Comments on: Tear Down This Mint, Mr President http://www.whytheheck.com/2009/01/22/we-are-one-signature-away-from-the-end-of-the-tyranny-of-the-penny/ Sun, 20 May 2012 12:35:22 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: kara http://www.whytheheck.com/2009/01/22/we-are-one-signature-away-from-the-end-of-the-tyranny-of-the-penny/comment-page-1/#comment-269 kara Tue, 27 Jan 2009 21:01:22 +0000 http://www.thinkoob.com/?p=330#comment-269 Wow!! I went to undergrad at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio. Sandusky Street, the main thoroughfare, runs right through the middle of campus, separating the academic buildings from the library and residence halls. Students, including me, routinely ignored the “don’t walk” signs in a rush to get to class. The “townie” police took great delight in tracking us down – evening running and following students into class – to give us jaywalking tickets, most of which were less than $5. I finally had it. I got a ticket and went and collected pennies from myself and all my friends to $4.99. I went to the court and paid the fine with a pile of pennies which then had to be counted. Of course, it was short, to which I said “no, I’m sure I had it right” and required re-counting. After this charade went on 2x (of course, the university press was there – I was actually on the student government and ran for President), I finally made a show of trying to scrounge up the last penny. After this, everyone else did the same. The hassle factor was so high, the University president intervened and the townie police eventually gave up, hopefully focusing on the real crimes like murder and mayhem. Wow!! I went to undergrad at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio. Sandusky Street, the main thoroughfare, runs right through the middle of campus, separating the academic buildings from the library and residence halls. Students, including me, routinely ignored the “don’t walk” signs in a rush to get to class. The “townie” police took great delight in tracking us down – evening running and following students into class – to give us jaywalking tickets, most of which were less than $5. I finally had it. I got a ticket and went and collected pennies from myself and all my friends to $4.99. I went to the court and paid the fine with a pile of pennies which then had to be counted. Of course, it was short, to which I said “no, I’m sure I had it right” and required re-counting. After this charade went on 2x (of course, the university press was there – I was actually on the student government and ran for President), I finally made a show of trying to scrounge up the last penny. After this, everyone else did the same. The hassle factor was so high, the University president intervened and the townie police eventually gave up, hopefully focusing on the real crimes like murder and mayhem.

]]> By: historybuff http://www.whytheheck.com/2009/01/22/we-are-one-signature-away-from-the-end-of-the-tyranny-of-the-penny/comment-page-1/#comment-253 historybuff Sun, 25 Jan 2009 14:14:56 +0000 http://www.thinkoob.com/?p=330#comment-253 Tear down this mint, Mr. Obama? I get it. There should be a million-dollar prize for getting all the historical references Tear down this mint, Mr. Obama? I get it. There should be a million-dollar prize for getting all the historical references

]]> By: alewis http://www.whytheheck.com/2009/01/22/we-are-one-signature-away-from-the-end-of-the-tyranny-of-the-penny/comment-page-1/#comment-242 alewis Fri, 23 Jan 2009 12:49:57 +0000 http://www.thinkoob.com/?p=330#comment-242 If Emerson were alive and kicking today in Concord and could watch his fellow citizens stand up to tyranny the way they stood up to the Redcoats, he would write: To the rude lobbyists who corrupted good Congressmen to support their zinc Here the embattled merchants stood and said, "We think your pennies stink." If Emerson were alive and kicking today in Concord and could watch his fellow citizens stand up to tyranny the way they stood up to the Redcoats, he would write:

To the rude lobbyists who corrupted good
Congressmen to support their zinc
Here the embattled merchants stood
and said, “We think your pennies stink.”

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