Nelson: I’ve Never Used An ATM — But I Can Learn! I Know About Holograms

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE).
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Sen. Ben Nelson (D-NE) has never used an ATM. But that doesn’t mean he can’t learn how!

“I could learn how to do it just like I’ve . . . I swipe to get my own gas, buy groceries,” Nelson said, according to the Omaha World-Herald. “I know about the holograms.”

By “holograms,” Nelson clarified that he meant the bar codes on products read by automatic scanners in the checkout lanes at stores such as Lowe’s and Menard’s.

Nelson’s office did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment.

Those comments came in response to a question about ATM fees. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA) has been pushing for a vote on a proposal to cap the fees ATMs charge customers of other banks.

Here’s what Nelson told the local paper about that proposal:

“I’ve never used an ATM, so I don’t know what the fees are,” Nelson said, adding that he gets his cash from bank tellers, just not automatic ones. “It’s true, I don’t know how to use one.

“But I could learn how to do it just like I’ve . . . I swipe to get my own gas, buy groceries. I know about the holograms.”

By “holograms,” Nelson clarified that he meant the bar codes on products read by automatic scanners in the checkout lanes at stores such as Lowe’s and Menard’s.

“I go and get my own seating assignment on an airplane,” Nelson said. “I mean, I’m not without some skills. I just haven’t had the need to use an ATM.”

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