Any node is connected to some other nodes.
Once you broadcast your transaction-cut-
Yeah, Understood.
You pay the fee to miners, -cut-
Understood.
Yes, anyone has your address can check all your transactions.
Assume that you don't run your own node and you are using a SPV wallet like electrum.
Whenever you open your wallet, electrum sends all the generated addresses to a server. The server can know that all those addresses are owned by the same person.
If you connect to the server with your real IP address, the server can link all those addresses to your IP address.
Now I understand what privacy you were talking about. Thanks for the clarification. I fully understand the basics and the benefits of running the node as a validator. It is really a good thing for those who want to remain hidden, the statement that I made about mixers going down or being of no use, but if this is the case, then mixers are still needed.
PS: Thanks for your help; it really matters. I hope I have some merits to appreciate you but unfortunately I lack some now.