Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Who, What, Why: Could the US get a $1tn platinum coin?

Campaigners want to prevent the US's rising debt from bringing government spending to a halt by minting the world's most expensive coin. Could this bizarre scheme become reality? 

 

 It sounds like the plot of some whimsical comedy - the 1954 Gregory Peck film The Million Dollar Note springs to mind - but a drive to create super-valuable loose change is being taken seriously in the corridors of Washington DC.

A petition urging the creation of platinum coin worth $1tn (£624bn) has attracted nearly 7,000 signatures and the support of some heavyweight economists.

Experts say the plan would be lawful and should allow the government to keep spending if President Barack Obama fails to convince lawmakers to raise the "debt ceiling" - a cap, set by Congress, on the US government's borrowing ability.

READ MORE:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20951417http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20951417

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