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January 30, 2006
Pushing through
the door at Arby’s last night, a hastily written sign taped on the
door caught my eye. Too hungry to stop and read, I moved straight to
the counter to place my order. There, prominently taped to each cash
register, were more of the handmade paper signs: We will no longer
accept $50 or $100 bills.
Of course, I had
to ask. “Why not?”
“We were getting
too many counterfeit bills,” she told me.
Who hasn’t
wondered at one time or another how easy it would be to make money?
It’s a lot harder than we would think.
In the first
stages of the process, highly skilled engravers cut intricate designs
into soft steel, known as the master-die. Separate portions of the
design…the portrait, the vignette, the ornamentation, and the
lettering…are hand-cut. In all, this begins a process of production
that includes over 65 separate and distinct steps.
Of course,
there’s an easier way. Today, counterfeiting once again is on the
rise due to the ease and speed with which large quantities of
counterfeit currency can be produced using modern photographic and
printing equipment.
While many
consider counterfeiting a minor crime, it is actually a crime that can
cripple a nation and its economy. Counterfeiting of money is one of
the oldest crimes in history. It was a serious problem during the 19th
century when banks issued their own currency. At the time of the Civil
War, it was estimated that one-third of all currency in circulation
was counterfeit.
At that time, there were approximately 1,600 state banks designing and
printing their own notes. Each note carried a different design, making
it difficult to distinguish the 4,000 varieties of counterfeits from
the 7,000 varieties of genuine notes.
The United
States Secret Service is charged with investigating each and every
counterfeiting case. No matter how large or small, each
counterfeiting case carries the serious consequences of prison time
and/or fines.
With all of the
law enforcement tools at their hands…surveillance, wire taps,
computers, and more…the key to detecting a counterfeit bill lies not
with the agent’s knowledge about the criminal. He must start by
developing a sophisticated knowledge of the real thing.
As the Secret
Service website says, you must Know Your Money. What does the
real thing look like? Whose picture should be on the bill? Is the
green a solid shade, or is it a mixture of cyan and yellow? Does the
President’s face stand out from the background, or is it flat and
lifeless? Are the serial numbers uniformly spaced and aligned?
In fact, one
website dedicated to helping you spot counterfeit currency offers this
advice. If you think you have a bad bill, lay it next to a bill you
know is genuine. Back and forth, looking from one bill to the next,
real, fake…the best tool of detection is knowing the real deal.
This is advice
that works for much more than paper money. An intimate knowledge of
the real deal can keep you from being defrauded with counterfeit
coins, checks, stamps and Beanie Babies. That’s right.
Again, another
website, and more advice about separating the real from the
fake…shoppers are coached. “Get to know the real deal.” Go to
Beanie Baby shows, touch them, feel them, check out the edge of the
tags, the points on the stars, the shine of the gold thread…in
all…there are 17 ways to determine if you have a counterfeit “Baby.”
So it is with
love. Abstinence educators around the country tell the same sad story
about our young people. Teens are confused about sex because they are
confused about love. The Real Deal…a picture of love that lasts for
a lifetime has been ripped from their culture, their movies and their
music….and replaced with counterfeits.
Children are
learning to embrace the counterfeit. Teens today, working to build
their place in a world of smaller broken families and relationships,
are building their love based on images flashed at them on the big
screen and pounded at them in their music. And every counterfeit
picture of love they see is a picture of sex.
If it’s true
about money, it’s even more true about love. While many consider
counterfeiting love a minor crime, it is actually a crime that can
cripple a nation and its people…. An intimate knowledge of the real
deal can keep you from being defrauded with the counterfeit.
If it’s true
about money, it’s even more true about our kids. A real deal
thousand dollar bill is worth a lot. So are our kids.
Post the signs.
It’s time to get serious. We will no longer accept counterfeit
love.
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January 3, 2005
Teen Pregnancy: What's the Problem?
See Archives
for more past editorials.
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