New US $100 Bill to Hit the Streets

New US $100 Bill
(Image: money.cnn.com)

The Federal Reserve must have a mordant sense of humor. In the midst of a partial shutdown of the US government bureaucracy, Ben Bernanke's team has released the new American one hundred dollar bill. There are many changes to thwart counterfeiters, according to today's BBC report on the $100 rollout, including an unsightly blue ribbon woven into the legal tender.

However, one item has not changed: the C-note is still worth one hundred US dollars. What has changed is the unit's purchasing power. Let's just say a hundred bucks ain't worth what it used to be.