Reissue all paper money on whim of 1 judge?

[Claude Greiner]

Why does everything we do in this country have to be done in a way to accomodate everyones needs?

Should the goverment be required to print bills in Spanish, because there are illegal mexican immigrants living in the united states that "might" get ripped off by their employer because they cannot read english?

Too f**king bad!

Its just like the Americans with Disabilitys act. Last year I was looking at renovating my building and renting it out to a Organization who wanted to open a charter school for Automotive repair. Before I could lease the place out, I had to put an elevator in and spend $150,000 on the slim chance I would get a student in a wheel chair that wanted to be a Mechanic

 

[Bogy]

Why does everything we do in this country have to be done in a way to accomodate everyones needs?

Should the goverment be required to print bills in Spanish, because there are illegal mexican immigrants living in the united states that "might" get ripped off by their employer because they cannot read english?

I guess you are unaware that numbers are the same in English and Spanish.

 

[navychop]

IF this redesign involved recalling the old bills, yes, that would be WAY too expensive. IF there are changes that will require replacing automatic money handling devices (counters, sorters, vending machines etc), and these changes you mention WOULD require it, then the costs would be huge. Phasing in the paper over many years sounds fine- but you need to change the machinery EARLY ON. That's where some big bucks will be spent.

5%? Not sure what that 5% really is, nor who would pay for it. More unfunded government mandates, anyone?

Braille is not universal, and the last time I read on it, it's popularity was actually WANING.

The goal is fine, even "noble." The question is more like "Is it reasonable?" In other words, will the solution really work? And at reasonable cost? And MOST OF ALL this is a policy decision, not a decision for a single judge. He can say his interpretation of the law is X. But I daresay most lawmakers would say this is NOT what they had in mind when they passed that law. Like when a judge expanded the ADA to include alcoholics (that one stuck). U.S. dollars are literally stashed all over the world, and such a move has far reaching international consequences. That's pretty much in the foreign policy arena, for the President and Congress to weigh in on.

Let us respect that we have differing opinions, and that opinions can be changed thru reasoned argument. There is no need to misrepresent each others words thru exaggerations of what the other guy said, like "cripple the world's economy" or "such a hatred for the blind."

 

[jpn]

I did not think he issued an order to re-design currency. I thought he stopped at saying the existing money is in violation of blind people's rights.

More coins would be one way to handle hard currency. The treasury actually likes coins better than paper: coins cost more to make, but they're much harder to counterfeit and they last far longer than paper.

 

[Van]

You know I wonder how difficult it would be to make a pocketable money reader like the ones used in vending machines?

 

[Van]

Why does everything we do in this country have to be done in a way to accomodate everyones needs?


Its just like the Americans with Disabilitys act. Last year I was looking at renovating my building and renting it out to a Organization who wanted to open a charter school for Automotive repair. Before I could lease the place out, I had to put an elevator in and spend $150,000 on the slim chance I would get a student in a wheel chair that wanted to be a Mechanic

Its an unfortunate reality that we today and in the future will be financialy responsible for the lack of foresite and compassion by those in our past and required to correct these problems. In the last couple of years I have seen a blind mechanic, and 3 wheel chair bound mechanics but yes I do see what your saying that its a slim chance just as it was a slim chance to see a female mechanic or truck driver even 10 years ago, look around today and %50 of the truck drivers are women now, times are changing as the work force changes.

We live in a free country and we have rights wether we are fully capable or impaired in some fashion or another wether by genetic defect or disease or through an acident or malicous act of violence. Put yourself in the shoes of a friend of mine who broke his neck while diving into a lake 20 years ago, he was a partial functioning quad and had to change careers so he went into photography. Because of the limitations placed on him because of his chair and many buildings that still to this day do not have doors wide enough for a wheel chair he could not get into do much of his work and he lost alot of income because of it. Today there are new chairs that are smaller and that can walk up stairs and travel through the same terrain that non impaired people hike in and there are more buildings that are now accessable than there was 20 years ago but still there are to many that arent. If it wasnt for the American with disabilities act then impaired people would still be living in a horrible state and I doubt that is something you would be comfortable with.

 

[Roger]

Piss on the blind! Not to be rude but why should we bend over backwards to accommodate so few with a price tag so big? If they are blind then they probably don't do much shopping by themselves. When they do they can bring somebody along to help them.

We live in a free country and we have rights wether we are fully capable or impaired in some fashion or another wether by genetic defect or disease or through an acident or malicous act of violence.

Oh. I love this one! Too bad it doesn't work both ways where one has the freedom or right to choose and could refuse servicing the handicapped because it wouldn't make good business sense to blow that much money for little to no gain like Metro wrote above about the mechanic school.

 

[HCI]

I know I will probably get trashed but I think its stupid. Hey everyone lets all try to cater our lives to fit the needs of everyone. Its just dumb if you are blind the last thing you need is to walk around with paper money on you. I belive this is not the solution, trying to alter something there is no problem with is just insane. I know a couple of handicap people and they carry debit cards, I know this may not be a possibility for the blind but something in that concept would be the the idea solution for them. Have you saw the speed pass system Exxon has www.speedpass.com, these could be attached to the walking stick and the credit card machines could be retrofitted to accept them. I believe this would be a better solution than changing everything.

When will America learn we cannot fit the needs of everyone. Whats next writing 50 different languages on a cereal box so every ethnic group that lives in America can read the box. What about making door hands lower so midgets can reach them better. Then make the standard doorway taller and wider so bigger people can fit through them easier.

 

[Tom in TX]

I guess you are unaware that numbers are the same in English and Spanish.

Yeah, but 1, or 2 "what"? Dollars, or pesos? How could they tell?
What about the Chinese speaking, or Russian speaking Americans? We must accomodate all of them, too!

What about blind people that have no hands? How would they deal with Braille? Sounds very discriminatory, to me. Maybe have each different denomination have a certain "scent" imbedded in them - oh wait, some have the disability of having no sense of smell! Gotta accomodate the too!

I think we should just do away with any form of money. Just all live together in peace, and provide for each others needs without regard to the outdated idea of "money"!

Tom in Utopia

 

[HCI]

What about blind people that have no hands?

We have to call them poor bast@rds.

 

[Bogy]

You know I wonder how difficult it would be to make a pocketable money reader like the ones used in vending machines?

Many blind people already carry one. Just another cost of having a disability, so that the rest of us can get by cheaper. Other nations can handle this, but not the supposedly most advanced nation on earth. Heaven forbid we try to make things easier for those who already face great challenges, if it might cost us a few bucks or even worse, greatly inconvenience us by taking up a few more millimeters of space in our billfold.

 

[Bogy]

Piss on the blind! Not to be rude but why should we bend over backwards to accommodate so few with a price tag so big? If they are blind then they probably don't do much shopping by themselves. When they do they can bring somebody along to help them.

Oh. I love this one! Too bad it doesn't work both ways where one has the freedom or right to choose and could refuse servicing the handicapped because it wouldn't make good business sense to blow that much money for little to no gain like Metro wrote above about the mechanic school.

Great Roger. Since you don't want to accommodate those who are physically challenged, we'll just put you down as one of the people who want to pay all expenses for them, so they don't have to worry about supporting themselves.

 

[Bogy]

I know I will probably get trashed but I think its stupid. Hey everyone lets all try to cater our lives to fit the needs of everyone. Its just dumb if you are blind the last thing you need is to walk around with paper money on you. I belive this is not the solution, trying to alter something there is no problem with is just insane. I know a couple of handicap people and they carry debit cards, I know this may not be a possibility for the blind but something in that concept would be the the idea solution for them. Have you saw the speed pass system Exxon has www.speedpass.com, these could be attached to the walking stick and the credit card machines could be retrofitted to accept them. I believe this would be a better solution than changing everything.

When will America learn we cannot fit the needs of everyone. Whats next writing 50 different languages on a cereal box so every ethnic group that lives in America can read the box. What about making door hands lower so midgets can reach them better. Then make the standard doorway taller and wider so bigger people can fit through them easier.

We've got guys here who are worried about how much it would cost to make a few changes to our money, and you want to require every business in America to adopt a speedpass system. When will people who have no challenges learn to be more sympathetic for those who have to deal with the challenges?

I'm going to make an assumption that those of you who are so callous about making any accommodation for others have never had to deal with a disability yourselves. In my case it was temporary, but I spent a total of 8 months in a wheelchair, with a walker, or on crutches, 4 months at a time. If you've never spent time in a wheelchair you haven't got a clue what kind of challenges you face. You also don't know how difficult it is to deal with people who are unwilling to accept you because they have to make an accommodation on your behalf. I'm a minister. It was a struggle to get out of the wheelchair, up the steps to the pulpit, and onto my stool to preach. At the end of the recovery after my second surgery, I was basically fired. And my situation was temporary.

This is why we have a judicial system. This is why federal judges are appointed, not elected. Because the rights of the minority are protected under our system. So screw all of you who are so hardhearted that you have to bitch and whine when someone who already is facing a difficult life gets some protection under that system. Just hope you never find yourself in the kind of situation those you are willing to throw on some garbage heap are in.

 

[HCI]

We've got guys here who are worried about how much it would cost to make a few changes to our money, and you want to require every business in America to adopt a speedpass system. When will people who have no challenges learn to be more sympathetic for those who have to deal with the challenges?

I'm going to make an assumption that those of you who are so callous about making any accommodation for others have never had to deal with a disability yourselves. In my case it was temporary, but I spent a total of 8 months in a wheelchair, with a walker, or on crutches, 4 months at a time. If you've never spent time in a wheelchair you haven't got a clue what kind of challenges you face. You also don't know how difficult it is to deal with people who are unwilling to accept you because they have to make an accommodation on your behalf. I'm a minister. It was a struggle to get out of the wheelchair, up the steps to the pulpit, and onto my stool to preach. At the end of the recovery after my second surgery, I was basically fired. And my situation was temporary.

This is why we have a judicial system. This is why federal judges are appointed, not elected. Because the rights of the minority are protected under our system. So screw all of you who are so hardhearted that you have to bitch and whine when someone who already is facing a difficult life gets some protection under that system. Just hope you never find yourself in the kind of situation those you are willing to throw on some garbage heap are in.

Sounds to me like you are just bitter because of your situation. People don't have to feel sorry for themselves if something happens which in turn makes their situation worse. People try to push the judicial system to far when it comes to minority classes. Take a look at what happens every time a gang member gets shot by white police officers. The family starts claiming they were doing nothing wrong at the time and Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton claim the officers are racist.

 

[navychop]

"...So screw all of you..."

Yes, reverend.

It's not a lack of compassion or sympathy. It's a matter of wanting an effective, reasonable solution. And it's a matter of disagreeing that in our democracy, one single person can order something so far reaching- something that should be decided by elected representatives.

Success in solving a problem should not be measured by how much money is thrown at the problem. It should be measured by how much the problem is alleviated.

 

[Bogy]

Sounds to me like you are just bitter because of your situation. People don't have to feel sorry for themselves if something happens which in turn makes their situation worse. People try to push the judicial system to far when it comes to minority classes. Take a look at what happens every time a gang member gets shot by white police officers. The family starts claiming they were doing nothing wrong at the time and Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton claim the officers are racist.

I guess you are disabled in not being able to read for comprehension. My situation was temporary. I am no longer in a wheelchair, or forced to use a walker or crutches. However, I am still able to remember what it was like and feel empathy for those for whom the situation is not temporary. Empathy is something which is in short supply in this country. The mantra of the American middle class is "Sure I'll help, as long as it doesn't cost me anything or inconvenience me in any way."

What you don't get, is that people facing physical challenges want to be self sufficient, they want to take care of themselves. What they don't need is others throwing roadblocks in their way. There are many things we can do to make it easier for them, if we weren't so concerned about ourselves to the exclusion of anyone else.

 

[Bogy]

"...So screw all of you..."

Yes, reverend.

It's not a lack of compassion or sympathy. It's a matter of wanting an effective, reasonable solution. And it's a matter of disagreeing that in our democracy, one single person can order something so far reaching- something that should be decided by elected representatives.

Success in solving a problem should not be measured by how much money is thrown at the problem. It should be measured by how much the problem is alleviated.

You are not looking for an effective, reasonable solution. Your assumption out of the box was that ANY solution would be unworkable, and the decision of the judge was unwarranted and going to place a huge burden on the American taxpayer. The judge in his ruling quoted the "unreasonable burden" part of the act. If it can be shown that there are no changes which would not place an unreasonable burden on the government, then the ruling would be moot. Otherwise, the judge is providing the incentive for the proper action to be taken. All I have seen from you are a number of speculations that it would be unworkable. That's the real American spirit isn't it, we haven't done it that way before, so it must be unworkable.

And yes, I'm a minister, and yes I am fed up with people who can only see the negative when it comes to something that might benefit someone else. People who make statements like "piss on the blind."

 

[navychop]

I suspect that "5%" figure quoted was just the cost of redesigning money, and did not take into account other costs- machinery, etc.

And I still believe it is not a decision for a judge- this is a matter of public policy. If Congress wants to decide on a fix, fine. They can have studies done, decide what is reasonable/desirable/affordable. The redistribution of wealth is a function of the legislative branch. They should decide when it is to be done, if at all, and how. We can't possibly do every good thing that enters someone's mind.

 

[Tom in TX]

So screw all of you who are so hardhearted that you have to bitch and whine when someone who already is facing a difficult life gets some protection under that system.

I would think that "hardhearted" might be considered a mental disability. It's being mentally unable to be accepting of others.
So, why are you not more accomodating of those with this disability? Do you get to pick and choose which disabilities get accomodated? You need to accept those with the disability of hardheartedness, and accomodate their needs! Try to be more understanding of them, instead of telling the poor souls to get screwed!
Practice what you preach.

Tom in TX

 

[Bogy]

I suspect that "5%" figure quoted was just the cost of redesigning money, and did not take into account other costs- machinery, etc.

And I still believe it is not a decision for a judge- this is a matter of public policy. If Congress wants to decide on a fix, fine. They can have studies done, decide what is reasonable/desirable/affordable. The redistribution of wealth is a function of the legislative branch. They should decide when it is to be done, if at all, and how. We can't possibly do every good thing that enters someone's mind.

Yep, let's leave it up to congress. That way it should be done in about 2056. Discrimination is against the law. Congress has already passed that law. The law is decided in courts. This was the proper setting for a blind person to seek justice.