>IMHO govt services make sense when private industry can't provide them effectively. That doesn't seem like the case here.

If cash is legal tender, how is it that you can be paid in cheques that nobody would cash for free ? Isn't it the government's job to a) Either cash them for free, or b) Require employers to pay in cash if the employee asks for it ?

I find the fee for cashing a cheque, and most other fees in the US banking system, quite ridiculous.