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This is now what passes for fiscal debate
In one of the stranger twists from the half-fixed "fiscal cliff" fiasco, there is now a serious discussion online regarding a novel solution for America's continuing debt ceiling woes.
In short, it involves minting a $1-trillion platinum coin and having Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner deposit it at the Federal Reserve, instantly giving the Fed what it needs to avoid another debt ceiling crisis.
Strangely, it is within Mr. Geithner's power to do such a thing, thanks to an obscure statute giving the secretary of the Treasury the authority to issue platinum coins in any denomination.
The idea has a growing following amongst financial journalists and bloggers, including Cullen Roche, Paul Krugman, Matthew Yglesias, the Economist and Joe Firestone, who provides an in-depth accounting of the history of the idea.
Technically, the idea is feasible, and some pundits are arguing that it offers both political parties a face-saving way out of the debt ceiling battle. However, the consensus is that it sounds too good (or too crazy) to be true.
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