Editor, Gazette-Journal:

But it’s truly said that "Time is money." And now we’re being "taxed" again in that currency.

I received my state income tax refund today. Instead of a check that I could drop off at the bank, I received two debit cards and a letter stating that I had to "activate them as described below" (with there being no instructions contained below) and get a PIN.

There was a number to call for help. I called, was interrogated about just everything except my shoe size, and then informed that my PIN was the last four digits of my Social Security number and that I could deposit the refund into my bank if they used MasterCard. Otherwise, I had to find a place that took MasterCard, cash the card, and then move the funds to my bank. I could also just spend it like a prepaid debit card.

I had to know my PIN and know the amount on the card to do this. To find the amount on the card, I had only to activate it and they (the card company) would tell me. The ne...