US Banking System

Had a few run-ins with the US bank system lately and I am very impress by their system at all. Maybe I am just spoiled by the good systems in place in Australia and Hong Kong?
First issue I am having is with credit cards. It seems impossible to get a full credit card if you do not have any credit history. On the other hand, college students could easily get one (low limit) without prove of any capability to pay back.....maybe they are betting on their parents to pay back? Compared to someone with a job and decent salary but without credit history, are college students less risky? For someone a decent job, would a line of $500 credit be that risky to the banks? I just don't understand the logic, maybe the statistics is defying logic or maybe it is just the beaurcracy that is defying logic. Either way, I will have to be stuck on a "secure" credit card for a year at least (the ones where you have to place deposit).
The second issue is with their inter-bank electronic transfer system. Seems to me that they only offer two solutions: write a check or wire transfer. Wire transfer is immediate but cost a lot (someone transfer me an amount and I get charge quite a lot for it!) while check is a manual process that takes ages to liquidate. Why isn't there an electronic solution that takes a few business days but cost considerably less? Combining this feature with online banking, that's what I call synergy and improvement to money movement within the economy. Maybe I should look for a bank with *free* wire transfer.......but I feel sorry for the person on the other end that does not have *free* transfer receipt.
The final issue is how bad foreign American Express traveller's cheques are treated in US. It is fine if you go to an American Express branch but if you try to cash some from a bank, you will have problems. Especially if it is not written in US currency. I had quite a lot of bad experience with AMEX cheques at US Banks.......just got a few bounced lately.....don't recommend buying the cheques when they come over to US. Better to use ATM or credit card.