I can tell you the exact moment when I first learned the word “fungible.” I was a first year in law school, and my roommate and I, who shared a passing resemblance to one another — in that we were both blonde and slender — sat next to one another in our Contracts class. 

The professor called one of us by the other’s name and, when this was brought to his attention amidst some laughter, quickly noted that we were fungible — which resulted in more laughter, including my own, though I secretly wondered what the word meant. I looked it up soon as I got back to my dorm room and thought, “Well, that’s rather rude and dismissive.” But then again, so was the professor. 

That word has been bandied about quite a bit over the past few days, as the recent release by the U.S. of $6 billion to Iran has been roundly criticized in the face of the horrific terrorist attack carried out by its proxy, Hamas, in Israel. 

While the Biden administration and its defenders vehemently insist not one cent of that money has been spent yet, those with a fundamental understanding of currency and an ounce of intellectual honesty have repeatedly pointed out that money is fungible and the promise of big bucks to cover humanitarian needs frees up other funds to cover the inhumanitarian deeds. 

But while money is fungible, the people who’ve paid the price for Hamas’ barbarity are not. Nor are they replaceable. 

This “Moore to the Point” commentary aired on NewsTalkSTL on Wednesday, October 11. Audio included below.