Using the $45B figure for credit card fees and the 2007 census data from govt, I calculate that, per capita, banks made about $150 each this year, or about $300 per wage earner/worker in the labor force. What did I get for my $300?

-I do not have to stand in line at banks to get my cash out to go shopping. That adds up to many hours per year of my time saved.

-I do not have to carry large amounts of cash and risk getting robbed or losing it when i go to make a major purchase. Peace of mind.

-I can order things on the phone and over the internet using a card, shopping for the best prices not available in my high-rent NY neighborhood.

-I can go on vacation in foreign countries and instantly get cash equivalents in their currency at an ATM, saving major hassles of paperwork and risk carrying currency and exchanging it.

The list of advantages to using plastic goes on and on.

Considering the low annual cost ($300), compared to real taxes paid to govt, which are orders of magnitude higher, I am happy to pay it for the convenience it brings to my life. But what conveniences, in comparison, do I get for my >$100,000 paid to govt in taxes annually?

I would rather have bankers making money off me in exchange for services I really want and value, than having Nancy Pelosi and her buddies getting rich from my tax dollars providing govt “services” I really don’t want.