Voter ID - a short rant

In response to all of those who insist that everyone should have picture ID "after all, you need it to cash a check or use a credit card." If you are poor and/or elderly, you aren't using checks or credit cards. You're paying your bills in cash or by money order.

I'm living in a country where everything that is necessary in life (with exception for groceries at the large supermarket that caters to the foreign crowd; it has food from around the world, not just foods that Greeks traditionally eat), like plumbing repairs, most grocery shopping, gasoline for your car, home heating oil -- all are paid for in cash.

And in the five years I've lived here and in the 17 years since I first came for a visit - I have never seen anyone write a check. In fact, credit cards were mostly used by tourists only before Greece converted to the euro.

So, please stop talking like cash has been made obsolete. If you're poor, spending cash helps to keep you from getting poorer - you can't spend what you don't have and if more people only used cash (or money orders), America's credit card debt would be greatly reduced.