President Obama Won't Sign Dollar Bill, Noting it's a Crime

PARMA, OHIO - President Obama made an unscheduled stop to the Kozy Corner diner in Oak, Harbor, Ohio and turned down the offer to sign a dollar bill by a young man.

His reasoning was a good one, as it's actually illegal to do so. Obama politely declined doing the autograph and being the lawyer by training he is, was able to explain it's a federal offense to write on currency.

He said it simply and kindly, but here's the more legal definition.

According to Title 18, Part 1, Chapter 17, Sec. 333, the statute reads, "Whoever mutilates, cuts, defaces, disfigures, or perforates, or unites or cements together, or does any other thing to any bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt issued by any national banking association, or Federal Reserve bank, or the Federal Reserve System, with intent to render such bank bill, draft, note, or other evidence of debt unfit to be reissued, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than six months, or both."

And it could even reach the jurisdiction of the Secret Service the statue goes on to spell out, if the currency is made unfit for circulation.

The president offered to sign something else, but it's unclear if or what he found as a replacement item.

Obama had a burger before continuing on his two-day rust belt bus tour.

"All right, I'm going to eat my burger," he said to the other diners, "and everybody just pretend like I'm not here," he said according to pool reporters following him.

This is first bus tour of the 2012 campaign. He also stopped at a farmer's market before continuing on with official campaign events.

Oak Harbor has a population of about 3,000 people and is located near Lake Erie.