Story in the news

[sofadoc]

I guess you guys saw this story:
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/bank-robbers-lead-cops-car-chase-south-la-throwing-money-window-article-1.1157760

From what I've heard, an announcement was made by the PD that any money picked up by bystanders was NOT theirs to keep, and legally must be returned. At last report, only ONE citizen came forward with any recovered cash.

This story reminds me of a similar incident in my town last year. Not a robbery, just an armored truck driver who forgot to secure the back door on his truck after picking up the days deposits at a local bank branch.

As he drove away, the door flew open, a moneybag fell out, and $20,000 in small bills scattered to the winds. Immediately, cars pulled over, and bystanders began scooping up the wayward cash.

The driver, now several blocks away and totally unaware of what happened, was alerted by a motorist. By the time he got back, local citizens had recovered (and RETURNED) all but one $20 bill.

You probably didn't see it in the news, because reporting the incident would've most likely cost the armored truck driver his job. Just another day in a town that isn't LA.

[byhammerandhand]

When I was in school, my dad worked for "Railway Express" until it went bankrupt.  One winter, they had a railroad trolley full of wrapped coins headed for the Federal Reserve.  It happened to roll off the platform onto the tracks to be hit by a passing train.   I think there was $20K of coins scattered over the next mile in several feet of snow.  I don't remember how much they recovered, but I think it was not much.

[gene]

Do you think those robbers were "paying off" any prospective jurors???

When people work hard for what they have, they do not feel that they have to steal in order to "get by".

There are probably areas in LA, white, black, Asian, Hispanic, etc., where folks work hard and there would have been only one person NOT to give back the money.

If you believe you have to lie, cheat, and steal to 'get by', then that's what you are going to do.

I was in Speedway and the clerk gave me change for a $20. I told him I only gave him a $10. He said thanks and asked why did I tell him he made a mistake, most people would have kept the extra money. I told him that's how I want to live my life. I don't need money that's not mine to 'get by'.

gene

[Rich]

He said thanks and asked why did I tell him he made a mistake, most people would have kept the extra money.

Makes me wonder if he was just curious, or did he think you were acting odd to do that. Many people nowadays feel that if it's going to come out of the pockets of a big entity like a corporation or government agency (the store), then well, they can afford it, so they won't really miss it. The way I see it, wrong is wrong no matter what perceived effect it has. But that kind of thinking seems to be getting less respect.
Rich

[Mojo]

I agree Rich. It is the new entitlement society we have. To many people feel they are entitled. Our society has lost its moral compass. :(

Chris

[sofadoc]

I agree Rich. It is the new entitlement society we have. To many people feel they are entitled. Our society has lost its moral compass.

My wife used to manage a dept.store.
She routinely caught employees "free-bagging" (this is when they only ring up a token amount on the register for a buddy).

At the very least, they were fired and banned from the store for life. Some were prosecuted.
And needless to say, they weren't going to get a reference for future jobs.

You're absolutely right about the "entitlement". The employees that my wife fired showed no remorse. Some came from prominent churchgoing families. They exhibited no semblance of a guilty conscience. They really felt like it was owed to them.

[JDUpholstery]

I had a teller give me change for 100 when I paid with a 10, we argued about it for a while before he finally let me give him the change back with my address, I told him if he range up almost 100 over at the end of the night to send me the change, but I knew for a fact I didn't have a 100 in my wallet...I rarely ever carry cash and never that much!

[scottymc]

I've always found your notes a bit confusing, on my first trip over I was warned to state what size note it was as I handed it over whenever I bought anything. Apart from being confusing I reckon your money could do withe a bit of colour, Like aussie money great for people like me that can't count past 10.

[Mojo]

We have a drawer filled with Aussie money. Everytime we go there we come back and forget to get it changed back to US dollars. Then we say " we will just take it back with us and use it the next time ". We forget to take it with us. I am sure we have in excess of a few hundred dollars in Aussie money. My wife just got back from OZ and brought back $ 50 again in bills and coins. :)

Their money is a very difficult one to counterfeit. With that little clear plastic window and the amazing colors it is hard to make on a printer. Everyone of their bills is also a different length. It was made this way ( from what I am told ) so blind people can determine the bill based on its length.

They do not have dollar bills. Everything under $ 5 is in coins. :)

Speaking of coins why don't we get rid of the penny ? What a waste of money and resources.

Chris

[gene]

Our coins here in the USA are very easy to understand.

If you start with a silver dollar, then 2 quarters are worth more because 2 is greater than 1.

3 dimes are worth more than 2 quarters because 3 is greater than 2.

4 nickles are greater than 3 dimes because 4 is greater than 3.

And 5 pennies are greater than 4 nickles because 5 is greater than 4.

See? Easy. And we get criticized for not knowing the metric system?!?

gene

[byhammerandhand]

Could be worse:
12 pennies = 1 shilling
20 shillings = 1 pound

Therefore:
2 farthings = 1 halfpenny
2 halfpence = 1 penny (1d)
3 pence = 1 thruppence (3d)
6 pence = 1 sixpence (a 'tanner') (6d)
12 pence = 1 shilling (a bob) (1s)
2 shillings = 1 florin ( a 'two bob bit') (2s)
2 shillings and 6 pence = 1 half crown (2s 6d)
5 shillings = 1 Crown (5s)
4 crowns = 1 pound (£)


At least in most countries I've visited, the value was in large numerals, and generally larger coins meant larger denominations (pre-Euro).   Our coinage naming has to be a maze for the non-English speaker
Labeled    : what we call it
One Cent   : Penny
Five Cents (except when in a roll, that is labeled $2 Nickels?!) : Nickel
One Dime : Dime
Quarter Dollar (labeled on the back for eagle quarters, on the front for state quarters): Quarter
$1 : Dollar

How many of us know the spelled name of 1,2,5,10,20,25, and 50 for various languages?  French, German, Italian, Greek, Spanish, Norwegian, Danish, Swedish, Flemish, Portuguese and not even starting with Arabic, Russian, Chinese and Japanese with with non-Roman alphabets?

Our coins here in the USA are very easy to understand.

If you start with a silver dollar, then 2 quarters are worth more because 2 is greater than 1.

3 dimes are worth more than 2 quarters because 3 is greater than 2.

4 nickles are greater than 3 dimes because 4 is greater than 3.

And 5 pennies are greater than 4 nickles because 5 is greater than 4.

See? Easy. And we get criticized for not knowing the metric system?!?

gene

[scottymc]

We have a drawer filled with Aussie money. Everytime we go there we come back and forget to get it changed back to US dollars. Then we say " we will just take it back with us and use it the next time ". We forget to take it with us. I am sure we have in excess of a few hundred dollars in Aussie money. My wife just got back from OZ and brought back $ 50 again in bills and coins. :)

Their money is a very difficult one to counterfeit. With that little clear plastic window and the amazing colors it is hard to make on a printer. Everyone of their bills is also a different length. It was made this way ( from what I am told ) so blind people can determine the bill based on its length.

They do not have dollar bills. Everything under $ 5 is in coins. :)

Speaking of coins why don't we get rid of the penny ? What a waste of money and resources.

Chris

Send those dollars over to me Chris, I'll give you 10c in the dollar for them.