4 ms·
Because the savings would be less than peanuts in the grand scheme of things that the government spends money on. Because the Left would be galvanized by a mil
by StevePerkins 3y ago
Because the savings would be less than peanuts in the grand scheme of things that the government spends money on.
Because the Left would be galvanized by a million blog posts and academic papers (basically the same thing these days), arguing that it's racist because people of color are more likely to be underbanked and use cash. Yes I realize that's nonsense, but it wouldn't matter.
Because the Right would probably be galvanized too, by complaints that the government was meddling too much in the familiar and somehow ripping people off. Yes I realize that's nonsense, but it wouldn't matter.
It's so hard to make anything happen in U.S. politics today... eliminating pennies, nickels, and dimes wouldn't even make my Top-10,000 list of priorities.
- appleskeptic 3y agoWhat an indictment of our system.
- JumpCrisscross 3y ago> by complaints that the government was meddling too much in the familiar and somehow ripping people off It would be about inflation. Just as only Nixon could go to China, it's probably only Republican initiative that can nix the penny--they could brand it as thriftiness. Unfortunately, zinc is mined in red states and districts [1]. A President would have to lead the charge. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc_mining_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zinc_mining_in_the_United_Stat...
- hiddencost 3y agoYou have a really angry model of the politics in this country, and seem to lack respect for the political stances. It's quite easy to pass laws that no one cares about. Congress passed a law modernizing duck hunting permits. Maine was very happy.
- throwawaysugar 3y ago> You have a really angry model of the politics in this country, and seem to lack respect for the political stances. I'd argue politics in this country is angry and seems to lack respect for opposing political stances. I found the parent's post perfectly adequate
- JumpCrisscross 3y ago> seems to lack respect for opposing political stances This is true for issues with national currency. Pennies aren't in this category. Instead, it's more subject to the interest-group problem [1]. [1] https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38665895 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=38665895
- schmookeeg 3y agoParent's model is very much my own view of our political gridlock.
- Guvante 3y agoIIRC abolishing the penny is relatively popular. The only reason it wasn't already abolished is lobbying by Zinc producers.
- noqc 3y agoThe "left" that you are referring to opposes eliminating cash. The reasons often given in hearsay and by journalists and blog posts are often exclusively focused on "people of color" who are underbanked, but the complaint is much more concisely stated as BEING OPPOSED TO THE PRIVITIZATION OF CURRENCY. Which seems fucking reasonable as shit to me.
- euroderf 3y agoThe way to fix underbanking is to get the USPS to offer low-cost/no-cost accounts.