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- Path: sparky!uunet!gossip.pyramid.com!pyramid!lstowell
- From: lstowell@pyrnova.mis.pyramid.com (Lon Stowell)
- Newsgroups: misc.consumers
- Subject: Re: Legal Tender???
- Message-ID: <184666@pyramid.pyramid.com>
- Date: 17 Dec 92 02:24:01 GMT
- Sender: daemon@pyramid.pyramid.com
- Reply-To: lstowell@pyrnova.pyramid.com (Lon Stowell)
- Distribution: usa
- Organization: Pyramid Technology Corp., Mountain View, CA
- Lines: 43
-
- In article <1992Dec15.195746.2482@ads.com> henry@ADS.COM (Henry Mensch) writes:
- >a sorta-related issue: why are usans so squirrely about
- >large-denomination banknotes? if you read other newsgroups then you
- >know i travel the world; i've only seen this sort of braindeath in the
- >usa ... i have a hundred-guilder note from the netherlands in my billfold,
- >and if i go to a dutch newsstand and buy a three-guilder newspaper the
- >merchant will make change cheerfully, will not fret and fuss over the
- >denomination, and i'll be on my way in minutes.
- >
- Even in the US, its usually only certain businesses that
- won't take the large notes...and even then it may be that they
- will only take large notes in the daytime and not at night.
-
- The usual reason for not taking large notes is that you must
- then have a supply of change for them on hand. Here in the US
- we have a pretty fair percentage of low-lifes who consider this
- money THEIRS... They will use weapons to get at it.
-
- Convenience store attendants, service station attendants, taxi
- drivers, etc. thus become a source of income for these low
- lifes... This makes things dangerous for the attendants. To
- help protect them, several companies discourage keeping much
- cash on hand at all--particularly during the peak danger hours.
-
- Does it work? Sadly not...the lowlifes involved will use a gun
- to get $5 or less. And their total lack of concern for the
- health and safety of the innocent attendant or cab driver in
- getting that lousy few bucks makes me very sad that this
- country frowns on retroactive abortion. You see there is a
- fairly significant portion of our population that blames
- society for the lack of morals of our criminals. Rather than
- just removing them from the gene pool instantly when they show
- lack of concern for other peoples property, health, and life,
- they coddle them and penalize the merchants for attempting
- local initiatives. Then they wonder why the problem is on the
- increase.
-
- There is also the general decline in service and politeness in
- the US...but that's not the original reason. Stations, stores,
- etc. USED to cheerfully offer change--up until this became
- dangerous to their health.
-
-
-