Posted on 05/20/2008 7:56:57 AM PDT by Sub-Driver
US court: Paper money discriminates against blind
23 minutes ago
A federal appeals court says paper money discriminates against blind people.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has upheld a ruling that could force the U.S. to redesign its money so blind people can distinguish between values.
Such changes could include making bills different sizes, including raised markings or printing oversized numbers for people who see poorly.
The appeals court ruled 2-1 on Tuesday that the U.S. didn't explain why such changes would be an unreasonable burden, especially since many other countries have done so.
Two words:
Re Tarded.
I know a blind woman who can tell the difference in bills simply by touch. Don’t ask me how, but she has no problems at all.
If you pass a law requiring “reasonable accomadation”, you better practice reasonable accomodation. And if you think something would be unreasonable, you better be able to make that case to a judge.
In this case, the government appears to have failed to show how it would be too hard or too unreasonable to make our money easier for blind people.
If they don’t like it, congress can change the law.
What ignorant sluts.
So, I guess the bigger denominations discriminate against poor people?
A major problem with the USA today: we try to measure our success by what "other countries" do...so many, including Supreme Court justices, want us to COPY other nations--a losing proposition for liberty.
So up until this point no blind person in the USA could buy anything with paper money? I highly doubt that.
Besides... there’s always plastic.
We could encode the money so it can be read by a scanner. Then we could take the printing off the bills altogether.
Of course, then couldn’t read the bill to see what it’s value was. But you wouldn’t care right — that woudl be Re Tarded.
/sarc
Well, they are already putting bigger numbers on the back. Just look at how big the 5 is on recent $5 bills. Maybe as a reasonable accommodation the government could also distribute metal disks as money which can be told apart by their size and edge ridges.
I'm just waiting for an ADA lawsuit against newspapers for discriminating against the blind.
...or the illiterate.
I guess it will all have to be re-printed in braille?
Newspapers, magazines, billboards, pedestrian signals, voting booths etc. discriminate against the blind. I guess its time to redesign the whole country to give everybody that warm-fuzzy feeling.
So, if many other countries have already explained why this would be an unreasonable burden, then it shouldn't be difficult for the U.S. to do so as well.
Should we all blind ourselves to level the proverbial playing field?
Is there someway we can have a class action lawsuit, take the Government to court, prove it’s an unreasonable burden to people, and make it dissolve itself?
You are right: it is Congress’ fault for imposing a slew of Federal “equal opportunity” laws whose scope is potentially unlimited and certainly unfunded. The meaning of “discrimination” has been warped beyond all meaning for a long time now, and ironically so, as far too many people are now unable to discriminate between intelligence and stupidity.
And it was only the sighted people who complained about the dollar coins.. Go figure.
US Law has always taken into account what is going on abroad in other civilised countries. The so called ‘M’Naghten Rules’ by which a defendent can not be held accountable for murder due to insantity was adopted by the US states in the 1840s and is still the standard used in most US states to this day. Look it up. It’s interesting.
Besides, I don’t see what the problem is making different denominations different sizes so the blind can tell them apart more easily. It isn’t going to make any difference to your life, but it would make a blind person’s life a hell of a lot easier and less dependent on other people’s honesty...
“Paper money discriminates against blind.”
Paper money discriminates against the poor.
I think that judges have nothing else to do than to create havoc in this nation.
OR ... we could just recognize that there will always be citizens among us that need a little assistance with everyday tasks and help them out as much as we can. What a concept!
Oh, for God’s sake! Aren’t there a few more important issues than this?
Exactly. My first thought when I read this article was how we were going to accomodate those just too darned ignorant to tell bills apart. It’s coming ... bet on it.
“Paper” money discriminates against us all.................
Congressman Billybob
And radio discriminates against the deaf. Radio must now provide written text for the deaf. Everything that the announcer says must be printed out and come out of the radio - we can’t discriminate!
And cars discriminate against the blind. Cars must now be driveable by the blind, with Braille markings on the shift and steering wheel.
Here’s one to think of. Putting Braille markings on paper money will very rapidly be followed by criminals pressing those markings out of the money and creating NEW Braille markings with the WRONG denomination. Thus the blind will be defrauded.
May I be the first to suggest “Talking Money”? You pull it out of your wallet and a little chip in it shouts “I’m a five...I’m a five...I’m a five...” Kind of like the talking greeting cards...Of course, it would make theives jobs easier, they just have to listen for an opportunity...then it also discriminates against the deaf...oh well, money talks but “you know what” walks...
For one thing it takes us for fools for it is an oxymoron...if it's paper, it ain't money.
At one time in America the "certificates" were redeemable for Silver...now they are not certificates, they are "notes" from a phony "bank" and are irredeemable so they literally have less value than the cost of producing them.
Who sued on this case and why did they have standing in the Fed courts?
Lots of good lawsuits get thrown out because the court says there is no standing.
I’ve often wondered why the drive up ATMs at my local bank have braille on them for the slots where the card goes, the deposits go in and the cash come out.
Of course, the rest of the machine is a touch screen.
Plus, it’s a drive up ATM.
But I guess it’s in accordance with some law somewhere.
Better get car manufacturers to stop discriminating against blind drivers too.
The man in Monty Python’s Life of Brian cannot bear a baby because he has no womb, that is certainly not through any oppression by the Romans on the Peoples Front Of Judia.
Yeah, I disagree with setting our laws by what other nations do.
I KNOW we don’t need courts telling us how to print money. They aren’t given that power in the Constitution.
There IS money that can be determined by the blind (coinage up to 1 dollar). This’ll be another excuse to print even more play money and to encourage us to shift to e-money.
You mean the blind and deaf (Hellen Kellers) QFT!
good point. The whole seeing world is in a conspiracy to keep things from the blind.
Let’s use this to our advantage then. Spending public money on “art” and fancy architecture is discriminatory to the blind. End art financing.
Paper money discriminates against me too! I just can’t get it to come to my wallet, even for a visit. Oh, sure maybe a one will show for a ‘hello’ but the really important guys never come around, you know, the ‘fiftys and hundreds’. I’ve tried to make friends with them but they all say they’ve hired out to someone else. (huge sigh)
If any of you have any old worn and useless paper monies about just send them to my house where they will treated as welcome strangers. thanks.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has upheld a ruling that could force the U.S. to redesign its money so blind people can distinguish between values.....
And why the hell not?....It’s only taxpayer money being flushed to pay for it!
They needed an excuse?
As for your latter comment...
LLOYD BRAUN: I’ll run in and get the gum.
JERRY: Alright.
LLOYD: Got any money?
Jerry digs his wallet out of his pocket. He opens it and extracts a bill. He peers at it, trying to work out what denomination it is, but the glasses are still too strong.
JERRY: (handing it over) Here.
/snip
LLOYD: Yeah. A hundred dollar’s worth.
JERRY: (incredulous) I gave you a hundred dollars?!
I’m all for your idea, but instead of ending public monies for art, they would probably argue for a whole new funding program for ‘tactile’ art so that the blind could be equally served. It is a crazy world.
ROFL!
I have to keep a stash of euros as I am over in Euroland quite abit. The larger the note the more face-value. Even for an able visioned person like myself it is nice to have that reinforcement that I am handing over the correct amount.
I don't mind having different sized bills in my clip.
As long as there is a PHASED-IN period where the new bills replace aging ones (they have a short half-life anyway) this is no big deal.
All the ani-counterfitting tech is immediately transferable.
They can have a contest for artsy bills and that could be fun and CHEAP.
Perhaps it wasn't explained since Captain Obvious had another engagement that day.
Threads from the original ruling:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1745375/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1747164/posts
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1745521/posts
Same here. The guy I knew actually ran a cash register at Penn State.
This is almost too stupid to comment on. The courts have at last arrived at the point where legislatures are now. So few things left to regulate and criminalize that imaginations are feverishly working overtime to come up with anything - ANYTHING - to rule on, forget how childish and ludicrous it may be.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.