"Competing currency being accepted across Mid-Michigan"

clipped from www.connectmidmichigan.com Competing currency being accepted across Mid-Michigan clipped from www.connectmidmichigan.com clipped from www.connectmidmichigan.com New types of money are popping up across Mid-Michigan and supporters say, it's not counterfeit, but rather a competing currency. They sound like real money and look like real money. But you can't take them to the bank because they're not made at a government mint. They're made at private mints. "Do people have to accept dollars or money? No, they don't," Gillie said. "They can accept anything they want or they can refuse to accept anything." He's absolutely right. The U.S. Treasury Department says the Coinage Act of 1965 says "private businesses are free to develop their own policies on whether or not to accept cash, unless there is a state law which says otherwise." "This establishment accepts any form of silver, gold, chicken, apple pie, if someone works it out with me," said Jeff Kotchounian of Deerfield Chiropractic. "I've taken many things." While the government and banks don't accept them, many others do.