News & Citizen

Serving the People of Lamoille County with News Since 1881

Volume 123     No 10 No 5569         August 22,  2007 Thursday                           Morrisville, VT 05661                        Web Edition

MACC Sheds Some Light on Copley Ave by Mickey Smith MORRISTOWN – As a reminder of days gone by, the Morristown Alliance for Culture and Commerce (MACC) has been working on bringing lampposts back to Copley Avenue. After about two years of planning, 16 black posts now adorn high school hill, bringing back the feel of the original lampposts which were a gift from Morristown’s benefactor Alexander Copley.  Continued on page 2 Firefighters from Johnson, Cambridge, Hyde Park and North Hyde Park participated in an emergency drill at Johnson State College, Thursday night,August 16.Smith photos Cooperative Training At JSC by Mickey Smith JOHNSON – Firefighters from Johnson, Cambridge, Hyde Park, and North Hyde Park and Northern Emergency Medical Services (NEMS) responded to a simulated emergency at Johnson State College last Thursday night, August 16. Continued on page 2 Click here to check out the new Lamoille Restaurant Guide 8th DUI Yields 10 to Life by Mickey Smith HYDE PARK – “A person with his past needs to be put someplace where he can’t re-offend,” said Lamoille County State’s Attorney Joel Page, in describing the 10 year to life sentence handed down against Kevin Lee, for his eighth DUI conviction. He was 44 at the time of his arrest. Continued on page 2 Hyde Park Officially Chooses Thomas by J.B. McKinley Cassandra Thomas has been offered a one year contract as acting principal of Hyde Park Elementary School. The H.P. School Board approved the action at this week’s regular board meeting. Since she is already a teacher at the school, her transition into her new position is expected to be smooth. Continued on page 2 For Questions or Comments on this web site please contact webmaster at dan@kingdomsedge.com Principals in the procurement and erection of lampposts along Copley Avenue, from left to right: Jim Fontaine, of the Morrisville Water and Light Department, MACC members Paul Trudell and Heather Sargent, and Morristown Town Administrator Dave Crawford, stand at the top of High School Hill. Smith photo GMTCC Reopens Amidst Construction by Mickey Smith HYDE PARK – There are still a lot of areas that aren’t accessible and some classrooms are doubling up on space, but the Green Mountain Technology and Career Center will be ready for students when the school year opens next week. Continued on page 2 Eden Man Involved in Concord Accident by Mickey Smith CONCORD –  Anthony Bullard, 26, of Eden, received minor injuries in a three vehicle accident on Sunday night, August 19. Continued on page 2 Lamoille County Pet Care Read all the News, Sports and More Click Here To Subscribe Today Looking for something? Search for: Copyright © 2004 News&Citizen Inc. All rights reserved. Have a press release? edit@newsandcitizen.com e-mail correspondence concerning advertising should be addressed to news@newsandcitizen.com

Things Look This Way to Me

Editorial by J.B. McKinley 8/16/07

Forget the $2 Bill

It probably came to you a long time ago, but for me the moment of revelation was the day before yesterday at the gas station.

What happened to twenty dollar bills? I thought, peeling off a $50 bill from a very slender roll. The fill up of my Japanese compact car had just rolled up numbers on the pump greater than $30.  That’s when I realized I’m now getting my paycheck cashed primarily in $50 bills and that’s mostly what I’m using to pay for things. Then, my change comes back and ususally I’m not getting a $20 bill back.

It seems it’s the chicken or the egg question. Is our dollar simply worth a lot less or are things more expensive? But never mind that question – too hard to answer! Ask yourself what we’ll be using next most commonly in the currency line.

I think the debates and U.S. Treasury attempts over several decades to get us to use dollar coins and $2 bills are really addressing the penny ante end of the question. Isn’t it more likely that the Treasury should think about issuing a $200 bill and some $500s and $1,000 bills?

Or is the trend really to plastic and electronic transfers? Will finding a greenback soon be as rare as finding an original piece of  Chinese “cash” in your change – the famous coins with holes in them. Maybe so, but one thing is certain, the actual cards are going to have to undergo a lot of development in the durability area. How many swipe cards have you had that wore out to the point of not functioning? Certainly your average dollar bill takes a lot more abuse than the average debit card and still works. Then there’s the simple fact that cash is very hard to misinterpret. There’s a finite limit to how big a mistake can be made during a transaction when you are handed cash. With a card, the sky  is the limit on mistakes. With electronic access, maybe possible from anywhere on the planet, that’s a lot more access to your money than the number of people who can reach into your pocket and get away clean!

So what do you think? Do you think we are going to be carrying more cash and bigger bills around, (as we have ever since I was born) or will we become a cashless society. Almost as interesting, would be the question, what is driving any change? Crime, ease of doing business, complexity of our transactions, the rising cost of living?

Next time you pull out a Franklin to pay a motel bill or a Jackson to fill your SUV, if you are bored, give these questions a thought. Maybe  that will shorten your trip to Burlington, or make the motel TV fade into the background. Will a world without cash be a very different world? Here’s a thought, since our United States currency is no longer backed with gold, isn’t it simply following the trend for cash to go electronic – it’s not really there in any case, is it?