I feel compelled to vent my spleen about the insane amount of phone solicitations I receive for additional "services" from my credit card companies. I don't sweat the charities asking for donations. What does chap my ass is the credit card companies making me feel like I might be at risk for identity theft or fraud and that I should buy a service for 9.99 a month that protects me from identity theft. Since they are at risk of losing money from identity theft, why should I pay to protect them? Seriously, I pay the credit card company between 8 and 12% interest for the privilege of using their money. I don't call them every month and ask them to pay for a security system to protect all the crap I buy with their card. It's a risk I take and I take it at my own expense. So why should I pay for a service that protects me from hackers who steal information from their databases? Fear is a powerful tool and it stands that autocrats and tyrants should use it to keep their subjects in line but I am already paying my credit card company as a matter of mutual trust that I will pay them back and that they will protect my valuable information.

PAX