Say Anything Blog

We changed our currency to put colors on it and make bigger off centered heads on the paper bills.  Why didn’t they braille them then?

Nothing has changed.

This nation has to change our currency all of the time to thwart the ever-increasing state sponsored counterfeit money flooding the world markets. It is a cost born out of sad necessity and it affects a lot more than just 0.4% of the American population. It affects the entire world market and every single other currency out there. Far from a redesigned currency affecting 1.3 million people, it affects 6.5 billion.

The cost angle of the argument is a nonstarter.

That’s not to say that I agree with the method used to come to this decision.

Does anyone really think it’s a good idea to spend the hundreds of millions (if not billions) of dollars it will take to revamp our currency just to comply with this judge’s ruling in favor of less than one half of one percent of our entire population?

I’m with you if it costs “hundreds of millions (if not billions) of dollars” to change.  I’m asking an honest question—is that what it will cost?  Because the rest of the story you quoted says that

“The appeals court also ruled that the U.S. failed to explain why changing the money would be an undue burden. The Treasury Department has redesigned its currency several times in recent years, and adding features to aid the blind would come at a relatively small cost, the court said.”

If the cost is “relatively small,” and perhaps done over a period of time where its impact is slight, then I don’t see anything wrong with it.  If it’s billions of dollars, that’s another story—let’s figure out if there is a way to do it more inexpensively.  Again, I’m asking a question, not arguing—is there any info on what this will cost?  Thanks—

This is why I love giving blind people checks.

They’re not even my checks! And while I’m writing them, I tell them the checks are for millions of dollars. and they believe me!

See? Not only are they blind, they’re stupid. And have been, for thousands of years. (And I haven’t told you what happens when they pull out credit cards...)

Since the greatest number of transactions on a daily basis are by check or credit card/check card, are we to believe that blind people only use cash? When did this happen? Mebbe blind people should stick to Sacajawea dollars.

OregonGuy,

See? Not only are they blind, they’re stupid. And have been, for thousands of years.

Must be difficult for you to have to live with yourself.

Isn’t this on a par with mandated braille on drive up ATMs?
When does the desire to “reasonably accommodate” become unreasonable?  I find it highly dubious that the vast majority of the legally blind do not have access to debit and/or credit cards.  God save us from judicial activism and those who shop for compliant judges!

When you consider all of the unreasonable lawsuits and all of the stupid changes to US currency, I don’t think that asking for a few distinguishing features to be introduced is unreasonable.  They wouldn’t have to replace all of the money, just add the features as it is reprinted.  A few bumps, notches, etc, would not add to the cost.

A giant “5” was added to the new Lincolns so those with very poor vision can read it.

When you consider all of the unreasonable costs of accommodating the Spanish speaking population, I sure feel more apt to help the blind than the people refusing to learn English.
When a blind person receives change for $100.00, how do they know it’s an honest transaction?
... blind faith?

Of course, if we had real money, this wouldn’t be a problem.  :^)

Just put bar codes on all the bills and give the legally blind bar code readers; problem solved at a fraction of the cost.

I guess only able bodied citizens get to participate fully in society.

We have paid for curb cuts for wheelchairs, beeping on signals for the hearing impaired, wider bathroom stalls (for the disabled), etc…

Puzzled, maybe the blind don’t want you liberals to treat them like victims.  From the President of the National Federation of the Blind (as linked in the post above):

Discrimination occurs when someone is barred from enjoying benefits, goods or services. African-Americans experienced discrimination when they were barred from eating at lunch counters or forced to sit at the back of public buses.

Blind people are not barred from spending money. When we hand merchants our money, they take it and provide us with what we have paid for. People with whom we transact business provide us with correct change, and we then fold or organize the money so that we can identify it in the future.

We transact business in this way successfully every day. The cost to society in changing machines that accept currency, such as vending machines and ATMs, will be much greater than the small convenience afforded to the blind by being able to identify money by touch.

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.

-- Thomas Jefferson

Rob’s recently listened-to songs:

Who uses cash money these days, except members of the underground economy?

I don’t see why we need to redesign all of our currency when the blind have other perfectly reasonable options available to them (such as credit/debit cards, etc.).

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.

-- Thomas Jefferson

Rob’s recently listened-to songs:

Wanting to be able to know what change you are getting back is not playing the victim.  I have an Aunt and and Uncle who are both blind and they use equipment to help them do everyday tasks and both have work full time jobs, pay taxes.  Wanting to know whether the light has turned green or is red is not playing the victim, it is wanting to cross the street without getting hit by a car.

Get over your victim meme, Rob.  It’s about wanting to be independent like you are and live as normal a life as possible without having to trust rubes like you to tell them whether they got a five or a ten back.

Hey, I don’t mind helping people who can legitimately help themselves.  What I think is stupid is people like you victimizing everyone and acting like one person’s disability is a lien upon everyone else.

There are other options available for blind people to avoid this problem (again, credit/debit cards right off the top of my head) without having to redesign our entire currency.

I mean, it’s not like we don’t have other things to spend our money on than redesigning our money.

When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty.

-- Thomas Jefferson

Rob’s recently listened-to songs:

When is the government going to do something about the too short doorways?
I’m tired of hitting my head on them!

Kevin asked, Who uses cash money these days, except members of the underground economy?

From a year and a half ago: I can hear it now, “only terrorists and drug dealers are opposed to digital”. Don’t forget to add in those who enjoy a bit of privacy and those who look askance at a future of government manipulation and micromanagement of everything.

that’s right, being tall is just like being blind… ignoramous