But not everybody likes this idea:
The vending machine industry, which has 7 million machines across the country, generally opposes changes to currency, in part because refitting machines to accept altered dollars could cost as much $400 per machine, or $2.8 billion.
The $30 billion-a-year industry also has a problem with old or ripped bills that already cost some $600 million a year. "We are very concerned that these clipped-off edges would lead to more tears and ruined currency," said Tom McMahon, chief lawyer for the National Automatic Merchandising Association, the vending machine trade group.
You see kids, it's not the Freemasons, or the Stonecutters, or even the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy that's keeping The Metric System down along with other societal improvements. It's the Tom McMahon Conspiracy. We're the ones who secretly landed on Mars and started emitting greenhouse gases there to melt the polar icecaps on that planet, just so we could discredit Al Gore.
Now, we're going to have to find a bill that makes noise for those who are blind and have no hands. Sound silly? Someone will be right on it.
Posted by: Woody | 05/03/2007 at 04:05 PM