Okay, now I'm on the subject of wasting money to change the look of it...

I know that the claim is it's to make it more difficult to counterfeit. So what if it makes it more difficult? They'll still do it. And they'll still do it just as successfully as they've always done it. That's a bogus reason. Or at least a stupid one.

Here's the Lansing State Journal's article on the "colorful new $20 bill".

Headline:
Colorful, new $20 bills hit banks on Thursday - Blue, peach ink added to deter counterfeiters

I suppose counterfeiters won't be able to find blue and peach ink. Darn! I guess they'll have to go get regular jobs.

[According to] Tom Ferguson, director of the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing, "Technology continues to be ever more available, higher quality and lower cost...[s]o we have to stay ahead."

Tom, fly that one past somebody under the age of 8. You have to stay ahead? You can't even get ahead. You're reacting to counterfeiters' abilities. Just like every situation where the criminals have figured out a scam. And they always figure one out. You'll be having to make some new "counterfeit-resistant" changes in a few years, I can guarantee you.

What am I saying? You're not even making the bills counterfeit-resistant, just "harder".

Among the bill's new counterfeit-thwarting features:

* Two eagles: a blue one to the left of Andrew Jackson's portrait and a smaller one to the lower right of the portrait in metallic green ink.

That was important. Blue and green eagles. One metallic.

* Small yellow 20s on the back side of the bill, and blue, peach and green hues on the background on both sides. It's the first time since 1905 that U.S. currency has had background colors.

Woo-hoo. Colors!

* The color-shifting ink already used on the numeral 20 in the lower right-hand corner of the face side will shift from copper to green instead of black to green when the bill is tilted up and down.

Oh, much nicer. Copper and green - more, I don't know.....earthy, or something. Definite improvement over black.

* Tiny microprinted words that already appear in some places on the bills will be added to new areas.

Oh, clever, indeed. More Waldos those puzzle-challenged counterfeiters will have to find! Haha! We've got 'em now.

"It makes it more difficult to reproduce," Ferguson said. "It adds more complexity to the design."

'Cause god knows those counterfeiters can't handle complexity.

Maybe there's some secret stuff Tom's not making public. And those dumbo counterfeiters won't figure it out.

Go back to school, Tom.

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.