Judge Orders Cash Changed To Aid Blind

Rules Government Discriminates By Printing Money That Feels The Same

(AP)  The government discriminates against blind people by printing money that all looks and feels the same, a federal judge said Tuesday in a ruling that could change the face of American currency.

U.S. District Judge James Robertson ordered the Treasury Department to come up with ways for the blind to tell bills apart. He said he wouldn't tell officials how to fix the problem, but he ordered them to begin working on it.

The American Council of the Blind has proposed several options, including printing bills of differing sizes, adding embossed dots or foil to the paper or using raised ink.

"Of the more than 180 countries that issue paper currency, only the United States prints bills that are identical in size and color in all their denominations," Robertson wrote. "More than 100 of the other issuers vary their bills in size according to denomination, and every other issuer includes at least some features that help the visually impaired."

Government attorneys argued that forcing the Treasury Department to change the size of the bills or add texture would make it harder to prevent counterfeiting. Robertson was not swayed.

"The fact that each of these features is currently used in other currencies suggests that, at least on the face of things, such accommodations are reasonable," he wrote.

He said the government was violating the Rehabilitation Act, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in government programs. The opinion came after a four-year legal fight.

Electronic devices are available to help blind people differentiate between bills, but many complain that they are slow, expensive and unreliable. Visually impaired shoppers frequently rely on store clerks to help them.

"It's just frankly unfair that blind people should have to rely on the good faith of people they have never met in knowing whether they've been given the correct change," said Jeffrey A. Lovitky, attorney for the plaintiffs in the lawsuit.

The Treasury Department had no comment on the ruling Tuesday. The government has 10 days to decide whether to appeal.

In court documents, government attorneys said changing the way money feels would be expensive. Cost estimates ranged from $75 million in equipment upgrades and $9 million annual expenses for punching holes in bills to $178 million in one-time charges and $50 million annual expenses for printing bills of varying sizes.

The Treasury Department spent $4.2 billion on printing over the past decade, Robertson said. Adding a raised number to the bills would have increased costs less than 5 percent over that period, he said.

"If additional savings could be gained by incorporating the new feature into a larger redesign, such as those that took place in 1996 or 2004, the total burden of adding such a feature would be even smaller," Robertson wrote.

I guess it's not different than the blind leading the blind

[nothappyatall]

Yeah another Govt boondoggle in the works, you KNOW that if they punch holes, add raised ink dots or whatever, people are going to mess with them- punch extra holes etc. Geez, use a credit card- cash is on the way OUT, everything is going to electronic debit/credit cards, automatic electronic payments and Paypal.

[bleakview]

According to this article, Judge Robertson's complaint was against money that all *looks* and feels the same, and bills that are identicle in size and *color* - am I to assume from this that it's not all right to discriminate against those who are moderately visually impaired, but it is all right to discriminate against those who are one hundred percent visually impaired? Silly me, I thought *all* discrimination was wrong.

[bleakview]

Newster, I agree, but I hope you don't mind my playing devil's advocate, so to speak - wouldn't Christians claim that's going too far in the direction of the mark of the beast?

[tiddsanbeer]

Hmmm...sounds like another activist judge in training. Although I agree it is a good idea that should have happened along time ago,this nations priorities are once again backwards, and this judge should not be trying to MAKE laws or history...it's not his job. As long as there are hungry people in the world, not a f'n dime should be wasted on this.

What about all the recent news stories about all the work that went into making the "new" paper currency, and the story about how much money it would save the government by going to coins..why didn't the blind activists step in then? That would be the time to start fixing the problem.

People need to relax and enjoy more...

[davidwayne20]

In response to newster1:

Americans need to go back to cash. the Government can track us much easier if we use electronic debit/credit cards, auto payments and the like. This is a free country and I should not have to worry that the Government is watching over my shoulder to see what my purchasing habits are.

[davidwayne20]

in respsonse to tiddsandbear:

If you read the article carefully, you will see Judge Robertson is not 'trying to MAKE laws'. He is doing HIS job of ENFORCING laws set forth by the Rehabilitation Act. There is a large difference in MAKING and ENFORCING laws.

[davidwayne20]

Did you people read the same article I did??

[getserious1]

I use the automatic checkouts at the grocery stores where the machines accept the bills and provide change automatically.

Wouldn't it make more sense to provide an electronic paper money reader for the vision impaired?

[ljburnell]

To bleakview: You are not silly at all,we live in the LAND OF THE FREE,HOME OF THE LOOPHOLE.It is my opinion that the judge was not leaving room for the government to jump through.

[bleakview]

To ljburnell, thanks, now it makes more sense to me. I'd forgotten the politicians' unofficial motto: "I never met a loophole I didn't like." ;)

To DavidWayne, no, I didn't happen to read the conspiracy-theory article on the government using currency to track people the way scientists use tags to track wild animals; I read the one regarding the discriminatory nature of our present currency system. Could you provide us with a link to whatever it was that you read?

[themartyred]

the judge is outdated, although I agree, something needs done, just not this raised bumps on the cash... and to the idiots who said the blind should just use debit cards, oh, like you never ever ever have cash on your person? only weirdos have not even some cash on them from week to week... it's unamerican! lol

[tiddsanbeer]

to Mr.David Wayne,

The judge is reaching...the law does NOT state or even infer " all US currency must..." he is just trying to make a name for himself or impose his will on others through INTERPRETATION of the law. Many times, congress will make laws gray on purpose so there is room for interpretation, but not here. Like I said, something really should be done, but let's be smart and efficient about it. My main gripe is the govs continuing lack of foresight...they just spent jillions redesigning our money, why in hell didn't they take care of it then? Why wasn't there one mention of the blinds needs in any story about the "new" money the government was coming out with. THAT SHOULD OF BEEN THE MAIN STORY THEN, again, government being reactive, not proactive, and the media asking the wrong questions....relax, enjoy...

[davidwayne20]

bleakview here is the info:

www
identitytheft911
org
/articles/article.ext?sp=744

[bleakview]

To DavidWayne, when you asked "Did you people read the same article I did??" I assumed you meant THIS article, the one that all the rest of us are talking about. Now you're bringing in an entirely different article. Your logic is flawed and your argument doesn't hold up.

Also, what makes you think the government can't track you through your cash? If the technology exists, it can be applied to more than one type of object.

A side note: I don't buy things I'm ashamed of, so I don't care if some government-sponsored marketing group is tracking my purchases or not. There are far more important issues demanding my concern.

[andrwsmom]

I too find it sad that after all this time and the amount of times they have already changed the currency, why hadn't anyone made mention of the blind? I have caught several convenient stores trying to rip off blind people before. Try and get all the convenient stores or grocery stores to take on the expense of adding machines... I think the currency should be changed, just a shame they didn't think of it before spending all that money this last time around.

[davidwayne20]

I was refering to the article here. Peoples posts about it sound as if they did not read the article. To say the Judge is trying to make his own laws is flawed. He is trying to help the blind by enforcing a law that already exists.

I am not ashamed of any thing I buy. I have a right to privacy and the governement or any one else does not need to 'track' me by watching my purchase transactions.

That is all I am trying to say.

[davidwayne20]

How would a person or group track miscelaneous cash transactions of an individual?

[hayesc1-2009]

Based on some of the comments here it is no wonder the government never addressed the issue until now. The U.S. has never been proactive in addressing the needs of the disabled. The Judge is not trying to make a name for himself the media is doing that for him.
This is the right thing to do. Whether it is changing the size of the bills or adding some type of feature that allows the blind to distinguish between the denominations is just common sense.
And please don't whine about cost to make the change. We have wasted 400+ billion dollars and counting in Iraq. Spending money on this would actually help people.

[hayesc1-2009]

My solution is to stamp everyone's forehead with a UPC code and then you don't need money period. When you check out your head will be scanned and the money will be deducted automatically from your account. Paperless society!! or the dreaded MARK OF THE BEAST...christians will love this idea. LOL!!!!

Maybe all americans should just be on food stamps........no cash? No problem

[zykracosmos]

Here's some ideas.
1) put a unique scent on each bill, and let blind people smell their money, and train their seeing eye dogs to bite anyone who tries to pass off a bogus scent.
2) teach blind people to use only debit cards in their purchases, and require debit card scanners to have brail on their keypads (cash on a blind person is easy pickings for a mugger anyway)
3) Spend the $5 billion use save from NOT reprinting currency on local escort services for the blind
4) another sensory alternative- put an encoding on bills (much like counterfeit preventive measures but cheaper) that a blind person can scan with a hand-held electronic scanner, which gives off a different sound for each denomination. This option would screw up bill sizes or the current bill scanning machines in place around the country (soda anybody?) that would all have to be changed out otherwise.

[zykracosmos]

Reprinted for corrections.
Here's some ideas.
1) put a unique scent on each bill, and let blind people smell their money, and train their seeing eye dogs to bite anyone who tries to pass off a bogus scent.
2) teach blind people to use only debit cards in their purchases, and require debit card scanners to have brail on their keypads (cash on a blind person is easy pickings for a mugger anyway)
3) Spend the $5 billion you save from NOT reprinting currency on local escort services for the blind
4) another sensory alternative- put an encoding on bills (much like counterfeit preventive measures but cheaper) that a blind person can scan with a hand-held electronic scanner, which gives off a different sound for each denomination. This option would not screw up bill sizes or the current bill scanning machines in place around the country (soda anybody?) that would all have to be changed out otherwise.

[usawatchman]

This is probably a excuse to take us into the NORTH AMERICAN UNION
(loss of our rights - treated like 3rd world population)

OUR GREAT COURT HARD AT WORK TO WORK US(A)OVER...

RIAA Legal Ruling Could Shut Down The Internet
U.S. government supports legal case that would criminalize making any files available on the world wide web

http://www.infowars.com/articles/ps/internet_riaa_ruling_could_shut_down_net.htm


THE MEDIA IS PLUNGING

BECAUSE THE PEOPLE KNOW THEY ARE BEING MANIPULATED

AND THEY ARE TIRED OF IT, AND ARE NOT GOING TO SUPPORT IT


The first thing you do is when you attack a country
is you cut the cut off the communication, cut off electric power, and cut off the fuel..

then you control (manipulate) information that is decimated

[sugarmice-2009]

are any of you people that are posting on this important situation handicapped in any way - like blind?
It's very difficult to be blind - and not everyone out there in this world today can be trusted - so relying on a cashier to be honest and give the correct change is a big trust and I'm sure there are some out there that can not be trusted. The Disability Act states that there should be no discrimination for those less fortunate to have 100% of their faculties. Putting the correct raised dots on a bill shouldn't be that difficult - it's just that they don't want to spend the money. The government is cheap and is more willing to pour money into other countries for their "special causes" than to take care of their own Americans. Just look at all the vets coming back from Irag and how they are being treated.
Discrimination of all kinds needs to be wiped out and everyone treated fairly. We have become a very rude and insensitive country and if we are all going to get along and live in peace, we need to start at home and within ourselves - let's show some compassion for the disabled and quit ostracizing them

[thgdriver]

At last, we finally have a good reason to get rid of our paper money altogether. Judging from some printing costs and counterfeiting costs, we can save enough to pay down the national debt.

Hold the presses on the new president dollar coins, they would have to be bigger, we all can tell a nickel from a dime or quarter, drop the penny altogether and round prices up or down. All we have to do now is walk around with change dispensers on our belts next to our cell phones, women would have a good new reason for the large pocketbooks they all carry.

Plastic for expensive items.

problem fixed!!

Don't they already have brail on the drive up ATM machines?

[webmommy]

Well I DO live with someone who is blind and they can directly say that doing this with the money will not help. There are money readers that one can purchase and it takes extra time during a transaction but it works. Also, he folds the bills according to their denomination and it has worked for him for over 30 years. With the advent of modern videotaping technology, most cashiers are videotaped, and giving incorrect change could be traced. He told me he's never had it happen his entire life. Raised dots could be flattened. He said the differently sized bills might possibly help but there is so much current currency in circulation it would take a very long time to make a total change.

Oh and the coins? They are more confusing than the paper money he says.

[webmommy]

ncolsens wrote:
Don't they already have brail on the drive up ATM machines?

Those machine templates are made universally. They don't know if the template will wind up at a walk up ATM or a drive up. You should be so lucky that you have your sight and that you CAN drive up to an ATM. My brother in law was born blind so he'll never "get" your joke.

Webmommy, here is another, this is no joke
This sign appears on the Post Office Door at Nellis AFB, Nev.

No Dogs Allowed, Except Seeing eye Dogs

Now I know the man can not see to read...can the dog read it?

[mikevilkin]

I do not own a nice house, which is an American dream.

This freaking federal gammint discriminates against me.

I want a federal judge to order that gammint should build a be-e-eutiful mansion for me.

--Michael Vilkin

[mikevilkin]

Correction.

If we round up some stupid federal judges and put them to make bricks, and then round up some other stupid federal judges and train them to lay bricks, in a few weeks I'd have a be-e-eutiful mansion of my dreams.

--Michael Vilkin