Why Bicyclists Shoud Treat Stop Signs as Yield Signs

Such issues are never black and white and there are decent arguments both ways. Currently I fall into the camp of treating stop signs as yield signs while on a bike. However, if I ever get ticketed for this behavior I won't hesitate to change, and those around me will suffer. The convincing argument for bikers to treat stop signs as yields is simple politeness towards other drivers. If I stop at every stop sign the amount of additional time it takes for me to cross those intersections will lead to increased congestion and annoyance of other drivers whom I will unnecessarily slow down. The same argument suggests that there shouldn't be any stop signs (or at least no 4-way stops), however it's especially potent for bicycles due to their relatively low rate of acceleration vs automobiles.