So much for living in a cashless society

 

We have been hearing for years that we are moving to a cashless society. For younger people especially, I have noticed that they pay for everything with a card or swiping their phones. Recently, however, I have noticed statements like "there is a five percent fee for credit cards" on restaurant menus. Getting my car fixed, I was told that I could save two hundred dollars if I paid with cash. I was surprised, but my bank happily gave me cash at the counter which I used to pay my bill. Hmmm.  In additon I have noticed that when I buy gummies I have to pay cash.  So much for a cashless society. 

The time I slept in the Rutgers president's office

 

One of the stories I used to tell is of the time I slept in President Bloustein's , president of Rutgers, office. The recent stories of college students occupying offices has rekindled in me fond memories, including the time I joined a protest at Rutgers against the incursion of troops into Cambodia which ended in my sleeping in the university president's office on Old Queens. I remember marching down College Avenue, me and my sleeping bag, and finding a nice quiet niche in the office to retire for the evening. 

Early the next morning Ed Bloustein arrived at his office and pleasantly but sternly told us that we had a right to protest but that we would be wise to use other means than encroaching upon his office. We all greeted the president a fond adieu and I went on to my classes, presumably after disposing of my sleeping bag in my dorm room. 

Editor's note: The recent student unrest has made many baby boomers nostalgic for the good old days of Vietnam demonstrations. I suspect Generation X is not impressed.