Paper Savings Bonds being phased out for electronic ones

[mfcorey1]

U.S. Savings Bonds, long favored by gift-givers and conservative investors, are going paperless.
Starting Sept. 30, federal employees who invest in Savings Bonds through payroll deductions will be required to buy them from TreasuryDirect.gov, where they'll be stored electronically. The requirement will extend to private-sector employees on Jan. 1, 2011.

http://www.usatoday.com/money/perfi/bonds/2010-09-03-savingsbonds03_ST_N.htm

[HereSince1628]

1. Cheapness...you buy a bond and the promisor can't provide

a certificate that costs less than $1. I hope for these investors that the digital infrastructure is kept in better repair than our essential highways, sewers, and water sources.

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. The Gov is rapidly moving towards paperless money.

Some dire predictions about it have been discussed for quite awhile.

There is a booming business in "e" cards, which will be used by more and more employers instead of paper checks.

Soc. Sec. will REQUIRE either debit cards or direct deposit, the current deadline for that is 2013.

See the movie Minority Report for what happens when all your money, credit, and info. is electronic and "they" decide YOU are a "bad" person.

[Peacetrain]

3. Have you ever had a check out person give you a dirty look if you hand them money

I mean paper money.. Recently I have noticed that they sigh when you hand them money, even more so then when you take that extra minute to write a check.

[dixiegrrrrl]

4. Around here, paper money gets the shopper a discount in some places

and in other places the clerks say " Oh good, I was almost out of dollar bills" or whatever.
Advantage of a small town, I think.

Check writing makes ME sigh if I am behind the person doing it, because it is so slow.

Here is what I have never understood:

Woman ( always a woman) stands holding onto her purse as all of her items are checked out, put in bags, bags put in cart,
THEN she slowly puts her 20 pound purse on the checkout surface, opens it, reaches in, pulls out her check book,
opens that, searches for a pen, then writes check, then notates the check amount in the register, puts check back in purse, closes purse, and slowly leaves the register area.
Then stops dead in her tracks, puts purse on checkout surface, opens it, puts pen in purse, leaves.
If I had a dollar for every time I watched that happen, I swear I could buy a new car.

Disclaimer: I NEVER carry a purse, always have a debit card or money in my pocket with a wallet.