A Small Vent about the Dollar Bill
Various news agencies are reporting this morning that 3/4 of Americans are opposed to replacing the dollar bill with a dollar coin. This, in spite of the fact that:
"Even though doing away with the bill could save hundreds of millions of dollars each year in printing costs, there is no plan to scrap the bill in favor of the more durable coin."
HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS. HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS. If we just switched to using a coin instead of paper for our $1.00 piece.
The news points out that the last two attempts to switch to the dollar coin have been unsuccessful. But, it doesn't point out WHY. (Because, of course, they didn't bother to include ME in their poll. The news would be so far ahead if they would just ME first. :-P )
They have been unsuccessful because they were STUPID. I say that unapologetically, and frankly it boggles my mind that intelligent people could have come up with those plans because they were, hands down, STUPID.
Why were they stupid?
Because when the coins were issued, they were not significantly larger than the quarter so as to be apparently worth more money. Hand's down. That was the problem. The coins just need to be BIGGER. Not enormously bigger, but, for example, larger than a quarter in a such a way that a nickel is larger than a penny.
Yes, I know the vending machine lobby is probably behind the reason why the coins were issued so closely in size to the quarter - but, we are talking about saving American taxpayers HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS A YEAR. All simply by using a coin intead of a piece of paper. It's a brilliant idea. Let's embrace it. Let's just not do it stupidly.
The new coin is being released this week. I hope it's bigger than a quarter.
LM
posted by LawMommy at 12:22 PM
6 Comments:
Canada introduced it in 1987 and more recently a $2 dollar coin, the vending machines just had to adjust...
I loved the gold dollar. We use them for Tooth Fairy money and other special things. When I asked for more at the grocery store, they said they didn't have any. That was their mistake - they didn't distribute enough to make them common. And please, if they want to replace the dollar, just DO it - stop printing paper money and only make the coins. DUH.
I agreee, but it would also make a lot of sense to phase out the paper dollar. Until that takes place, the faded, crunchy paper dollar will not fade (in acuality) away.
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Loonies and toonies (our Canadian $1 and $2 coins) and pound coins are wonderful. I can't even imagine using bills (though you still get £1 notes in Scotland at times). And the best thing is that if you're like me and come home and throw your change in a jar at the end of the day, it adds up quite quickly.
You'll have to get used to heavy pockets though.
I LOVE coin dollars!
I wish I had more of them!
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