Gilligan said:
Explain to me why credit card companies need 18% or higher to function?
Interest rates aren't hard to understand.
There's a piece for the base rate, ie Prime or LIBOR.
There's a piece for the time value of the money being loaned
There's a piece for the risk to the bank they the borrower defaults
There's profit.
That's pretty much it. If you read the disclosures they'll tell you your rate is xx% plus yy% or something like that. xx% is the base rate plus their profit. The rest is either time or your risk profile. The higher your score the lower your markup.
Why do they need 18%? Because people will pay it. Interest rates are like every other product, supply and demand rules. Shop around and get the best card for your circumstances.
A fearful society is a compliant society. That's why Democrats and criminals prefer their victims to be unarmed. Gun Control is not about guns, it's about control.