Why is it that the U.S. Treasury Department can mandate modifications for vending machines to accept the latest rendition of $1 coins (that most folks will probably collect instead of circulate), but feels that similar adjustments on behalf of the blind or visually impaired is an undue hardship?
WASHINGTON – An effort to force a redesign of the nation’s currency so paper money could be more easily used by the blind would be too expensive and could cause undue hardships on the vending machine industry, the Bush administration says.
The administration asked an appeals court on Tuesday to overturn a ruling that could require the introduction of such features as Braille lettering, micro-perforations or varying the sizes of denominations to aid the blind and visually impaired.
Looks like a strawman to me.
In the last fifteen years, our paper currency has undergone several expensive changes, with more to come. Some might think that in the course of these revisions, modifications for the blind would have been incorporated. This is not, after all, a new problem…. but nope. It didn’t happen. From the US Treasury’s FAQ’s online:
You may be aware that over the years, the Congress considered several legislative initiatives to incorporate such features in United States currency. However, it never enacted any of them into law.
That seems to have been a tad… umm…. short-sighted, wouldn’t you say?
Added: The Houston Chronicle has an editorial on the subject today, and local blogger Matt Bramanti takes issue with it. Like the administration, he seems to be very concerned about those vending machine operators. Will he come out against the Presidential Coin Series, too?