Nickel and dimed
Something is wrong with America when it costs the U.S. government one dime to make a nickel.
Fortunately, legislation has been introduced in Congress in recent days that would allow the Treasury Department to change the composition of U.S. coins to less expensive materials. Treasury estimates it can save more than $100 million annually by changing the ingredients of pennies and nickels, and another $400 million per year by tinkering with the dime, quarter and half dollar.
As Democratic Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez of Illinois explains it, pennies are made mostly of zinc and have a copper-plated surface. Nickels are made up of an alloy of 75 percent copper and 25 percent nickel. Since 2003, world demand for core metals has driven up the price of copper and nickel by 300 percent and of zinc by 450 percent.
“At the current specifications for these coins, it costs the government 1.7 cents to make a penny, and 10 cents to make a nickel,” he notes.
Old as Hillary
NBC’s “Meet the Press,” the nation’s longest-running television show, now moderated by Tim Russert, is gearing up for its big 60th anniversary gala, having made its television debut on Nov. 6, 1947 — 11 days after New York senator and 2008 presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton was born.
The show over the years has been the highest rated of Sunday’s news programs, and that continues to be the case. Nielsen Media Research reported last week that “Meet the Press” topped the ratings “in all categories” for the period ending Sunday, July 29. (Fun fact: “Meet the Press” was actually started on D.C. radio station WRC-AM in 1945.)
More than one
No, that’s not the House of Representatives that Arizona Democratic Rep. Harry E. Mitchell is referring to when commemorating the anniversary of the House of Tricks. It’s actually a landmark restaurant in the congressman’s hometown of Tempe owned by Bob and Robin Trick.
Healthy debate
Democrats have apparently realized both the visibility and effect of the U.S. Senate’s first-ever committee blog, started by the incoming Republican minority last December.
Created by the ranking staff of the Environment & Public Works Committee (EPW), the blog has made so many waves since its inception, particularly on the subject of “global warming,” that it has become a basis for debate everywhere from CNN to the pages of the Wall Street Journal.
“Now, the EPW Committee makes history again, this time for being the first Senate committee to feature dueling Republican and Democrat blogs,” says Marc Morano, communications director for the committee’s ranking Republican member, Sen. James M. Inhofe of Oklahoma.
For her blogging debut, the Democratic committee chairwoman, Sen. Barbara Boxer of California, writes about Greenland’s melting ice. Or is it getting thicker? You’ll now discover arguments on both sides in the committee Web site at https://epw.senate.gov/ public/.
“For the past seven months, we … have eagerly awaited our friends on the other side of the aisle joining us in the blogosphere,” says Mr. Morano, adding: “We knew they wouldn’t let us have the blogosphere all to ourselves for too long.”
Mover and baker
Congress last week saluted one of its own — William “David” Crudup III — who has just retired after 36 years in the House of Representatives.
It was Mr. Crudup, you see, who was responsible for the delivery and removal of office equipment for the myriad congressional offices — no easy task considering the high turnover rate of 435 congressmen, who come and go like migrating magpies.
“He frequently went above and beyond the call of duty,” agreed Rep. Robert A. Brady, Pennsylvania Democrat.
Still, there was more to Mr. Crudup than met the eye.
“David began working for the House in 1971 in the Longworth Bake Shop, where he served many of our nation’s leaders and foreign visitors,” Mr. Brady added. “One of his most memorable events was when he had the opportunity to bake a birthday cake for then-first lady Betty Ford.”
John McCaslin can be reached at 202/636-3284 or jmccaslin @washington times.com.
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