Heaving Dead Cats » money

Its Time For Some New Currency

Johnny — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 17:10:29 +0000

Oh what a mistake it was adding ‘In God We Trust’ to the United States currency.

It started with coins in 1864, gained new legs with the motto in 1956, then made its debut on paper currency in 1957.

Isn’t is about time we think about updating our currency? And while we are at it, shouldn’t we drop this blatant violation of the first amendment? Graphic Designer, Michael Tyznik thinks so; and he’s got some neat concepts about doing it.

American banknotes are in dire need of a redesign. Even though the green color of money is deeply interwoven into the nation’s culture, the need for color differentiation between denominations has forced the inclusion of color. The recent redesign of banknotes by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing is poorly executed and aesthetically lacking. Because the coloring of the current notes is so subtle, it is still hard to differentiate between denominations by that method alone.

My proposed redesign keeps the culturally important green color of money, but introduces a brightly colored holographic strip into each denomination, making them easy to tell apart. This strip includes embossed dots for the sight-impaired as well, making currency far more accessible.

One of the most important things about America is our Bill of Rights. It is possibly the most important information any citizen can have. The design of our money currently contains semi-religious (the eye in the pyramid) and overtly religious (“In God We Trust”) symbols and text that go against the incredibly important separation of church and state implicate in the first amendment. In my redesign, these are replaced with the text of the Bill of Rights. It has been proposed that these ten amendments are in order of importance, so it is fitting that the most important rights are included on the most common banknotes.

The $1 bill lasts only 21 months before it needs to be replaced. For this reason, I propose that the $1 banknote be eliminated in favor of the current $1 coin and a new $2 coin. For this reason, Washington is depicted on the $5. I also propose the discontinuation of the penny, because it currently costs more to produce one than it is worth. This is precedented by the elimination of the half-penny in 1857, after which the smallest unit of currency, the penny, had more buying power than today’s quarter does.

Most of today’s security features could easily be incorporated into this design, and the hologram (enhanced with a microprinted guilloché pattern) would be extremely difficult to reproduce.

Tyznik’s Currency Page | Flickr Gallery | Snopes Article

[UPDATED] Thousands of Tax Payer Dollars to Add Engraving to Capitol Visitor Center

Johnny — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 02:06:54 +0000

How irresponsible and wasteful! No matter which side of the political teater-totter you sit on, most of us aren’t happy with the current financial situation; both in the economy and in the government. I’m no financial whiz, but I know that right now the government should not be spending thousands (or more likely tens of thousands) of dollars of tax payer money to add a few engravings to the United States Capitol Visitor Center (CVC) (Wikipedia Entry | Official Site).

Construction of the CVC started in 2000, and was completed and opened to the public in December 2008. The CVC provides a central hub for tourists visiting the capitol; on average 8000 people visit the capitol per day and you can bet most of them go through the CVC. The CVC is an addition to the United States Capitol and also serves as expansion space for the US Congress.

Republicans have criticized the center for what they view as insufficient coverage of American religious heritage. Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina said that the CVC fails to “appropriately honor our religious heritage that has been critical to America’s success.” Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich has begun a petition seeking to more prominently recognize religion at the Center. [SOURCE]

So California Republican, Congressman Dan Lungren has picked up the flag of religion, and put forth a resolution that goes against the First Amendment of the Constitution.

Before the August recess, a resolution will be voted on by the House of Representatives that will require the Architect of the Capitol to engrave the words “In God We Trust” and the post-1954 Pledge of Allegiance onto the walls of the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC). References to religion and faith are already included in several of the permanent exhibits, and the words “In God We Trust” are even present in one such exhibit. But that’s not enough for Rep. Dan Lungren (R-CA) who is pushing for a larger, bolder display.

The resolution is labeled “H. Con. Res. 131″ and titled “Directing the Architect of the Capitol to engrave the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag and the National Motto of “In God We Trust” in the Capitol Visitor Center.” Summary information can be found here; and the full text can be found here.

So they are complaining that the CVC does not include the religious heritage (aka: the religious founding) of the United States. Even though several of the exhibits include references to the religion and faith of the United States. Even though the current exhibits creep close to violation of the First Amendment, they want to add the national motto, and the most recent version of the Pledge of Allegiance. Both of which are not part of the founding of the United States; and both of which directly violate the First Amendment.

The Pledge of Allegiance was not even written until 1892, one-hundred-sixteen years after the founding. The original version did not include “under God” – that was not added until 1954, only fifty-five years ago. “In God We Trust” was not made the official motto until 1956, fifty-three years ago.

Building the Capitol Visitor Center (CVC) has already cost American taxpayers millions of dollars and serves as the entrance point for visitors who wish to tour the Capitol. It was built to teach visitors about our nation’s history and the construction of the Capitol Building, not to promote religion. Since it was not until the 1950s that “under God” was added to the Pledge and “In God We Trust” replaced “E Pluribus Unum” as the national motto, these phrases should have no place in the Center.

Not only does Rep. Dan Lungren want to further violate the First Amendment with a misconceived view of this country’s founding; but he wants to spend thousands of our tax dollars to do it.

The Secular Coalition for America has a ready-to-go-letter that you can send to your representative. Let them know you think this is a poor use of tax-payer money, and does not uphold the separation of church and state.

TAKE ACTION NOW!

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UPDATE

The House and Senate both passed the resolution.

Lawsuit seeks to block ‘In God We Trust’ engraving

Happy Treaty of Tripoli Day!

Johnny — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 21:11:50 +0000

The Treaty of Tripoli was negotiated while George Washington was president; eventually ratified by the U.S. Senate on June 7th, 1797; and then signed by President John Adams on June 10th, 1797. Although this treaty is no longer in effect today, Article 11 provides some significant insight into the infancy of the United States as a nation.

Art. 11. As the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion; as it has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility, of Mussulmen; and, as the said States never entered into any war, or act of hostility against any Mahometan nation, it is declared by the parties, that no pretext arising from religious opinions, shall ever produce an interruption of the harmony existing between the two countries.

This ratification by the Senate was recorded as one of the few unanimous votes be the Senate (339 votes taken). Additionally the entire treaty was printed in the Philadelphia Gazette and two New York newspapers. There is no evidence of any government or public opposition to the terms of the treaty.

This isn’t like some of the 100-plus-page bills that go to the Senate today, where they might sneak this paragraph in somewhere. The Treaty of Tripoli is a single page.

In my opinion this is a clear indication of what our founding fathers, the government, and the public in-general thought. To maintain “freedom of religion” the government must remain “free from religion.”

We recently saw President Obama reference the Treaty of Tripoli; and many people gasped that a modern-day politician had even heard of it. Unfortunately he skipped over that first sentence in Article 11, but did point out that “the Government of the United States of America…has in itself no character of enmity against the laws, religion, or tranquility, of [Muslims].”

There are a few separation of church and state advocates urging people to update their Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, or other social-site status to remind everyone of today’s anniversary.

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Since we are on this topic, I’d like to briefly hit on some of the arguments I’ve heard as to why people think the U.S. was established as a Christian nation. Neece had a Separation of Church and State post awhile back, and illustrates a nice example of how it benefits everyone (both religious and non-religious). I want to focus on some of the individual arguments though.

The laws of the U.S. are based on the ten commandments.

How many of the commandments do we have equivalent laws for? So many religious people argue this case without thinking about it long enough to realize. Of the biblical ten commandments, only TWO are laws: 20%. Thou shall not kill and Thou shall not steal. Some people argue a third, Thou shall not bear false witness because of perjury laws; but outside of a courtroom you can lie without legal repercussions so you can’t really count it.

Say you work at a company that says they have based their entire employee policy from a management book that the president of the company once read. Then you go through the employee policy handbook and compare it to the original management book. You find that only about 20% of the message from the original book actually made it into the policy handbook. Yet the handbook has a multitude of additional policies never covered in the original book. Would you personally conclude that the handbook was based on the original? Or would you conclude ideas might have been taken from the original, but they just as likely came from another source?

What about the fact that “don’t kill” and “don’t steal” are the two most basic universal laws in every society; even those that have never been exposed to the Bible, and especially those who predated the Bible.

The founding fathers referred to “God” in the Constitution.

This one is great because it illustrates that they don’t know the difference between the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration of Independence has “God” appear once, and “Creator” appear once; but neither appear in the Constitution.

…to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them…

…that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights…

Neither of these refer to Jesus, and neither specify the judeo-christian god Yahweh; in fact this is very similar to the language used by deists of the time (which leads to our next claim).

The founding fathers were all Christian.

There were many founding fathers who were Christian, but there were many who were agnostic or deists; some would probably be considered atheist by today’s standards (or with today’s scientific knowledge). More importantly the majority agreed in opposing the idea of christianity or any religion being allowed in government.

Thomas Jefferson was an openly admitted deist. He believed in a generic ‘Creator’ that created the world, and then left man to his own devices; he did not believe in the judeo-christian god and openly stated that the church had twisted religion for its own gain.

George Washington, although being a practicing Christian, is speculated by many to have been a deist; he repeatedly avoids using ‘God’ or ‘Jesus’ in speech and text, instead only referencing the ‘Creator.’

Benjamin Franklin was also a deist who thought the church had it wrong and was corrupt besides; and often expressed philosophies that would be considered atheist by today’s standards.

The Presidential Oath of Office has the president swear on the Bible “So help me God.”

Neither the Bible nor the phrase “So help me God” are required parts of the oath of office. For early presidents it was common place to say a prayer after completing the oath; although others might have said it, Chester A. Arthur is the first president officially on record having ended his oath with “I will, so help me God.” Another interesting tid-bit here is that since it is not part of the oath, it is technically illegal for the Chief Justice to say it; the president has the option, but the Chief Justice shouldn’t prompt it. Something else of interest with the most recent oath, since the Chief Justice botched it so badly at the inauguration it was considered possibly invalid; so President Obama retook the oath the morning of the 21st, and did it without a Bible.

The founding fathers created “In God We Trust” as a national motto and put it on money. Besides that they put “under God” in the Pledge.

I really love this one too, because so few people realize how “young” these are. Any reference to God was not placed on money for the specific reason that it could be seen as the government backing a form of religion. “In God We Trust” did not appear on money until 1864. After the Civil War is was a popular sentiment for church leaders to point to the nation moving away from God as the reason for the war. This lead to many appeals written to the government; among these were direct appeals to the Secretary of the Treasury stating that the US currency should display that the US is a “god fearing” country. So on April 22, 1864, Congress passed an Act (that over turned several other Acts, and ultimately went against the Constitution), directing that “In God We Trust” be stamped on two-cent coins. In March of 1865 they passed an Act allowing all coins to be minted with the motto.

The Pledge of Allegiance was not even written until 1892, and “under God” was not added until 1954. “In God We Trust” was not made the official motto until 1956.

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So what other arguments have you heard?

Penn and Teller, Bullshit!

sheisgod — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 00:30:14 +0000

Creationism

Holier than Thou

26 Sneaky Ways to Improve Your Finances

Neece — Sun, 25 May 2008 06:51:25 +0000

I love money. I love saving it and spending it. I have a tendency to hoard it, as well. But my love of gadgets and expensive electronics usually wins out in the end.

I was Stumbling a minute ago and my husband Butch had sent me this article, 35 Sneaky Ways to Improve Your Finances. I thought I’d share my favorites from the list with you, with my own interpretation of them.

1. Don’t get into debt in the first place. NO KIDDING! But no one ever mentions this! Save up for large purchases, and never use your credit card unless you can pay it off at the end of the month. Common Sense!

2. Pay yourself first. My husband loves this one. But there’s truth to it. Save 10% off the top every paycheck. Have a direct transfer to a savings account, or to your financial advisor, such as Edward Jones. Pay into your 401K, the maximum you can contribute.

3. Make extra debt payments. Check your mortgage and credit card documentation carefully first, but if there’s no penalty, then make extra payments. It really cuts down on the interest you’ll have to pay in the long run.

4. Live beneath your means. Another common sense one, but oh so helpful if you can force yourself. If you think you need something, really put thought into the differentiation between NEED and WANT. If it’s simply a Want, consider taking that money and investing it in something really useful. You’ll thank yourself later.

5. Direct Deposit your earnings. Cash will burn a hole in your pocket. And if you direct deposit, you can also have a portion transferred immediately to savings. You won’t notice the transferred money, but it will grow over time effortlessly.

6. Ignore your raise. Congratulations on that raise, now as soon as it takes effect, take the extra income to pay off debt, save for a rainy day, or save for retirement or college.

7. Downgrade things you don’t use anymore. Got a membership to a fancy gym that you never use? Or do you never come close to your minutes on your phone? Do you really watch all those premium channels? Cut back on these kinds of expenses to save without impacting your lifestyle too much.

8. Sell what you don’t need. For instance I have tons of books that I am never going to be interested in again. I can sell them on eBay or through Amazon and make some spare cash. De-clutter while creating a bit of money for yourself. So go through the house and get rid of old gadgets, clothes, toys, etc.

9. Never a borrow nor a lender be. (the original list says keep a black book and ask for your money back. But I humbly disagree). Don’t lend it and don’t borrow it. It’s not worth it. I know this sounds cold, but it only leads to resentment and trouble, especially among family and friends. If you do decide to help someone out financially, write that money off and never expect it back again. If you get paid back, consider it a bonus.

10. Weatherproof your home. Insulate doors, windows, attics and garage doors. The small outlay of money to do this is made up with smaller heating and cooling bills all year long.

11. Use a digital thermostat. Get the kind that can be programmed so that you change the temperature when you are either sleeping or not home. The formula for savings is 3% of your bill for each degree that you change your thermostat.

12. Plant trees in your yard. Deciduous trees chosen correctly for your climate will provide shade in the summer to lower cooling costs. In winter they will lose their leaves and let in the sun.

13. Switch to compact fluorescent bulbs. Don’t skimp, though. I’ve found that cheap CFs don’t last very long. Get the name brand. It’s worth it. The consumption of electricity is significantly lower. Also, Mythbusters proved that it’s much cheaper to turn the light off when you leave the room, every time. So turn it off when you’re not using it. This helps the environment as well.

14. Cook your own meals at home. Pack a lunch. This one isn’t only better for your wallet, it’s much better for your body. Learn some good nutrition and make your own lunches. Eat at home for healthier, much more affordable meals. Plus you’ll know exactly what’s on your plate.

15. Plan ahead. Keep a rainy day fund. If you want a vacation or have a big purchase in mind, start saving for it today. Plan ahead for gift giving, holidays, birthdays, car and home maintenance, etc. Why pay interest on a credit card for these purchases if you know they’re coming? Instead put your money into an interest bearing account and actually be rewarded for saving.

16. Identify your debt. Write down on paper or in a spreadsheet, exactly how much you owe to whom, and the interest rate you’re paying. Pay off the highest interest rates first. You’ll save a significant amount of money on interest this way.

17. A necessity list. This is a great idea. Write a list of things you really have to have, like that new gadget, those cute shoes, that hot new golf set, whatever it might be. Make yourself wait a month. Check back a month later and see if you still have an unbearable craving for the item. Chances are it was a passing impulse that you would have been bored with in less than a month anyway.

18. Like-minded people. Find groups or clubs of like minded people to hang out with. Such as a finance group, or a get out of debt club. You might make some friends and learn new stuff and enjoy fun affordable activities that you’d never thought of before.

19. The last model, not the latest. Personally I love having the latest and greatest in computers and gadgets. But these things depreciate so fast, do I really need it? Look at the previous model, which probably is only a few months old, and get that instead. You’ll pay a lot less for something that is still great and new.

20. Shop smart. Avoid overpriced stores and shop around before you make big purchases. Check out different places online to see what the average price is. Don’t forget to factor in taxes and shipping as well. I still find that I can get better prices online in most circumstances than buying from a big name brand store where everything is marked up exceedingly high.

21. The Latte Principle. Stop buying that candy bar in the vending machine, as well as those 3 sodas every day. Don’t stop and get that fattening latte that costs an arm and a leg every morning. Instead put that money aside and invest it. I wrote a short article on this Here. From the article, here’s an example: Your $5 cappuccino sacrifice will save you $25 in one work week, which equals $100 in a month and a whopping $1200 a year! At a conservative 7% interest rate of return, you’re saving a significant amount of money by making your coffee at home.

22. Have a monetary goal. Write it down and put it where you can see it. Whether it’s for retirement, college, vacation, a great new car, or whatever you are aiming for, define your goal clearly. This will help you stay motivated and focused.

23. Save your change. Do you think it doesn’t add up? It does. Ask your bank if they have a coin machine, like mine does, because it’s free and easy to have them count it and add it right to your account.

24. Car tips. Insist on great gas mileage on your next car. Think diesel, bio-diesel, or just a gas car with great fuel consumption. Carpool if possible. Do all your errands at once, and plan out your trip to reduce driving. Keep your tires properly inflated and have your oil changed when appropriate to keep your car running well. Also make sure your air filter is clean. This will also make a difference.

25. Avoid Temptation. Don’t go to the mall where you might be tempted to spend money impulsively. Keep a healthy snack in your car, in your briefcase or purse so you can avoid fast food.

26. Get rid of addictions. This may seem boring, but your addictions to tobacco, drugs, alcohol, gambling, soda pop and junk food cost a great deal to your wallet, health and time.

So there you go, the revised list of 26 ways to save money and get out of debt while living a good and happy life.

See the original article here.

Heaving Dead Cats » money

Its Time For Some New Currency

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