I read that banks are finding new ways to pass on costs to customers. Examples include higher annual fees on credit cards, elimination of "rewards" programs and the elimination of grace periods for late payments, even one-day grace periods. These are in response to ... a sudden outburst of unreasonableness on the part of banks and credit card companies? No way. They are in response to a significant increase in government regulation on the banking industry, including credit cards, over the past year.

The lesson here, for the ten trillionth time: Government is not your friend. Government does things in your name, while in actuality you end up paying for all or most of it. While it's true that the banking regulations will not harm those who are unable or unwilling to pay their bills, those who continue to act responsibly and rationally will be footing the bill, both in higher taxes and higher costs generated by government regulation. Government is protecting the unable and the unwilling at the expense of the competent and the responsible. In time, you'll see less and less of one and more of the other.