Letters: Cash Questions and Child Stress

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STEVE INSKEEP, host:

And it's time once again to read from your e-mails.

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INSKEEP: Many of you wrote in disbelief after hearing our story yesterday on a Washington D.C. café that does not accept cash, only credit and debit cards. A few of you reached into your wallets for reference.

Bruce Murray(ph) in the nation's capital writes, The $20 bill that I am reading contains the message: This note is legal tender for all debts public and private. Wouldn't it violate federal law, he writes, for the owner to refuse payment by cash from her customers?

So to satisfy your curiosity, here is the word from the Federal Reserve: No federal law mandates that a person or an organization must accept currency or coins as payment for goods or services not yet provided. For example, a bus line may prohibit payment of fares in pennies or dollar bills.

The folks at the Federal Reserve go on to tell us that some convenience stores and gas stations as a matter of policy may refuse to accept currency of a large denomination, such as notes above 20 bucks. And as long as notice is posted and a transaction giving rise to a debt has not already been completed, these organizations have not violated the Legal Tender Law.

So there you go. You can use your bills as long as someone will take them.

Carl Seawort(ph) in Tulsa, Oklahoma, writes, As a retail employee of the Mall of Americas some years ago, I used to amuse customers by telling them we did not accept cash or by asking for ID when they paid with dollar bills. In the back of my mind, though, has been the conviction that it was only a matter of time. I suppose I must reluctantly thank you for confirming my fears.

And now concerning our coverage of the scandal surrounding disgraced former Congressman Mark Foley. Many of you reacted to a commentary last week that suggested that Foley's claim of alcoholism should be treated with care.

Mary Lois Gannon-Miller(ph) had this to say. I am among the many people, who through their own experience or by witnessing the destruction resulting from someone else's alcoholism, feel deep sadness for former Congressman Foley. I'm truly happy that he is seeking treatment for his disease, she writes. But all those feelings pale in comparison to the sadness and the anger on behalf of the victims of Mr. Foley's behavior. Care, attention and respect for them should be the higher priority.

And in a story this week, Michelle Trudeau told us about stress levels affecting the mental health of U.S. teenagers. One young student went to the doctor for stress-induced stomach pains. And some of you were less than sympathetic to the teens in the story.

Sarah Atwood(ph) in Chandler, Arizona, writes: Poor kids. It's tough to live in a nation where one has the chance to study freely, engage in all manner of extracurricular activities and dream of a bright and hopeful future. Who wouldn't get a bellyache?

We have some corrections this morning; hopefully, we won't get a bellyache over them. In a report on Monday about a new treatment for hemorrhaging after childbirth in developing countries we misidentified Dr. Richard Derman. He is at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, not the University of Kansas.

And last week we wished a happy birthday to Raquel Welch - a month late. The screen siren turned 66 on September 5th, not October 5th. Why do I think she's not happy about that correction?

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