{"id":61724,"date":"2020-07-04T02:15:18","date_gmt":"2020-07-04T09:15:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/?p=61724"},"modified":"2023-05-12T10:38:29","modified_gmt":"2023-05-12T17:38:29","slug":"black-coffee-4-july-2020","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lenpenzo.com\/blog\/id61724-black-coffee-4-july-2020.html","title":{"rendered":"Black Coffee: Cooking the Books"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"It’s time to sit back, relax and enjoy a little joe …<\/em><\/p>\n

Welcome to another rousing edition of Black Coffee, your off-beat weekly round-up of what’s been going on in the world of money and personal finance.<\/p>\n

I hope everybody has a safe and enjoyable Independence Day weekend celebration here in the United States of America!<\/p>\n

Now on to this week’s financial commentary …<\/p>\n

Anyone who believes exponential growth can go on forever in a finite world is either a madman or an economist.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

— Kenneth E. Boulding<\/strong><\/p>\n

It’s really amazing that in the age of unbelief, there isn’t even more fraud. After all, with no God, there’s no one to ever call you to account — and no accounting at all if you can get away with it.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

— Ben Stein<\/strong><\/p>\n

Credits and Debits<\/strong><\/p>\n

Debit:<\/strong><\/span> Did you see this? There is now an official coin shortage in the US<\/a>. No, really. Apparently, the Fed has been rationing coins as their circulation tailed off during the pandemic. For now, the biggest impact is in the Midwest, where Meijer supermarket’s self-scan checkout machines now only accept credit and debit cards, EBT cards, and gift cards. Just when you thought 2020 couldn’t get any stranger.<\/p>\n

Debit:<\/strong><\/span> Of course, more than a few people are saying that this “coin shortage” is actually an opening gambit<\/a> toward the eventual ban of all<\/em><\/strong> cash transactions. Maybe. But even if it’s not, the twisted logic of a company refusing to accept even exact change in the middle of a coin shortage is, well … to be kind, let’s just say “unexpected.” Although, to be honest, I’m not sure if it’s actually as unexpected as this<\/strong><\/em>:<\/p>\n