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I think it's unfortunate that this gets painted wholly as race relations, when the police abuses are becoming ever more concerning across all of society. No-knock raids on the wrong houses, where people and dogs have been killed, and in one instance, a toddler burned so badly his family has over $1 million in medical bills...medical bills the SWAT team says they aren't responsible for because they were doing their jobs. Another no-knock raid on the wrong house ended with a 7-year-old girl dead from a gun shot wound in the head. The LAPD beat a white guy to death over the course of about 30 minutes...pretty sure he was done resisting well before that. Now, I don't think these rioters have the right answer. And I certainly will not argue that Michael Brown was a good person, nor that Eric Garner wasn't breaking the law. I'm also not arguing that every cop who shoots someone in the line of duty is a murderer and should be tried. On the other hand, we will clearly not reach any kind of solution as long as the police continue to view themselves as military units, going out to face hostiles every day, instead of PEACE officers, going out to serve and protect the people paying their salary. We keep hearing that it's a few bad apples that do this sort of thing...but I haven't seen very many police stand up and say "hey, that cop was a bad guy, I don't want him on the force anymore" when these abuses do happen. So no, I don't think the riots will solve anything. And no, I don't think one segment of the population is being oppressed. But I also don't think that every police officer is a saint and that all of them have only my well-being in mind.

Here's what I do, I find a card with a great deal (like $400 or $500 for spending $3,000 in 3 months) and I use that card exclusively until I reach the target dollar amount. Once I reach the target dollar amount, I cash out my benefits and move on to the next card, or go back to my go-to daily use cards like Chase Sapphire preferred or Chase Freedom if there aren't any good deals running. If I am buying plane tickets to Thailand or making big purchases, it might take me a month to hit the dollar amount, if I am not making big purchases, it might take me the full 3 months. If I am taking a trip where I want to use up the free airline credits on my Amex cards, I will bring those cards with me and buy seat upgrades or drinks or movies or whatever just to use those benefits. For the Amex platinum, I might use it on two or three trips before I hit the $200 airline credit limit. Either way, the refunds post before the bill is due, so I pay it as soon as the refunds post, then put the card in the drawer until the next year. At no point have I ever carried a balance on any card, because I don't want to ever pay a cent of interest. I have also never paid an annual fee, they are either waived for military every year, or I get the first year for free, then drop the card down to the non-annual fee version at the end of the year. This might all sound like a lot of work, but you can easily manage all of it on your iPhone while taking a dump.

But then how would I have time to check BODN?

...I had to actually look up what the 'cis' was referring to. I think it means 'male assigned male at birth'? Yes, if we're going to say 'male' we now have to be specific as to whether or not the said male was born a male. (for all the the younger kids out there who understand the Internet slang better than I do, please let me know if I'm using incorrect terminology or definitions)

It's a 767. It's been flying since 1981.

Bingo! This is actually a very true statement that I argue about with friends all the time. Seriously, cash payers are paying a "premium" by not taking advantage of the 2-5% premium that most prices already include due to the widespread use of CCs. There are still places out there that either won't accept CCs or have a higher rate (coincidentally about 5%) more for using CCs. I was not a big fan of Ramsey either, but I actually think his real point is that you will spend more through plastic because it is easier to use than cash. I have tried it, and I think it is true. If I had to unfurl crinkled dollar bills for every beer at the bar, snack at the grocery store, or meal at the restaurant, it would have a much greater sting and I think I (and most people) will pay less. I don't think Ramsey ever actually argues that you will eventually pay interest/fees even if you are paying the card in full each month. His primary point, I believe, is to live beneath your means. Using plastic us just so much easier that people spend more than they would had they used cash. I am sure excessive lines of credit is bad, but I would imagine the overall amount of credit available to you is one of the biggest factors, plus the amount of credit that you are using. I can see my credit score at all times through this identity guard thing I get through Costo. All 3 of my credit scores are regularly above 800 despite that fact that I have like 10 open credit cards. I notice that when I sign up for a new one, or if any one approaches about 75% of its limit, my credit scores dip below 800 for a month or two. GREAT question. I hadn't researched that exact thing, but I don't think so. I found out the hard way that when using my AMEX blue for my 6% cash back, I don't get shit when I buy groceries at Wally World, Target, Costco, or any other places listed as "discounters." Basically, if you pay full price for groceries at regular name-brand grocery stores, it should show up in AMEX as eligible for the 6% cash back. Other than that, you won't get 6% for groceries bought at convienece stores, Walmart, or other places. Be wary.

The vast majority of consumers are not smart when making big purchases. That's how companies make money. I do quite a lot of research prior to making big purchases to ensure I get the best deal possible. When I bought my car, I found every possible rebate and credit offered by the manufacturer and dealership prior to going in, and I bought a new car at the very end of the model year. I ending up paying $7,000 less than MSRP with 0% financing. I got a grand for military discount, 3 grand for promotional credit from the manufacturer, 2 grand in dealer credits, and 1 grand in multi-car discount for buying a second car from the same dealer. I also got blue book value on my trade in. 95% of the time, companies still find a way to get their piece of the pie, but that 5% is out there where they are just looking to make the sale to reduce inventory, bump sales stats, etc. You can be that 5% with a little bit of research and planning. I'd also recommend reading the book Bargaining for Advantage.