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Show by Jan Do your realize we are a society that lives by numbers? The first big number comes from Uncle Sam when he issues you a social security number, and it's with you for life! This. 9-digit number becomes your sole identity in some cases. If you go to college, it's your student number; if you go in the Army, it's your serial number; when you retire it's the number that brings you your social security pension, and until recently it was your drivers' license number, Now, instead of your social security number you have a new 7-digit number that allows you to drive. It's also the first number they look at when you cash a check. Checking accounts and savings accounts, credit cards and passports, Insurance policy numbers and charge accounts are all identifying numbers. To large companies you're an account number; to small business you're still an account number. States are Identified by area code and cities have zip codes. There's car registration and license plates; street address and telephone numbers. There are prison numbers and police badge numbers; jersey numbers and fraternity pin numbers; a hunting license number and a fishing license number. Numbers can be good, or bad. 003475 could be the number bringing you $100,000 in the sweepstakes drawing, or it could have been a number tattooed on someone's arm in a German concentration camp. It's been suggested that everyone be given one number, for everything. It would be placed on your finger at birth, then you could just plug your finger into a special machine and you could be identified. It would cut out credit cards and checking accounts. Instead you could just bill everything to your little finger. With all the numbers we're given in a life time, it's amazing when our number's up we know which one they mean! |