BIG BUILDING AND PRETTY MONEY
So we have a new $100 bill...yay, it looks pretty, it looks shiny on the front (the front is actually the side with the coat of arms), and it new brand!
All of this for what? To commemorate CHOGM? To show that we are heading to developed nation status? If you ever thought about it, it costs money to print money. Money would have been spent in the design of the new bill, as well as making the plates to print it and a whole lot of nitty-gritty stuff. The (tax payer's) money spent in printing our money goes to "De La Rue" England where they print our money for us at some cost...and I bet dey aint takin Trini dollar for payment (ie we have to pay them in Pounds).
I am pro printing new money, its just that when you spend money in something, its always good to have a return on your money. This new bill is a short term "investment" and we are really not getting much out of it except a picture of Manning's waterfront.
So we want to become a developed nation, we put up big buildings which are not on our flagship bank note that has no new features. Developed countries such as the US, Canada, Australia, and Europe (for all intents and purposes, the EU is a federal country) produce new bank notes with new features which add value to their money.
So how could value be added to $100? Simple; add more security features to the bill, reducing its forge-ability. In addition, these developed countries who consider their citizens have realized that security isn't everything. Usability is another component that has been looked at by these developed countries, yes that's right, usability.
What else do you use money for other than to spend it? Well, ask a blind person how they know the difference between a $10 and $100. These developed countries have recognized that their handicapped also need to use money and so in the design of their new currencies so that the visually impaired can use it with ease. Canadians, Australians and Europeans have put braille in their money with large numbers which can be distinctively felt with your fingers.
In addition the size of the Euro and Australian dollar also changes depending on the denomination to aid the visually impaired in discerning the money they are using. Yankee now starting to add colour to their money with larger number sizes (not quite useable for the blind, but they'd have never made an attempt it if people didnt complain).
In addition to the aforementioned, countries such as Australia and New Zealand are no longer using the traditional "paper" money, but have in fact replaced "paper" with "plastic". Not credit cards, but polymer fibres that have a "paper effect" but can withstand a greater amount of usage than traditional paper money and include advanced security features such as multi-layered holographs. Damn that's hard to forge.
We have spent money (though they have not told us this) in redesigning a $100 bill that adds no real value to what already exists, to commemorate an organization that does basically nothing for us except show that we are members of ex-British colonies. For the disabled, we in Trinidad only have government propaganda oops i mean advertisement on the radio saying we must treat the disabled with equity and must install ramps for the crippled when we can't even produce money that's usable by the blind. Bah. Humbug. We go be developed with big building an pretty money
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