Frankly, I’d Rather Mail You a Check and Burn the $4.95.

The Supreme Court of Colorado tells me that, in order to reduce the impact of paper communication on the environment, I will have to pay Western Union to process my lawyer registration dues every year from now on:

We have contracted with Western Union and Striata to provide this service to you. Western Union charges a flat fee of $4.95 to process your payment by electronic check or using your credit or debit card (certain restrictions apply). Look for your annual statement by email in January 2009, at which time we will provide you further details on how to submit payment.

I’m very fond of the environment, but surely there is a better way to eliminate the environmental impact of the single letter the Colorado Supreme Court sends me each year and the single check I send back than to have me pay $4.95 to Western Union, a company whose business model is built around Mexican money launderers, Nigerian fraudsters, and broke college students.