The downside of instant gratification

I have at least five things running through my head at the same time right now, and I love it!

I love being busy. Probably the most horrible thing in the world is having nothing to do. Now don't get me wrong - I do like to relax every once in a while, maybe sleep in a little bit. But I can't do it for more than a day because then I get bored. And when I get bored, it's a very bad thing.

One of the things I've got stewing in my head is an op-ed piece about some credit card cloning that's been going on in the area. Consumer education is kind of a pet project for me so I was really excited about the assignment. On top of that, I specialize in consumer fraud, especially identity theft, so I'm all over this. Turns out some grad student copied credit card numbers that he stole from a local liquor store onto dozens of gift cards and used them to buy merchandise that he'd turn around and sell for a profit. These guys seriously need to rethink their careers and use their supreme intelligence for good rather than evil.

Well, I found out last weekend that someone bought $200 worth of stuff at Wal-Mart in Clearwater, Fla., with my credit card. I wasn't too happy about that. And then I thought about it - with all of my expertise in identity theft and credit card fraud, am I really practicing what I preach?

The answer is, unfortunately, no. I use my debit card at the gas station all the time because it's easier than paying cash. I don't own a shredder, so documents with my identity all over them are just floating around out there for anyone to pick up. I hand my credit card to a waiter in full confidence that he won't clone my card before he gives it back to me. I'm a disaster waiting to happen. And I'm just like every other American, except maybe worse since I know better.

So here's a question for you.

What do you value more - safety or convenience?