Amid all the hope and bluster about President Donald Trump's first 100 days and the DOGE effort to eliminate government fraud and wasteful spending, you may have missed the news about the end of the penny after 233 years of use.
It's happening.
At the end of this year, the U.S. Treasury Department's Mint will stop making the lowest denomination coin of the United States' realm. There's an excellent economic reason to do this, finally, after several presidents called for it. But did not do anything about it.
Now, not surprisingly, it's President Trump who has ordered that it be done. You may have noticed Trump has a way of making things happen that others have dawdled over — finally moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel to the capital, getting the North Korean hermit kingdom's tiny dictator to actually meet with U.S. leadership after several previous presidents failed.
The penny, then called a cent, was first used in 1792 when just one of them could purchase an entire loaf of bread. You may have noticed prices have gone up some since then, or, more accurately, the penny's value has gone down.
I mention in this week's short audio commentary (listen below) that in my distant childhood, a penny bought a whole lot of great stuff. That's probably why I feel so fondly about the little things.
Five of them back then could put into my hands and then mouth a candy bar (and a full-sized one at that). While 10 of them enabled me to acquire an entire Captain Marvel comic book, the newest one to add to the growing collection stack in my bedroom.
I've noticed many customers these days don't even bother to pick up their small change if it's pennies. Not me.
At one point in my youth, I decided I wanted a Hallicrafter's shortwave radio with five bands. It cost $150, which was a huge sum back then and unattainable in my lifetime with a 25-cent weekly allowance. Today — I just checked — that much money would have the purchasing power of $1,623.60.
In those days, parents (or at least the ones I knew) did not give away money to children on request. They treated money the old-fashioned way: They made you earn it.
My father gave me a very long list of activities for which I could earn money. I realized later that the available work was in no way necessary for my family's existence. It was a life lesson. I did complete the list, however, and earned that huge sum of $150. It took me two years.
Dad drove me to the store in the city one Saturday, and the owner counted out all the wrinkled bills and coins.
I got so much pleasure over the years from that shortwave radio, listening in on the world at all hours, learning about time zones, languages, where exotic cities were. And imagining what those places were like.
I still have those memories and that radio. It needs new tubes, so it no longer works. But only from my cold, dead hands.... I earned all that money myself, every single one of the 15,000 pennies.
After listening to the audio here, let me know below if you have any similar memories. It's free in the Comments.
I've been spending some precious time recently with grandchildren. And just got back home to RedState. The most recent Sunday column examined in detail the colossal political and public relations mess that Democrats have made for themselves and now must find their way out of and back to some sense of sanity. Our political parties go through this painful process regularly.
But this one is a superb revealing example of political deafness, arrogance, and the party's collusion with mainstream media. Let's be honest, it is also wickedly entertaining to watch after enduring all of their hoaxes, frauds, impeachments, lies, coverups, and scandals in recent years.
