Story Archive

Penny for Your Thoughts?

Ron Seys was so put out about having to pay a 16-year-old traffic ticket after the State of Iowa finally said he had to pay or not get his driver’s license renewed, that he tried to pay his $59.40 fine in pennies. “Did I do this on purpose?” he asked. “Yes, I did, to make a point.” He went to the clerk’s counter at the Scott County Courthouse and spilled the coins on the counter and floor. A clerk pointed to a sign that said they don’t accept payments made in more than $3 in pennies. Sheriff’s deputies warned him about “harassing the clerk,” so Seys paid his fine with paper money and stormed out. “Since when is it wrong to use legal tender?” he grumped. (RC/Quad-City Times) ...Ever since obliviots started using pennies “to make a point.”