Washington Post's libertarian vending machine protests Dodd-Frank

Here’s a sign that you’re buying that bottle of Diet Coke in Washington, D.C.. The vending machine at the Washington Post has a sticker warning that a $0.25 “swipe fee” will be charged on top of the price of the item, with a “fine print” addendum: “as a result of Dodd-Frank financial reform legislation.”

@Goldfarb Seems unethical for a newsroom vending machine to be participating in such acts of protest..

— Danielle Ivory (@danielle_ivory) September 23, 2013

Ethics have no place at the Washington Post! Suppose, though, that all fee and tax disclaimers included the name of the legislation (and legislator) that made them possible. Imagine how big the sticker would be on your everyday gas pump. That could be a fantastic educational tool, really.

https://twitter.com/dylanmatt/status/382239833806360576

Another sign the vending machine is in Washington:

I should add, the credit card function on that vending machine didn't work–and almost never does.

— Zachary Goldfarb (@Goldfarb) September 23, 2013

@Goldfarb maybe that's part of its Dodd Frank protest – you've got yourself a libertarian soda machine.

— Jason Oxman (@joxman) September 23, 2013