John...I am soooooooooo disappointed in your column on credit cards and policies of same. Ideally people should know and take responsibility for understanding the business of credit cards. Newspapers are written at a level of an 8th grader. By the time 18 year old students enter college, their credit card age/understanding is about at a Kindergarten level. Very few are able to handle a department store credit card...which are standard issues at American universities.

With the dilemma of varying IQs of persons in the world, the fact that banks prey on the ignorant and gullible and needy is well recognized. Oh yes. There are many exceptions. You must admit the majority of people using credit cards today haven't a clue as to what they are doing when they "charge."

I am NOT speaking of myself. I have one credit card, use it for convenience and pay it off each month. I am not lured into specials which offer me a discount for using a specific store's or bank's credit card. I am the exception.

Please...you are a fair man. Recognize banks have megawealth due to credit cards.

Courtenay Cross

Before politicians got involved with HUD, Freddie, and Fannie, intimidating the banks to loan money to people who literally couldn't afford to make payments for a home, nor the credit cards being so freely offered by banks just by signing your name, folks had to prove they could afford the 'American Dream' before banks would even talk to you. Politicians then decided a 'First time Home Buyers' program, with nothing down and sellers could pay the closing costs because everyone was 'entitled to a home', regardless of whether they could pay or not, was more than a common disaster! Its' a Taxpayers' nightmare. These same politicians forgot to, once again, think about the consequences since Nafta and Cafta played a huge roll in the stabililty of Americans and their futures! President Obama has asked for ideas to tighten governments' belts! Taxpayers, the few that have jobs left, would like to bring several critical issues to the table that would be a beginning to paying off trillions of dollars, borrowed without Taxpayers' consent, and put America back on track by 2035, if put into place immediately! Government should start running like a business; that is, President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer and a few good people that work, rather than sitting around occupying a seat and burning up dollars America doesn't have! Its' obvious, some of these greedy politicians have too much time on their hands and this is why the country has gotten in such dire need of change! Layoffs and job cuts have to be done! Its' time to cut politicians salaries and retirements to $12,000.00 yearly! Or better yet, take all politicians assets, pay off all the trillions they've borrowed and sell them a one-way ticket to the foreign countries they've sold America to! At no time have Taxpayers heard the words "we, the politicians that's driven America into bankruptcy, will cut our salaries and retirements!" What an insult to the small business owners, working and struggling to make ends meet while politicians continue towards the bankrupting of America! In the business world, salaries, benefits and jobs are being cut; therefore, its' time for cuts and layoffs in all phases of government, beginning with 'our public servants', that to date, have been servicing themselves and not for Americas' benefits! It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure why politicians created Nafta and Cafta, taking Americans' jobs and stability, thus causing a huge breakdown in society! Without textile and furniture manufacturing jobs, how would anyone be able to afford housing, furniture, clothes, autos, or anything else. Therefore, instead of government bailouts, handouts, Freddie, Fannie, HUD, AIG, Banks, Automakers, or any company in bed with government and politicians, these 'endless money pit programs' should be cut completely out, as so many of these 'politically motivated useless departments' have never worked! It's real chaos for America! 1977 started the downhill trend of spending, by all politicians, for social and welfare programs, and it has now put America in jeopardy! All these programs, including non-profit organizations, should be stopped immediately! Beginning with the cutting of aforementioned critical issues, 'Fair Tax', to include property taxes, should follow, as everyone that wants to be a responsible and constructive American must pay their fair share of taxes, and stop making it the burden of the cash-straped homeowner thats' barely getting by, since government intervention! Until government and politicians change their 'tax and spend' bad habits, step up to the plate and take responsibility for the bad debts created by you, 'politicians are not solving the problem' - 'they are the problem!'