Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Going platinum

Corrente directs our attention to Matt Yglesias who directs our attention to Section 31 § 5112 clause (k) of the US Code:
(k) The Secretary may mint and issue platinum bullion coins and proof platinum coins in accordance with such specifications, designs, varieties, quantities, denominations, and inscriptions as the Secretary, in the Secretary’s discretion, may prescribe from time to time.
The tactic may sound crazy, but I see nothing here to prevent the Secretary of the Treasury from issuing coins worth -- hmmm...y'think a hundred K will do it? -- in quantities sufficient to pay off the national debt.

I'd like to design this new coin. Suggestion:

6 comments:

seymourblogger said...

Nice strategy!

Anonymous said...

Putting your blog on http://www.disqus.com really helps a lot with the comments section. Jes sayin.

A Longtime Fan said...

Wow, immature and offensive. I'm disappointed. Are you drunk or have you been hacked?

Joseph Cannon said...

If you really were a longtime fan, you'd know that that immature and offensive cartoon has appeared three or four times previously. Ain't I a stinker?

A Longtime Fan said...

Well, I've been reading your blog for a number of years; it's one of a very few I feel is worth the time. I also check Kos occasionally--please don't ban me for that admission--as part of an attempt to get a variety of perspectives. But probably missed the Obama-on-the-toilet cartoon because of having taken a haitus here and there when too busy to keep up, and/or when the 'stinkiness' about people with whom you disagree but who are still better than the alternative seemed to go over the top into--well, no need to rehash. I have a problem with the political name-calling and character assassination that is practiced primarily by the right, think it's worse than unproductive for the debate and takes away from the credibility of the perpetrator(s). That said, mainly I very much appreciate your research and enjoy your writing, most recently about the Weiner/Breitbart affair, and the long-whispered speculation about Murdoch and his various intelligence community connections. And how it all probably ties together. Thank you.

stickler said...

IIRC, US law prohibits the image of a living person on US coins, so that rules out Obama, and Dick (deficits don't matter) Cheney for the new platinum super-coins.

To preemptively defend against Republican complaints, I suggest St. Ronald Wilson Reagan.