Visa, Las Vegas

Michelle Singletary is no fan of credit cards. Today she likens them to gambling in Las Vegas, because the house always wins. And the similarities don't stop there.

In Vegas, you can wake up after a wild night with a long-term commitment: marriage. With credit cards, you can wake up with an even longer commitment: a big pile of debt.

In Vegas, if you gamble more than you can afford, you end up dancing somewhere, wearing next to nothing to pay back the money. With credit cards, you end up taking a second job as a barista, wearing next to nothing to pay back the money.

And in Vegas, you can't walk the street without being offered a disgusting flier for an escort service. With credit cards, it's even worse: You can't reach into your mailbox without finding a disgusting offer for another card.

Just like the house in Vegas, the oil companies always win. Oil futures rose to another new record high, which likely means gas prices will go even higher.

For those of us who aren't oil executives, it's like a bad trip to the casino tables. We keep betting on 7, but the dice are rigged so all we can roll is craps.