More and more places are going cashless. The ballparks, parking garages, and some vending machines are all cashless. If our country goes cashless, it will be just another value lost for our youth.

Children will no longer learn the value of money. When we went on family vacations in the early 1990s, I would give my son $75 to spend on souvenirs and whatever. This was his money to spend, but once it was spent, he would not get more. He was very aware of the amount of money he had in his pocket, as it was hard cold cash. Anytime he wanted he could take it out of his pocket and count it over and over so he knew how much was left to spend. How many people are overdrawn on their debit card due to not knowing their balance, as it is so easy to spend and spend when all you are doing is showing a piece of plastic?

Other values that our youth have already lost or are on the verge of losing are knowing how to count up on giving out cash change, how to tell time on an analog clock and learning cursive handwriting.

Yes, there is a place for electronic transfer of funds and credit/debit cards. How do you make donations to the scouts selling popcorn, cookies on the corner, lemonade stands, or to the Salvation Army volunteers during the holiday season without cash.

Cary Riske, Grayslake