Penny for Your Thoughts

History 1 Minute

Ten interesting facts about pennies in honor of Abe Lincoln’s birthday!

The average penny lasts 30 years!

Pennies were the very first coins minted in the United States. In March 1793, the mint distributed 11,178 copper cents. (The amount of copper and zinc in the penny has changed significantly through the years.)

There have been 11 different designs featured on the U.S. penny.

The Lincoln penny was first minted and circulated in 1909, the 100th anniversary of Abe Lincoln’s birth.

Lincoln faces to the right, while all other portraits on coins face to the left. This was not done on purpose — it was simply the choice of the coin’s designer.

The penny was the first U.S. coin to have the motto “IN GOD WE TRUST”.

Lincoln pennies made from 1909 to 1958 were designed by Victor D. Brenner. His initials V.D.B. were on a limited quantity of the 1909 pennies making it one of the most sought after pennies for collecting.

Each year, the U.S. Mint produces more than 7 billion pennies. That’s approximately 19 million pennies per day! 

Over two-thirds of all coins produced by the U.S. Mint are pennies. In fact, the penny is the most widely used denomination currently in circulation and it remains profitable to make. Each penny costs .81 of a cent to make, but the Mint collects one cent for it. The profit goes to help fund the operation of the Mint and to help pay the public debt.

SOURCE: THEFUNTIMESGUIDE.COM

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Published by pat frederick

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120 thoughts on “Penny for Your Thoughts”

  1. Libs of TikTok
    @libsoftiktok
    BIG SCANDAL UNFOLDING in Penfield Central School District in New York:

    A kindergartner reportedly came home with a book about attending an LGBTQ pride parade which included pictures of naked people and men in bondage fetish gear.

    Parents showed up to demand an explanation and the board WALKED OUT.

    Why is the board IGNORING parents’ concerns over their children being exposed to pornographic material at school??

    Liked by 1 person

  3. “My Statement to Congress: Opening remarks on John Kerry, European speech law, and USAID before the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, February 12th, 2025”

    Matt Taibbi, Feb 12, 2025

    “Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

    Two years ago, when Michael and I first testified before your Weaponization of Government Subcommittee, Democratic members called us “so-called journalists,” suggested we were bought-off “scribes,” and questioned our ethics and loyalties. When we tried to answer, we were told to shut up, take off our tinfoil hats, and remember two things: one, there is no digital censorship, two, if there is digital censorship, it’s for our own good.

    I was shocked. I thought the whole thing had to be a mistake. No way the party I gave votes to all my life was now pro-censorship. Then last year I listened to John Kerry, whom I voted for, talk to the World Economic Forum. Speaking about disinformation, he said “our First Amendment stands as a major block” to our ability to “hammer it out of existence.”

    He complained that “it’s really hard to govern” because “people self-select where they go for their news,” which makes it “much harder to build consensus…”

    I defended Kerry when people said he “looks French,” but Marie Antoinette would have been embarrassed by this speech. He was essentially complaining that the peasants are “self-selecting” their own media. What’s next, letting them make up up their own minds?

    “Building consensus” may be a politician’s job, but it’s not mine as a citizen or as a journalist. In fact, making it hard to govern is exactly the media’s job. The failure to understand this is why we have a censorship problem.

    This is an Alamo moment for the First Amendment. Most of America’s closest allies have already adopted draconian speech laws. We’re surrounded. The EU’s new Digital Services Act is the most comprehensive censorship law ever instituted in a democratic society.

    Ranking member Raskin, you don’t have to as far as Russiaor China to find people jailed for speech. Our allies in England now have an Online Safety Act which empowers the government to jail people for nebulous offenses like “false communication” or causing “psychological harm.” Germany, France, Australia, Canada, and other nations have implemented similar ideas.

    These laws are totally incompatible with our system. Our own citizens have been arrested in some of these countries, but our government hasn’t stood up for them. Why? Because many of our bureaucrats believe in these laws.

    Take USAID. Many Americans are in an uproar now because they learned about over $400 million going to an organization called Internews, whose chief Jeanne Bourgault boasted to Congress about training “hundreds of thousands of people” in journalism. Her views are almost identical to Kerry’s.

    She gave a talk about “building trust and combatting misinformation” in India during the pandemic. She said that after months of a “really beautifully unified Covid-19 message,” vaccine enthusiasm rose to 87%, but when “mixed information on vaccine efficacy” got out, hesitancy ensued.

    We’re paying this person to train journalists, and she doesn’t know the press doesn’t exist to promote “unity” or political goals like vaccine enthusiasm. That’s propaganda, not journalism. Bourgault also once said that to fight “bad content,” we need to “work really hard on exclusion lists or inclusion lists” and “really try to focus our ad dollars” toward “the good news.”

    Again, you don’t know the fastest way to erode “trust” in media is by having government sponsor “exclusion lists,” you shouldn’t be getting a dollar in taxpayer money, let alone $476 million. And USAID is just a tiny piece of a censorship machine Michael and I saw across a long list of agencies. Collectively they’ve bought up every part of the news production line: sources, think-tanks, research, “fact-checking,” “anti-disinformation,” commercial media scoring, and when all else fails, censorship.

    It’s a giant closed messaging loop, whose purpose is to transform the free press into a consensus machine. There’s no way to remove the rot surgically. The whole mechanism has to go.

    Is there “right-wing misinformation”? Hell yes. It exists in every direction. But I grew up a Democrat and don’t remember being afraid of it. At the time, we didn’t need censorship because we figured we had the better argument.

    Obviously, some of you lack that same confidence. You took billions from taxpayers and blew it on programs whose entire purpose was to tell them they’re wrong about things they can see with their own eyes.

    You sold us out, and until these “rather tiresome” questions are answered, this problem is not fixed. Thank you.”

    Liked by 1 person

  4. Entire Article @ RedState: “Another American is headed home, part of the release of three prisoners. This latest is coming from Russian ally Belarus, where the American citizen has been imprisoned. The captive’s identity, by their request, has not been released.

    An American is one of three hostages released from Belarus, the White House has announced.

    The identity of the hostage has not been released as the person wished to remain private, U.S. Envoy for Hostages Adam Boehler said.

    “He’s made bringing hostages home a top priority and people respect that,” Boehler said of President Donald Trump.

    Boehler did not reveal the nationalities of the other released detainees but said that one of them was a journalist. 

    The timing here is interesting, coming as it does on the same day as President Trump’s prolonged telephone conversation with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. While Belarus is an independent country, it is allied with Russia and, to employ an old Cold War term, falls within Russia’s “sphere of influence.” If Tsar Vladimir I called up Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko and said “Jump,” it’s a near-certainty that Lukashenko would ask, “How high?”

    We have no way of knowing if this is true, of course. But the timing is curious.

    This is the second American prisoner to be released from Belarus since President Trump’s inauguration.

    Last month, American Anastassia Nuhfer was released from a Belarus prison. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday announced the release and said that she had been “taken” under the Biden administration.

    It wasn’t clear why she was detained, but a former high-ranking Belarusian diplomat indicated that her detention was connected to the 2020 protests in Belarus. The exact nature of her involvement remains unclear.

    Fox News understands today’s release was the second part of a two-part deal, with Nuhfer’s release being the first part.

    Bringing Americans home is always a good thing, and we must note, something the previous administration didn’t seem to put a high priority on.

    We should note that Belarus, in addition to being a key Russian ally, mimics Russia in another respect: The country’s president, Alexander Lukashenko, has managed to keep his hands on the levers of power in Belarus for three decades, thanks in no small part to highly suspect elections. The small Russian satellite lies in what must be a tense position, neatly sandwiched between Russia and NATO; this would seem to make playing both sides against the middle a key ability for anyone at the wheel in Belarus. That would indicate that President Lukashenko may well be corrupt – but he’s not stupid.

    Meanwhile, another American is headed home.”

    Liked by 1 person

  12. details on new EO from President Trump

    Tom Renz

    @RenzTom

    7h• 12 tweets • 7 min read •

    Read on X

    🧵🧵BREAKING: Trump signs new Executive Order defining DOGE & fighting back against lawfare and judicial overreach!

    The new EO focuses on defining DOGE more concisely but underlying that appears to be a clear message to the courts – DOGE is legal and here is how it works. @realDonaldTrump @elonmusk @DOGE @RealAlexJones @VigilantFox

    A number of the lawsuits challenging DOGE initiatives lob unsupported allegations about what DOGE might do based on what seems to be simple rhetoric on X or elsewhere. The purpose of this EO is really to better define and provide clarity regarding DOGE’s role and authority. This should provide ammo for the attorneys defending against the lawsuits the swamp is filing.

    The core of the order is related to DOGE’s role in reducing the federal workforce. Remember – DOGE looks at the existing or potential software to improve efficiency so it makes sense that they would use that knowledge coupled with feasible software development solutions to provide input on the necessity of personnel.

    Right off the bat Trump asks for a plan to reduce the size of government and initiates a hiring to firing ratio directive. The request for a plan requires that the OMB Director figure out how to reduce the size of the federal workforce through “efficiency improvements and attrition.”

    The plan must include a requirement that an agency can only hire one new employee for every 4 that are terminated or depart.

    This order will essentially modify the hiring freeze. The BEST part of this order is that the hiring ratio and freeze do not apply to public safety or immigration enforcement but a total freeze remains on the IRS.

    The next part of the EO defines how DOGE plays a role in hiring. Remember that DOGE is fundamentally about using data and innovation to drive efficiency. To that extent, Agency heads are being asked to develop a “data-driven plan” with their internal DOGE teams regarding hires.

    DOGE teams include (at minimum) a lead, an HR person, an engineer, and an attorney. The EO requires hiring be done in accordance with the law which will limit these nonsensical political lawsuits. This will also be easier to do because of the structure of the DOGE teams.

    DOGE is also given limited “veto power” over hires. If the hire is not aligned with the law or otherwise appears wasteful then the team lead can say no. The agency head can override the team lead – which is required under the law – but will likely have to be able to explain his or her self if that happens frequently.

    DOGE teams will then provide monthly hiring reports to USDS so the President and Elon can keep an eye on the project.

    The EO also tells agency heads to prep for major lay-offs or terminations. These are called “reductions in force” or RIFs. The President wants to eliminate unnecessary employees not required by law. This means that anyone whose job is not required by statute or not in public safety/security or immigration enforcement is probably on the chopping block.

    The President specifically points out DEI hires as being unnecessary and is clearly planning to terminate those personnel. He also is terminating anyone working on projects not required by law that run in opposition to his policies. This is well within his authority under the law and makes complete sense – why would he allow people to work on projects that are not required and he doesn’t like?

    Trump also tipped his hand as to part of the legal strategy here. By noting that he is looking at employees that are typically not designated as essential during appropriations lapses he is signaling that he will use that non-essential designation as a legal justification for being able to terminate some positions.

    Part (d) is 100% a legal maneuver. The President cites CFR 731.202(b) which is titled “Criteria for making suitability determinations.” This regulation is about ensuring federal hires are “suitable” for employment under the law. Anyone not meeting these standards is generally considered “unsuitable” for hire. Trump orders the OPM to initiate a rulemaking that will revise the CFR to include certain other criteria that would allow for termination of potentially undesirable federal employees. Trump is requesting 4 additions to the current rule:

    1. Federal employees should be paying taxes just like the rest of us;
    2. Federal employees should be legal citizens;
    3. Feds must certify that they are complying with the law as it pertains to personnel practices… this basically means that you can no longer break the rules of employment and keep your job because you are buddies with the supervisor or you and the supervisor may get fired.
    4. You can no longer steal, misuse, or “lose” government resources without risking termination.

    These are very basic and common sense additions the will be a tremendous shock to these unaccountable bureaucrats.

    Part (e) might appear to be boilerplate but it is important for legal reasons. Trump wants to clean house but the absurd amount of law that governs our nation is more than any one person can grasp. As such, Trump asks for reports on the relevant law so he can make sure he is precisely following the law when implementing these massive RIFs.

    In Part(f) Trump makes people accountable for this order. The head of DOGE (USDS) is required to submit a report to the President within 240 days of the order so he can see how it is going and decide what to do next.

    Section 4 provides exclusions for the military and allows for other specific exemptions to ensure we keep our country safe. It also allows for common sense exemptions from the OPM. This section both protects our nation and injects common sense humanity into the order to ensure it is successful.

    The last part of the order is legal boilerplate. By defining DOGE better Trump is providing legal cover for the attorneys that have to defend against the lawfare against DOGE. I think this EO was another brilliant maneuver and will help clarify what DOGE is doing to the public. It should allow attorneys defending the President’s actions to do their jobs and clarifies that DOGE is about producing results.

    Liked by 1 person

  13. H/T M

    johnny maga
    @_johnnymaga

    US Attorney General Pam Bondi has filed CHARGES against Kathy Hochul, Letitia James and New York for putting illegal aliens over American Citizens

    OMG…

    Liked by 1 person

  16. Just The News: “United States Attorney General Pam Bondi on Wednesday announced that the Justice Department was suing New York and several of its leaders over its status as a “sanctuary state,” which limits its cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

    New York is the second state to be sued over its immigration enforcement policies. The Justice Department sued Illinois and Chicago last week for allegedly having interfered with federal immigration laws.

    The announcement occurred during Bondi’s first official press briefing as attorney general, which took place one week after she was sworn in.  

    “This is a new DOJ,” Bondi announced in the press briefing. “New York has chosen to prioritize illegal aliens over American citizens. It stops. It stops today. As you know, we sued Illinois. New York didn’t listen. So now, you’re next.”

    The lawsuit also named Gov. Kathy Hochul, New York Attorney General Letitia James and DMV chief Mark Schroeder as defendants, per the New York Post.”

    Liked by 1 person

  19. I am adding a short daily prayer to the board. I would invite each of you, if you wish, to also add one or maybe two of your own liking. I do not want to stifle anyone but please limit yourself to one or two religious postings. here’s one I found that I liked.

    Like

    2. Good night, Pat! We made it up to 20 today and I was able to get my front porch cleared of snow with my broom. We did get a little more snow but nothing measurable that I could tell.

      Liked by 1 person

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