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Geez! They’re getting more and more brazen and bold out there. Beware of any pre-recorded phone calls you get telling you to visit your bank’s website to update info. Check out this article published in the online version of Jefferson City, MO’s local newspaper, The News Tribune.

It states an estimated 50,000 residents in Jefferson City and three of the surrounding counties received these calls. Folks, Jefferson City’s population is only about 35,000 last I checked (I lived there many moons ago), and the surrounding area is rural counties with small towns. That’s a awfully high percentage of calls for one lightly populated geographical area!

You know, that’s just not real smart. Surely they realized enough people in a small metro area that size would know somebody who knows somebody who knows somebody who ALSO knows somebody, and, therefore, word would get around fast.

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Although I’ve recently blogged about some things that I consider gloomy, I don’t like to do so, but some things just need to be brought to the attention of others at times. This morning I feel compelled to share a couple of articles I read in two different issues of my print edition of Businessweek that I think are rather alarming for the uninsured.

The first article I want to highlight, titled Fresh Pain for the Uninsured, is about how some medical facilities are now handing over the accounts of some patients, mostly uninsured patients from what I understand, to financial institutions. The clincher? A person could be charged as much as 27% interest on their debt depending on their credit rating.

The second article I want to highlight, titled Prisoners of Debt, is about the collection of debts that have been discharged in bankruptcy and how some companies are now buying up those discharged debts and attempting to collect on them.

Now, before anybody gets upset, let me say that I certainly don’t advocate bankruptcy when someone has just been totally irresponsible. I do believe, however, there are some circumstances when folks should either be allowed to restructure their debt payment plans/options or be forgiven of their debt.

Read the articles and then put two and two together to see how devastating it could be for the uninsured on very limited incomes who, in many cases, are (or were before retirement on limited incomes) honest, hardworking folks who do try to do the right thing.

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Ok, pay attention here. That title reads “Internet ACCESS Sales Tax Ban”, NOT “Internet Sales Sales Tax Ban”. Just want to make sure that’s understood before I go any further.

Here’s the scoop…according to a monthly newsletter I receive as a member of the American Institute of Professional Bookkeepers, effective November 1, 2007 you won’t have to worry about paying sales tax on your internet access for the next 7 years. Now doesn’t that make you a happy camper?

I’m sure those of you living in states that had such taxes on their books are definitely happy campers. If the ban hadn’t been extended, those sales taxes would’ve been effective immediately.

Rejoice! That’s one less tax we have to pay…for a few years anyway.

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