"The tax exemption has real teeth for anyone actually using it."

Alaska state Rep. Kevin McCabe, R-Big Lake, making the case on the House floor last week for a bill establishing gold and silver as legal tender in the state — which passed the Legislature nearly unanimously and now awaits Gov. Mike Dunleavy's signature. The bill exempts gold and silver specie from sales taxes when used as currency, though it does not require any store or business to accept it. The lone no vote, Sen. Jesse Kiehl, D-Juneau, offered his own pointed summary: "We don't do this for Pokémon cards — they've gained value." (Anchorage Daily News)