The Government Owns Your Cellphone Minutes

That's the theory being promoted in Washington DC (from Weekly Standard):

The city of Washington, D.C. is suing AT&T. Why?

Because some customers who buy its prepaid calling cards don't always use up all the minutes. The city isn't suing on behalf of the customers, of course (though even that would be sort of silly). It's suing on the notion that when a customer doesn't use up all of a product or service they purchase, the remainder belongs to the government.

Praise government from whom all blessings flow...

How long until the same principle is applied to every gift card or pre-purchased service?

Of course, card issuers will adjust by simply adding service fees designed to eat up any unused value in a card before the government can attempt to seize them.