Posted on 02/11/2007 3:01:28 AM PST by BenLurkin
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Two recent efforts to promote wide usage of a dollar coin proved unsuccessful. But maybe Susan B. Anthony and Sacagawea should not take public rejection personally. It's not easy overcoming people's indifference to dollar coins, even those honoring such historic figures.
An AP-Ipsos poll found that three-fourths of people surveyed oppose replacing the dollar bill, featuring George Washington, with a dollar coin. People are split evenly on the idea of having both a dollar bill and a dollar coin.
A new version of the coin, paying tribute to American presidents, goes into general circulation Thursday. 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.
"I really don't see any use for it," Larry Ashbaugh, a retiree from Bristolville, Ohio, said of the dollar coin. "We tried it before. It didn't fly."
A quarter-century ago, the dollar coin showed feminist Susan B. Anthony on the front; then one in 2000 featuring Sacagawea, the Shoshone Indian who helped guide the Lewis and Clark expedition.
The latest dollar coin will bear Washington's image, followed later this year by those of John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. A different president will appear on the golden dollar coins every three months.
People have strong feelings about their money, even the penny, which occasionally is threatened with elimination.
When people were asked whether the penny should be eliminated, 71 percent said no, according to the poll of 1,000 adults conducted Nov. 28-30 that had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
Some fear that getting rid of the penny will cause product prices to be rounded up, perhaps increasing inflation.
Yeah, I wonder if it ever occurred to them that featuring FEMINISTS on the dollar coins was a sucky idea. Idiots.
why not?...we'll just call it the new quarter...as they phase out the penny and the nickel.
I hate the dollar coins. They're heavy and a pain to carry around. I'll stick with dollar bills, thank you.
My, what a shocker.
" I hate the dollar coins. They're heavy and a pain to carry around. I'll stick with dollar bills, thank you. "
I thought we were supposed to be a "cashless society" by now..
You know -- everything done by computer so that all of the Big Brothers, governmental and corporate, could know everything about everything we think, say, and do.....
Sounds like something we need to do, but there sure as hell better not be a Clinton coin. Or a Bush coin for that matter. Is there going to be a Nixon coin?
Why not honor our fallen soldiers with a coin instead of continuing the ridiculous trend of honoring professional politicians?
I would prefer a return to Lady Liberty rather than honoring political hacks in this way.
Well gee, when you make them nearly indistiguishable from the quarter, then slap the image of somebody nobody had ever heard of and who is not important enough to even qualfy to be on currency, what do you expect?
And to be honest, I don't even remember the new "Indian Head Dollar!" Was that thing like a quarter too?
"Why not honor our fallen soldiers with a coin..."
Fantastic idea. Truly.
Yup, I would be totally bummed out if that KFC Snacker sandwich went from costing 99 cents to costing a full dollar. The inflation associated with getting rid of the penny would undoubtedly destroy this country, LOL!
Apparently, most Americans are worried about prices being rounded up a few cents, but they aren't worried about the money we continue to waste on producing a penny that is clearly no longer necessary.
More govt waste.
What moron is responsible for this crap?
It has been tried and rejected how many times?
Still some gubmnt toad tries toshove this down our wallet?
Quit spending my money on junk.
I think it's a great idea - I've always liked the dollar coins, I just hope they know when to stop with the Presidents.
Maybe they should just make it a Ronald Reagan Dollar coin - THAT would drive the lefties nuts.....
Almost as bad as dead politicians.
Let's go back to Liberty.
According to the article, we spend hundreds of millions of dollars more than we need to each year because we keep on having to print more dollar bills to replace the ones that become ragged after just a few months or few years of use.
What does it say about our government when it's taken them decades to address this problem, and they still fail to give us a dollar coin that we'll accept? I've been to Canada and used their 1-dollar AND 2-dollar coins. It was just fine. No problems. So what's the deal here? Perhaps the government should just stop printing more 1-dollar bills. Duh!
That standing Liberty is in great condition!
Beautiful.
Color it black like oil. That is the international trade standard after all.
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