I read through this entire forum, and one thing that it seems everyone is overlooking is the fact that C.C. companies make just as much from the merchants in fees as opposed the interest rate your are paying. This is assuming you have a good credit score and use a card with a reasonable interest rate. Some businesses pay as much as 7-9% in fees (which is equal to or higher than my APR) when they accept credit cards, depending on the card company and the type of business the merchant is in. As an example I buy a $300.00 plane from my LHS, if I use my credit card it will cost him $15.00, in a ball park figure, right off the top. Let’s just say I decide to spread that over 3 billing cycles, it will cost me about $4.40 in interest plus or minus 30 cents.
So in reality it has cost my LHS more that it did me to use a credit card. But bear in mind I don't use my credit card as a general rule for my hobby. It is only used in an emergency or making travel arrangements.
This practice of credit card companies charging fees to the merchant also applies to the use of debit cards. If not why do you think banks push using a debit card over a check. Because it cost you 4 cents for a check and they don't make another dime from it, but convince you to use a debit card and they get to make up to 7-9% off of every penny you spend and for what nothing, you don't gain anything and the merchant losses.
So, my opinion, pay cash or check and leave the banks out in the cold for awhile. From my experience in the last two years my LHS has been able to provide all of my needs as quick as Tower or any other online retailer in the same time frame, and for the same cost and sometimes a little cheaper. As far as Towers easy pay program goes it is a good thing as long as it is used wisely and not mistreated.
On credit cards behalf though, it sure saved my butt when my income was lost for nearly three years due to health problems. Once I cleaned out our savings the use of my credit kept me from losing everything, and we were not in debt that far. But the decision was made to repay the credit card debt as soon as possible, including any non essential purchases being postponed until after the debt was paid.
With that being said, credit cards are only as evil as the users that abuse their use and are as good as the one who uses theme wisely.

As far as the financial problems in this nation, they are not the cause of the people that use credit wisely; it was created by the greedy corporations making bad loan decisions. In days of old when you went to borrow money you was required to have collateral equal too or greater than the amount you requested. If you did not meet this criteria you went away empty handed. My friend you and I are the ones that saved these banks from folding and by no means is that a good thing. The best thing to have done would to have let them go belly up and not be rewarded for bad business practices.