Withdrawing money from the bank used to be so convenient.
从银行取钱曾经非常方便。
You could visit a money machine almost anywhere.
你几乎可以在任何地方找到提款机。
Without paying a cent, you could get enough cash to buy a television or put a large down payment on some basketball shoes.
一分钱不用花，你就可以拿到足够的现金来买一台电视，或者为一双篮球鞋付一大笔首付。
But a couple of years ago some banks started charging a fee.
但几年前，一些银行开始收取费用。
If you didn’t have an account with them, you had to pay at least a dollar to withdraw money at their ATM.
如果你没有他们的账户，你就得支付至少一美元才能从他们的自动取款机上取钱。
Other banks followed suit and now the majority charge a fee.
其他银行纷纷效仿，现在大多数都收费了。
Some even charge as much as $3!
有些甚至收费高达3美元！
For many people who withdraw money from ATMs daily, that’s more than many would actually save in a year.
对于许多每天从自动取款机取款的人来说，这比他们一年实际存下的钱还多。
That’s a steep fee, especially when you’re trying to withdraw $5.
这是一笔高昂的费用，尤其是当你只想取5美元的时候。
To their credit, banks have tried to make ATMs much safer for us.
值得称赞的是，银行已经努力让自动取款机对我们来说更安全。
They’ve installed bright lights and security cameras.
他们安装了明亮的灯光和监控摄像头。
They don’t want anyone else robbing us.
他们不想让其他人抢劫我们。
Some lawmakers, bless their hearts, are trying to put a limit on the surcharges.
一些立法者（愿上帝保佑他们）正试图对附加费设定上限。
They don’t want bankers to get carried away and use ATMs to pay for their BMWs.
他们不想让银行家得意忘形，用自动取款机来支付他们的宝马车。
They don’t want the ATMs to display this message: 'Please withdraw only half as much as you can afford, because we’re taking the other half.'
他们不想让自动取款机显示这样的信息：'请只取你能承担的一半，因为另一半我们拿走了。'
Banks say they have to charge a fee because ATMs are expensive.
银行说他们不得不收费，因为自动取款机很贵。
They cost as much as $80,000 and that doesn’t even include the money inside.
它们的成本高达8万美元，这甚至还没包括里面的钱。
It would be cheaper to put a human in a box.
把一个人放在箱子里会更便宜。
But there’s probably a law against that.
但可能有法律禁止这样做。
And humans, unlike machines, are prone to making mistakes.
而且人类不像机器，容易犯错。
They’re also prone to running off to Mexico with the money.
他们也容易带着钱跑到墨西哥去。
The surcharge also allows banks to install ATMs in many convenient places, such as parks, plazas and prisons.
附加费也使银行能够在许多方便的地方安装自动取款机，比如公园、广场和监狱。
But in their haste to make ATMs more convenient, banks have made them less convenient for people like me.
但他们在急于让自动取款机更方便时，却让我这样的人感到更不方便。
I’d rather have one free ATM in my neighborhood, than a dozen that want to swindle me.
我宁愿我家附近有一台免费的自动取款机，也不愿有十几台想骗我的。
A couple of dollars may not seem like much to a banker, but to me, it means a feast at Taco Bell.
几美元对银行家来说可能不算什么，但对我来说，这意味着在塔可钟的一顿盛宴。
