Seeing as ATC charges are usually based on aircraft weight, not distance flown or time in sector, by asking for direct we are actually costing our airline more in ATC charges due to burning off less fuel, generating more income for your employer, securing your job and giving you a better chance of a wage rise next year
IF2, I'm guessing you've had a hard day and just wanted to vent some steam, and we can all understand that. If we're asking for direct routings because we're running late or whatever it's because we want to get our passengers where they want to go with the minimum of inconvenience. They are the customer and they pay ALL our wages.