Friday, July 11, 2014

100 pennies, for only $3.49!

I know some folks just can't be convinced that inflation is a problem, but I humbly ask the reader to look long and hard at that picture, to realize completely what's happened to our currency.

Fake, "counterfeit" money, made from cheap plastic, now sells for over 3 times as much as what people (mistakenly) consider real money. Counterfeit money is now worth more than "real" money.

In what universe would purchasing this make any sort of sense? I'm half tempted to get 350 pennies just to go to the store and buy this. I wonder if the cashier would notice the surreality of the transaction.

Someday, people are going to realize these slips of paper with arbitrary numbers on them are really just part of a massive confidence game.

Until then, feel free to point and laugh at how ridiculous things are. I know I do.

18 comments:

  1. The absurdity of our current reality. Fake is more real than real. Awesome title.
    Best,
    Ed
    Ed Ward, MD

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    1. Wow, I'm flattered to have you here, I've read your posts many a time. Welcome!

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    2. Hey, the Sun has a lot going for it as an object of reverence; it's basically impossible to believe this planet would be livable without it. On the other hand, I don't quite understand the attraction to statues at all. I'm not saying either one cares, mind you.

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    3. And as far as Putin goes, hey, when you look on the curve, he's a great former head of the secret police. The curve isn't all that impressive, however.

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    4. Apologies, I thought you were familiar with my stuff. "Re": Sun. Holy Horus: The Jesus Origin Exposed; The Real Truth About Religion and Its Origins, and Annuit Coeptis Novus Ordo Seclorum http://edwardmd.wordpress.com/2013/09/18/the-real-truth-about-religion-and-its-origins/

      As for Putin, just another branch of the 'elites'. Ortho version. Russia is in a bind. Nukes may be it's only 'salvation', thus saving the universe from the spread of a deadly invasive species. More for satire than anything with just a touch of reality. BTW, I ain't no damn robot, dammit. ;-)

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    5. Somewhat familiar, it's been awhile...one risk of reading so much is much becomes a blur, especially when it comes time to identify the origin of a concept I read about, somewhere. The Zeitgeist documentaries were pretty compelling. I do wish the narrator had a more objective tone of voice; he oozes far too much disdain for stone age belief systems.

      That those systems are still around, even in a people using cell phones and logging onto the internet, is trouble, but I've seen so many reject stone age beliefs, only to turn to a (very deadly) worship of government, that, frankly, I can't rule out humanity being better off with stone age beliefs, at least until we can find a better opium for the masses.

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    6. Hmm, wonder if they'll get around to nailing me that way, too? Guess I'd best keep my columns on a backup...though I'm pleased to see that a number of places repost my articles in their entirety.

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    7. R,
      Sorry, just seeing this. I was fine for years, but they gave me trending. I was blowing away #1 spots on multiple trending hashtags, categories. Very hard hitting stuff on Israel, Gaza, Ukraine, Russia - Stuff they couldn't have seen on a significant scale. What Part Of: ‘Kill the Best Gentiles’ Don’t You Understand? http://edwardmd.wordpress.com/2014/08/09/what-part-of-kill-the-best-gentiles-dont-you-understand/ Suspect you should be ok. Best.

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  2. It takes at least two pennies now for your thoughts these days.

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    1. More like 3 and a half pennies, right? Actually, better make that 4, since "half" is considered specialized knowledge.

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    2. How exactly would you give someone half a penny anyway? There is no coin smaller than a penny.

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    3. The US half cent - http://www.coinstudy.com/image-files/half-cent-values-top.gif But, what you need to be 'considerate of' is the hundred, trillion dollar bill. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/Zimbabwe_$100_trillion_2009_Obverse.jpg

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  3. I guess all the ones on e-bay are fake...

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  4. Even the real ones are expensive here in Canada. The penny was discontinued 1 or 2 years ago because it cost the mint more to make them than the coin was actually worth. Prices now are rounded off to the nearest $0.05.

    Then again, our bills are now made from plastic.

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    Replies
    1. Getting rid of the penny is being considered here, because of that same issue--they cost more than a penny to make.

      Funny thing, you're not allowed to buy the coins to resell them for their metal content. I see the government's point, but I think it's a dangerous precedent, "we can make the law so that you don't even own your money to do with as you please."

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    2. But some people are melting them down.

      I also see the government's point: the penny is a symbol of money that is costing the government to produce.

      The penny should have been discontinued years back -- it's just a nuisance.

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    3. Remember that line in the film, "Saturday Night Fever" : "Four dollars doesn't even buy you three dollars today."

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    4. My favorite is from Pulp Fiction. John Travolta goes to a very high end theme restaurant, and complains about the prices, "a $5 milkshake?!" he says in disbelief.

      Now most sit-down restaurants charge that much, and only a few of the cheaper places sell one for close to $3.

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