Ben Nelson Floats Paying for Afghanistan War with War Bonds

By GottaLaff

Buy bonds! With money you don't have! Even though it's for a war that has waning support! At best!

Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb.) today suggested the idea of selling war bonds to pay for sending troops to Afghanistan, reports CBS News Capitol Hill Producer John Nolen.

"Some people jumped right out and said you need a war tax, and I said wow, we didn't have a war tax in the Second World War," Nelson said. "The fact that we had bonds, war bonds, and people invested in their country in that fashion made a lot of sense back then. I don't know why it might not make sense today, certainly in lieu of jumping to tax."

Because World War II was "the good war" and the Afghan War is the sucky one? But his heart was in the right place, right?

2 Japanese Carrying $134 Billion In U.S. Bonds Detained In Italy

By GottaLaff

Billion, with a B:

Update: June 17th: Suitcase With $134 Billion Puts Dollar on Edge: Bloomberg

Update June 16th: We’ve updated this story $134 Billion U.S. Bond Mystery Continues In Italy

Update: Italy’s financial police said they asked the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to authenticate $134 billion worth of undeclared U.S. government bonds found in the false bottom of a suitcase carried by two Japanese travelers attempting to cross into Switzerland. A determination is expected within a few days.

Original Post

According to Japan Today, two Japanese nationals were detained by Italian financial police last week after trying to enter Switzerland with $134 billion worth of undeclared U.S. bonds, mostly Treasury bonds, an Italian daily said Wednesday. [...]

According to the report in il Giornale, two unidentified Japanese in their 50s concealed the bonds, including 249 U.S. Treasury bonds each worth $500 million, in a suitcase with a false bottom that was searched by the Italian authorities June 3 when they were in Chiasso, at the border with Switzerland, about 50 kilometers north of Milan. [...]

The treasure was in the hands of two Japanese from Italy were trying to enter Switzerland. In a suitcase were 249 bonds of the ‘Federal Reserve‘ American in the nominal value of 500 million each, and 10 ‘ bond Kennedy ‘ of the nominal value of $ 1 billion each, in addition to what is described as very original banking documentation. [...]

Source – Japan Today

Guardia di Finanza – (Italian)

H/t: Fernando