“I’ve never used an ATM, so I don’t know what the fees are,” Nelson said in reference to new legislation proposed by Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) to limit the fees banks charge for using ATMs. Nelson added that he goes inside the bank whenever he needs cash. “It’s true; I don’t know how to use one.”

 

But Nelson isn’t entirely ignorant about the use of technology in the everyday life of consumers. For instance, he knows all about the “holograms” used at checkout stands in groceries stores.

 

He was referring to the bar codes on products.

 

While Nelson may not know how to get cash from ATMs, he does know how to collect contributions from the financial industry, which has given him more than $350,000 during his career.

-Noel Brinkerhoff

 

ATMs a Mystery to Senator (by Joseph Morton, Omaha World-Herald)

Senator Doesn’t Get ATMs, Gets Money From Banks (by Paul Blumenthal, Sunlight Foundation)