As soon as a proud coin of the realm, the penny has change into a pest. It will get no respect.
And the penny isn’t even value one cent anymore. It prices the federal government almost 4 cents to mint one penny.
No marvel President Donald Trump ordered its demise. So sooner or later, each time it rains it gained’t rain “Pennies from Heaven.”
Talking about unfastened change, the nickel, dime and quarter will probably be subsequent on the hit record earlier than you recognize it. It prices 14 cents, or 14 pennies, to make a nickel, six cents to make a dime, and 15 cents to make 1 / 4.
And Trump did the penny pinching with out Sen. Chuck Schumer and the Democrats preventing to avoid wasting the penny by shutting the federal government down over it. He did it with out even providing Schumer a penny for his ideas.
Realistically, “Shutdown Schumer” would have been higher off had he shut down the federal government to avoid wasting the penny.
“In for penny, in for a pound,” a preventing Schumer may have stated. In any case, a penny saved is a penny earned.
However when he discovered that Trump secretly deliberate to interchange Abraham Lincoln on the face of the penny along with his personal picture, he balked. It was a foul penny of an concept in any case.
Unnamed and nonexistent sources stated Schumer known as it a “penny-ante” form of a deal within the first place.
After all, Trump had no such plans to interchange Lincoln on the penny. However no matter Trump deliberate the Democrats would have attacked him on it anyway. Trump could not like pennies, however he likes Lincoln.
In addition to, my imaginary White Home sources say that Trump, after taking pictures down concept of changing President John F. Kennedy on the previous half-dollar coin, is planning to interchange George Washington on the $1 invoice.
Beneath his image it’s going to learn, “IN TRUMP WE TRUST.”
He plans to do this on the opening ceremony of the brand new Trump Ballroom he’s constructing on the East Wing of the White Home, which has value a reasonably penny even when the cash to pay for it got here from personal sources and never taxpayers.
Nonetheless, difficult Trump over the abolition of the penny is one thing that folks may have associated to. All people has pennies, whether or not they wish to do away with them or not. Pennies are all over the place.
Which is why — placing my two cents in — at Market Basket I at all times say “Shut sufficient” to the change, together with pennies, the part-time highschool cashiers — having problem making change — give me again.
And it could have been a greater option to problem Trump moderately than shut down the federal government and institute payless paydays for the navy, air site visitors controllers and authorities staff, whereas threatening needy individuals to go with out meals.
It was a Schumer Shutdown over nothing.
Within the occasion you haven’t been watching each penny, Trump ordered Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to cease making new pennies in February. Final week the U.S. Mint ended their manufacturing.
The Mint has been producing them since 1793. Lincoln’s picture was placed on the penny in 1909.
Whereas no new pennies will probably be manufactured, there are billions of them in circulation and they are going to be round for some time, like many different authorities applications.
Pennies, just like the American individuals, are rugged survivors. Throughout World Warfare II, as an example, pennies have been zinc-coated to avoid wasting copper for the struggle effort. However they bounced again after we gained the struggle.
Now we have lived with pennies all our lives. Pennies are American historical past.
And they’re going to nonetheless be round, outlasting individuals, politicians, popes, pundits, poets, paupers and presidents.
Save the cent.
Veteran political reporter Peter Lucas may be reached at: peter.lucas@bostonherald.com
