Wastefull and predatory - I HATE unsolicited credit card offers

I just read a blog post from Seth Godin about retail packaging being very "un-green" and it reminded me that I never got around to posting this blog about how much I hate unsolicited credit card offers. I have several reasons for this, but one of the reasons is the waste involved. Take a look at this picture:
All week long I set the mail in a pile and at the end of the week when I settle my business finances I also pay my household bills. I have a system for opening the mail. I open all the envelopes and take out all the trash and "offers" that are included with the bill and make a stack of the bills. I also open all the unsolicited credit card offers, pull out the paper with my identifying information on it and make a second stack. Then, I stuff as much trash as I can into the "no postage necessary" envelope and seal it up to send back to them. By the end of the process I have a stack of trash, a stack of papers that I have to put through the shreader, a stack of bills and a stack of envelopes to go back to the credit card companies. The picture here, from left to right is the trash, the envelopes and the paperwork for the shreader. All of this paper was delivered to my home in ONE WEEK!!! What a ridiculous wast of paper.
Reason #2 that I hate unsolicited credit card offers. My time every week is wasted opening these envelopes, sorting it and shreading it. One might wonder why I don't just throw it away. Maybe I watch too much Dateline, but I worry about someone getting a hold of one of those "pre-approved" offers and requesting a card in my name. So, I have to open them. So, as punishment to the company for wasting my time and wasting paper, I send them back their "no postage necessary" envelope. Those companies don't have to pay for that envelope to be shipped unless it actually gets shipped. So, by sending it back I am costing them money. Punishment.
Reason #3. I believe this is a predatory lending practice. If someone, who otherwise is a responsible credit person, is in a tight squeeze financially it would be very tempting to take these companies up on their "low introductory rate" or the "zero interest on balance transfer" offers. Most people don't realize that the number of cards you have really does affect your credit score. People can get caught up very quickly and get out of control in debt before they even realize what has happened. Then, the next thing they know they have interest rates over 30%!!

rant over.