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where I can turn them into nickels. – Hal D.
indeed a larger land mass than Greenland, but it is classified as a “continent.” It’s not technically considered an island. So maybe go back and give the rest of the piece a second read? Enjoy! Since this idea came out of the blue with no context it is assuredly a bad deal. A deal to secure mining/mineral rights would probably be a good deal (using U.S. labor and equipment, transport, etc.), but buying a welfare state when we have plenty (Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa, LA, Chicago, Detroit) is a no-brainer. – Ron V. Buck Sexton comment: Well, I don’t think you have to worry about the idea either way. Looks like the plan is DOA. Trump has shifted his focus back to China, North Korea,
P. J. O’Rourke comment on Steve Sjuggerud’s behalf: Don’t worry, coin collectors love any change in coinage. But, Hal, let me put my two cents in... Because that’s actually about what a penny would be worth if pennies were still made of copper. Meanwhile a nickel (75% copper and 25% nickel) contains, at current commodity market prices, more than $0.05 worth of metal. And if we started making quarters out of silver again, the silver content would make them worth about $3.30. So, with all due respect to Steve’s very logical argument, it’s the worthless paper $1 bill that we should probably get rid of. Joe R., below, makes somewhat the same argument. (BTW, Hal, you and I seem to frequent the same racetrack.)
and whichever member of the “fake news” crosses him. I may be able to get you a great deal on a “Make Greenland Great” t-shirt, though. Re: Kill the Penny? No! Stop minting nickels and change the valuation of the copper plated Lincolnoid coin to 5 cents. Coin collectors will love/ hate whatever you do. Thomas Jefferson is still on the $2 bill, so his estate won’t sue you. Print more $2 bills and send them to me. I know a racetrack
In part I agree with Steve in that we should stop making pennies. I just don’t think it goes far enough. We should stop production of nickels and dimes also. While we are at it... stop producing all coins not made from gold or silver. – Joe R. P. J. O’Rourke comment: Joe, you’re on the right track as far as this hard money guy is concerned. But there are some practical considerations. As we go to press, the spot price
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of gold is around $48.23 a gram. A gold coin the approximate size of a penny (2.5 grams) would be worth
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Septemeber 2019
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