ORIGINAL: Matt Kirsch (in reply to Hossfly)
Too late. If we're getting applications, they've got your names and addresses. Who do you think is sending out the applicaitons, the AMA, on their dollar? Nuh-uh.
You people have short memories. This isn't the first time the AMA has "partnered" with a bank to offer a credit card to its members. Think back about four years ago. Check groups.google.com: "AMA Visa: It's everywhere you want it to be?"
If this bank didn't already have our personal information, it's not much of a bank, and doomed to bankruptcy in the near future. I know they had mine, as I constantly get credit card offers in the mail from them.
There's no such thing as privacy any more. Our information is out there; it was out there long before the AMA ever thought about giving it out. There's no undoing that unless you change your name and move, but it won't be long before your new identity is in every corporate database in the country again.
The upside is that these companies are so greedy, so information-hungry that their databases are going to reach critical mass. There will be so much information, that it will become completely useless, unprocessable. I don't think we're far from that. Every variation of name or address is a new record in the database; there are probably a dozen different "Horrace Cain" records all pointing to the same person (i.e. H Cain, Harrace Cain, Horrace Kain, Horrace Kane), for example. Just using you as an example Horrace, hope you don't mind.
Again, you complain about how the AMA should operate more like a "real business," pursue more "tangible" benefits for its members, seek out alternative sources of revenue. Here the AMA is doing all three.
Kirsh:
You are an ever-so-smart operator in defense of the AMA. However I would appreciate it if you have such desire to blast all on the thread over some general statements by a host of other individuals, that you make your (REPLY TO) either the original thread question or to those that you are replying to.
I'm sure that most all those here that belonged to AMA for the last 5 years still get those CC solicitations from AMA's previous drive for such. I suggest they don't have such short memories. Perhaps YOU and AMA have the short mempory. The previous credit card (CC) program didn't really work then and I predict it will not now save the ship from badly listing.
My post's topic is on the economic system where a CC bears the name of an organization and some credits are forwarded to that organization rather than being rebated to the CC user. My post did not subject the "privacy" question yet your blast in (reply to hossfly) is primarily focused on the complainers of such.
In addition your use of myself as an example in your thesis concerning google substantiated your post as being directed at me, even though your topic was tangented far off my subject. As a matter of fact, some time ago, on Google, I found some pleasure in that I am NOT the only Horrace spelled with TWO Rs. Maybe my school teaching mom knew things that I was late to find out. Still, I don't need or solicit your instructions.
Therefore since you appear to be very much on the defense of AMA's operations, I am certain that you can figure out just how this (in reply to) thing works. I suggest you better determine your future targets.