates or fees for certain borrowers. In the latest round, Bank of America and Chase have increased, or are increasing, their maximum balance-transfer fees, from 3% to 4% and 5%, respectively. Chase is also expanding the definition of who could get hit with a penalty interest rate. Meanwhile, InfiBank is establishing a higher minimum APR -- the greater of 15.99% or 11.99% plus the prime rate -- on many cards. And Capital One and Citigroup continue to raise card rates for certain borrowers."

So fasten your seatbelts, folks. It's gonna be a bumpy ride for a while more yet.

But I'm with Suze on this one. You can't totally blame the credit card companies. They're just doing their job, which happens to be screwing you. Blame your elected officials -- and yourselves -- however, for letting it happen.

California filed a $222 million lawsuit against the owner of 22 Midas Muffler shops after uncover agents discovered a "massive" scheme in which consumers were charged for unneeded repairs, California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr. announced.

"These Midas shops were running a massive bait-and-switch scam, in which customers were lured in with the promise of cheap brake specials and then charged hundreds more for unnecessary repairs," Brown said in a statement. "This investigation revealed a shady and deceptive operation that violated the trust of its customers."

Many of us -- this blogger included -- like the idea of whizzing past commercials to get back to our favorite programs sooner, but put up with having our viewing interrupted by Madison Avenue because we're resistant to the idea of shelling out a couple hundred bucks for a digital video recorder.

Soon, though, those days of being forced to sit through talking animals and how-did-that-get-stuck-in-my-head jingles might be over, thanks to the Supreme Court. Yes, that Supreme Court.

While the nation's highest justices don't normally insert themselves into our TV habits (thankfully -- I'd hate to be judged for my addictions to Hell's Kitchen or Law & Order: SVU), in this case, it's a welcome involvement.

Let's cue up a Fred Savage-era voiceover and go back to when this all began. In 2006, New York cable operator Cablevision developed what it called "network" DVR. This would let viewers store programs for later viewing on the cable company's servers rather than in a DVR box on their set top. Think of it as the equivalent of using a Web-based e-mail program; all of your information is housed in some distant server, not in your computer itself.

The implications are obvious: With this technology, any TV could record and play back shows, provided you were paying Cablevision for digital cable service. No pricey box, no installation fees or headaches. Now, take one guess who was not a fan of this new development. That's right: the people who currently make money forcing you to watch those commercials.

Stevie Wonder is grieving Michael Jackson. This was very clear at the Summerfest Concert on Sunday night, when he opened the gig with a rambling speech about MJ and honoring him for his gifts to music.

OK, I have no problem with that. I loved Michael, especially his dance moves. He was probably the best dancer to ever grace a stage.

But the concert seemed slow in getting going. Then Stevie piped in a Michael Jackson song and began to cry on stage. His tears turned to sobs and then his head collapsed in his arms over his piano.

Neither I or the audience had a clue what was happening. Did he faint? Have a stroke? His daughter walked over and said a few words in his ear while she comforted him. He slowly regained composure and went on to the next song.

I understand that Stevie and MJ were close friends. I get it. But I paid a lot of money for that ticket, $69, and it wasn't to do therapy for Stevie. He said later in the concert that "I'm not afraid to show my heart." Fine, but does it have to be on my dime?

If you are planning a trip to Canada these days there's two important things you should remember -- first your passport and second to turn off all Internet access on your phone and data card.

Failure to do either of these could put quite the damper on your trip and as Adam Savage of Mythbusters found out cost $11,000.

After a recent trip to Canada AT&T sent Adam Savage a bill for a few hours of Internet usage totaling $11,000 and shut off his phone.

Why AT&T couldn't have simply shut off his data connection or sent him a text message in Canada, warning him about the increased fees before he accumulated enough to pay for four years of community college is beyond me.

Even though a kilobyte is a kilobyte is a kilobyte; these data charge horror stories pop up quite often.

Even though you can spit into Canada from several spots in the United States, AT&T has to pay a Canadian company to relay that data and it gets expensive, and quick. According to the AT&T World Packages page, depending on the country you are in and the prepaid plan you paid for, a megabyte of data could cost between $5-$20.

Before you leave the comfort of your hometown to venture off with your Web-enabled phone on any carrier, be sure to double check that you have turned off its data capabilities or you will be in for a big surprise on your next bill.

If you happen to have an iPhone you can check out these usage tips for traveling globally without breaking your bank from AT&T.

UPDATE: AT&T removed the charges from Adam's account after the incident became a trending topic on Twitter.

As if it wasn't bad enough that your hero is dead, can you imagine how it must feel to anyone who because of their devotion to Michael Jackson winds up with more spam than ever in their e-mail?

That's right. Now that the King of Pop is gone, con artists have begun sending out e-mails with offers for Michael Jackson merchandise. Eight hours after he died, in fact. Actually, I'm surprised they waited so long.

Their hope? That you'll reply to an offer, and then these crooks will know that your e-mail is legitimate, and they can sell your e-mail address to companies.

But if that isn't bad enough, Computerworld Security, which is warning about these spammers, predicts that eventually these e-mails will contain something to click on, which will unleash a virus and make your computer so slow and worthless that you'll never be able to listen to another Jackson tune on your PC again. Or at least until you get rid of the virus.

So while I know people are pretty savvy when it comes to spam and being hit with viruses, be careful out there.

Texas officials filed charges against two Californians operating a business under the name Compliance Services that solicits money from small business owners in the name of getting them to comply with the law.

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott won a temporary restraining order preventing Compliance Services and principals Selwyn Monarch and Gayle N. Standford from sending the mailings to Texas businesses. Other states, including Massachusetts, Ohio and Florida have warned against this and other similar attempts to solicit money from business owners. Here's an example of one of the mailings.

Bank of America complained that the credit markets were so tight, soooooooo tight, that it couldn't possibly generate cash in the private sector, and that was why it needed a federal bailout.

Well now it got its federal bailout, and it continues to rip off consumers across the country with one of the worst savings account rates in the world -- 0.10% APY.

This means that for every $1,000 you save with Bank of America, you get a pre-tax return of $1 per year.

Emigrant Direct's FDIC-insured savings account pays 1.55%, and the national average on a money market account is 1.29% according to BankRate.com

I recently pulled up at the corner by my house to mail some last minute bills. Jumping out of the car with the door open, I looked in disbelief when I couldn't find the familiar blue box. Glancing around, all I could find was some old rust marks on the sidewalk where the box stood for the last 30 years. So where did it go?

I found out the answer when I picked up the evening newspaper: boxes are being eliminated. The United States Postal Service is attempting to cut costs by removing boxes that are not used extensively. I guess it makes sense, but I wish someone would have told me. Or better yet, inform me where boxes still are available.

Information from the post office lets consumers know that they can simply "mail" a letter right in their box by leaving it for the mail handler. Well, maybe that works for some people, but not if you have the old crab that comes to my house everyday. He's grouchy on even the nicest days and never smiles or says "hi." I can just see him muttering under his breathe if I were to ask for any extras.

Now I know that I am dating myself, but I still remember when mail delivery was twice a day. Really. Once in the morning and once in the afternoon. They stopped that a long time ago but I still remember it. I also recall when the postman was not only friendly, but he stopped to chat and talk for awhile.

I guess I have enough friends without the mailman, but I sure would like to know where to mail a letter.

Barbara Bartlein is the People Pro. For her FREE e-mail newsletter, please visit: The People Pro

More than a 500,000 Black & Decker Spacemaker coffeemakers are being recalled after 235 consumers reported steaming hot water flowing out of the machines when the brew basket shifts out of place, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reported. At least 10 suffered second-degree burns.

Those who have the machines are urged to stop using them until they receive a replacement basket.

The recall is being conducted by Applica Inc., which makes most of the household items sold under the Black & Decker name. The coffeemakers were made in China and sold at major retailers including Target, Wal-Mart and Amazon.com between March 2006 and March 2009 for $60-$70.

The recalled coffeemaker is designed to be mounted under cabinets and has a programmable digital clock and timer, and either a 12-cup glass carafe or eight-cup thermal carafe. The following models numbers (the number is on the back of the machine) are subject to the recall: ODC440, ODC440B, ODC450 and ODC460.

To contact Applica, call (866) 668-4442 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Eastern Time weekdays or go to the company's recall Web site.

The CPSC asks anyone who has had an incident with one of the machines to report it on the commission's site.

This is the fifth coffeemaker to be recalled by the CPSC in the past year, including 500,000 units sold at Walgreen's that started about two dozen fires reported to the company prior to the recall in April.

TripAdvisor, the popular hotel review site, which in theory is a gold mine for shared information, boasts some 25 million views a month, and although it isn't responsible for writing positive reviews to promote any one property, its messy, user-generated system is increasingly under fire for fomenting propaganda.

The objections are piling on so quickly that the Web site has placed disclaimers on at least 92 hotel pages (click here to see one). "TripAdvisor has reasonable cause to believe that either this property or individuals associated with the property may have attempted to manipulate our popularity index by interfering with the unbiased nature of our reviews. Please take this into consideration when researching your travel plans."

To the site's watchdogs, which include Arthur Frommer and BeatofHawaii.com, it was like an admission of guilt. TripAdvisor, they allege, has fallen victim to desperately self-promoting hotels that have successfully learned to pad the reviews, trashing the purpose of the whole site.

UPDATE

Less than 24 hours after closing its service to move frequent travelers to the front of airport security lines, Clear announced on its Web site today that no, it won't be refunding any customers who bought $199 annual memberships.

And for any of its 250,000 customers worried about having their iris scans, fingerprints or other personal information sold or somehow ending up in another company's hands, Clear's Web site says: "Applicant and member data is currently secured in accordance with the Transportation Security Administration's Security, Privacy and Compliance Standards. Verified Identity Pass, Inc. will continue to secure such information and will take appropriate steps to delete the information."

A TSA spokesman told me that the agency doesn't "really have a dog in this fight" and said in a press release that 'TSA has no comment on Verified Identity Pass' announcement. The Clear program was market-drive, private sector venture, offered in partnership with airports and airlines in certain locations."

Verified Identity Pass couldn't negotiate credit to continue operating and closed service Monday night at the 20 airports it operated in across the country.

Clear -- the company that runs paid security lanes at 20 U.S. airports to speed its 250,000 members through airports -- is out of business.

Before the company's announcement that its "Clear lanes" would cease operation at 11 p.m. PST Monday, June 22, travelers were already complaining on the Internet that the traveler's best friend was out of business and that more people would have to wait in line again.

Most of the company's Web links were left with the simple message that Clear is ceasing operations and that its parent company, Verified Identity Pass, Inc., "has been unable to negotiate an agreement with its senior creditor to continue operations."

Clear members paid up to $199 for an annual membership for access to designated security lanes at participating airports nationwide. Some members paid three years in advance, and the company bragged of a 90% membership renewal rate.

Oakland A's fans will get their money's worth when the team gives away hats, tote bags and other souvenirs at games, thanks to a bonehead lawyer who sued the baseball team for sex discrimination because he didn't get a woman's hat on Mother's Day five years ago.

The team and San Diego lawyer Alfred Rava have reached a preliminary settlement on a class-action suit Rava filed, according to a Contra Costa Times story in Walnut Creek, CA.

In part due to the suit, the A's will no longer offer male- or female-only giveaways, according to team spokesman Bob Rose. On May 10 this year -- Mother's Day -- the A's gave away tote bags to the first 10,000 fans.

They said it couldn't be done. USA Today almost couldn't do it. It took a week for a reporter there to sit down and sort out all the assorted extra fees that that the airlines are charging.

The paper's table will be current for about a week, because more unexpected and unheralded fees are being pelted at us each week, but reading the resulting chart will either make you furious or resigned to your lowly condition.

The airlines aren't just making up new charges, like $7 for a pillow and $3 for a Coke. They're piling fees on top of fees that already exist. As the summer travel season starts, the airlines are now instituting penalties that will milk customers simply because we can't plan ahead to their satisfaction.

Starting July 9, U.S. Airways will raise its fee for checking a bag by $5 to $20 for one and $30 for the second one.

Congress is soon to vote on a new law that would make every foreign visitor to the United States pay $10. Why? To encourage them to come!

That's right. The government, in a bipartisan effort, wants to create a public relations branch that works to convince international visitors to come spend their euro and pounds here. The U.S. collects some $1.3 trillion from tourism a year, and 8.3 million work in the industry. The act's sponsors point out that since 9/11 international visitorship to the United States has plunged 17% despite the fact that worldwide, travel has increased.

It's not because we're turning away more people; it's that people would rather not cut through the thickening wads of red tape that come with every airplane ticket here. We've lost 200,000 jobs because of that. Our attitude at the border is clearly costing us. So we'd create a new non-profit group to sell our destination, and to fund it, everyone who comes to see us would pay another $10.

Most in the travel industry, including the U.S. Travel Association, think we need this new effort. Curiously, the Heritage Foundation, the famous conservative/Reaganist think tank, agrees that we need a better tourism promotion, too. But it's opposed to the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 because it would be a federal project.