dept of they don't get it

Bank of America is planning to charge debit-card users five bucks a month starting early next year.

In this political climate? Man, these are really some totally clueless mofos.

Angela Malerba, who works in public relations in Boston, carries a debit card because she likes to know when she buys something that she has enough in her account to pay for it. But paying $5 a month to use her own money? That's too much.

So when Bank of America starts charging the fee next year, Malerba figures she'll rely more heavily on her credit card. Or, in a strategy that seems almost quaint in these swipe-and-go times, she may just carry more cash.

"Paying $60 a year in debit card fees just seems absurd," she says.

In an attempt to soften the blow and prevent a mass exodus of depositors, the bank also announced some exemptions to the new policy:

Bank of America said the fee will apply only when customers use their debit cards for purchases in a certain month. The fee will not apply if the card is used only to access ATMs. It will not apply for premium customers, who keep high balances.

Any bankers who think the public will sit still for getting ripped off by them more than they have been already has to have a screw loose. If they need cash that badly (and they do!) they ought to think about recovering the golden parachute they gave to that criminal, Ken Lewis. He's the one who screwed their pooch, not us!