Thank the current administration for difficulty in getting CC sales of e-cigarettes processed

[Vocalek]

An article in this morning's Washington Times reveals that the administration has been conniving to get rid of things they don't like (e.g., tobacco and e-cigarettes) via regulatory trickery.

Thus it was with Operation Choke Point, an interdepartmental program designed to cripple or eliminate completely legal businesses just because the administration doesn’t like them. The idea for the program apparently came from a zealous and perhaps overly ambitious prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia, who suggested to his superiors that the government could persuade banks to call loans, refuse to make loans or otherwise do business with certain industries, forcing many enterprises to close.
The resulting operation involves the Department of Justice, the FBI, the newly formed Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and, most importantly, the bank regulators at the Federal Deposit insurance Corporation (FDIC). The folks at the FDIC audit banks large and small and can send bankers searching for their Maalox simply by raising an eyebrow.

Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news...signs-of-operation-choke-point/#ixzz3BVUzSfMR
Follow us: @washtimes on Twitter

 

[Augmented Dog]

Geez!*Sigh* :rolls eyes and throws arms up in disgust:

 

[wv2win]

This does not surprise me at all with this administration. When beaten in the courts, they decide to make it too expensive to stay in business. If a seller cannot process payments, then the business will go under.

We are at a point now in this battle, that our last best hope is that the leadership of the Senate changes hands in November. If that happens, the vaping industry can weather the final two years of this administration. The Deeming Regulations will be stopped or at least stalled. If vaping is important to your life, we all need to help that change occur.

 

[Moonbogg]

Difficulty in getting "CC" sales? Does "CC" mean CelluCotton? Because you can get that at Sally's beauty supply no problem.

 

[twgbonehead]

Difficulty in getting "CC" sales? Does "CC" mean CelluCotton? Because you can get that at Sally's beauty supply no problem.

That was my first thought. But here, CC is "Credit Card"

 

[dragonpuff]

I'm familiar with Operation Choke Point - however, please correct me if I'm wrong, but I haven't seen any evidence of this actually happening to the e-cigarette industry yet. Has any e-cig company or vendor had issues getting funding from a bank due to the bank's disagreement with the nature of their business? (Forgive me if I'm simply out of the loop on this one.)

 

[Vocalek]

Dragon puff, we have seen Vendors report being dropped by their credit card processors with no good explanation since 2009.

 

[dragonpuff]

Dragon puff, we have seen Vendors report being dropped by their credit card processors with no good explanation since 2009.

Ah, I have not seen news of this recently, which is likely why I missed it - I missed a lot in my 4-year absence... thank you

 

[Stosh]

Operation Choke Point has had the thumb screws applied to gun and ammo stores, manufacturers for the most part SO FAR. They were the low hanging fruit for the first salvo, the adult film industry seems to have been the next on their list.

Tobacco sales are included in the listings of verboten industries and it may be that they are waiting for the FDA to designate e-cigarettes as tobacco products to attack vaping fully.

I hope I'm wrong but if I was planning on crushing the vaping industry along with tobacco, it's the operational strategy I would use. Quick and clean, kill two birds with one stone.

http://www.americanbanker.com/gallery/timeline-operation-choke-point-1066360-1.html
http://townhall.com/columnists/douggiles/2014/08/10/operation-choke-point-why-gun-and-cigar-lovers-should-loathe-leftists-by-doug-giles-n1876899
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/06/02/holder-justice-department-accused-gun-grab-with-choke-point-program/
http://dailycaller.com/2014/07/18/operation-choke-point-hearing-reveals-doj-threats-and-strong-arming/

 

[Kent C]

It's how Native American reservation sales and RYO sales were squashed.

(yes, I know some are still available but nothing like before that particular hammer came down)

 

[2coils]

I know personally, two vape shop owners in Jersey, that had difficulty finding C.C processors when they were initially opening. This is absolutely happening.

 

[DC2]

It's also how they attacked online poker.

 

[rothenbj]

Unfortunately the administration that had promised a new level of transparency in government has worked cloak and dagger secret to do as they pleased since taking office. What they can't politically accomplish, they accomplish with executive order, regardless of their constitutional right to do so. The use of agencies has reached a new level of abuse, not seen since the 70s and more obscene. Operation choke point is just another example.