BTW, we ARE in deep doodoo when America has to suffer anymore of your teabagging. But hey just keep drinking that tea, TEABAGGER. Keep drinking that tea. Now STFU and go back to watching your Glen Beck.

Now, if the new $1 coins were REAL money (you know, or maybe you don’t, with intrinsic value: silver, gold), then we might consider it. Otherwise, it’s just the same old monopoly money based on promises from those don’t keep promises.

BTW, we ARE in deep doodoo, and that’s without the $1 coinage issue. Mmm, mmm, mmm.

Heck, I supported Goldwater and when I was old enough to vote, voted for Reagan, but I find $1 coins preferable to $1 bills. If the fact that over a billion people use their equivalent of $1 coins every day without civilization coming to an end is somehow a threat to “the American way of life” (whatever that is these days) we’re in deep doodoo.

Cut $1 bill production by a billion units annually for 4 years till it’s zero, replacing them with $2 bills at 1 – 2 billion units annually.

Yes, require their use at Post Offices, National parks, etc.

Yes, continue the free shipping of $250 boxes of dollar coins to small business, but figure out a way to discourage the individual scammers who are artificially pumping up their frequent flier miles with their credit card purchases and dumping the coins back at local banks.

Oh, and a portion of the mint’s marketing budget should be directed towards manufacturing and distributing for free change drawers that accommodate dollar coins. And blowing their horn in the media that they are doing that.

/* “If the $2 bill were more widely used, we wouldn’t need to carry around so many ones. So part of the reason for the failure of the dollar coin is the failure of the $2 bill.” */

The two are intertwined. By continuing to print oceans of $1 bills (about 45% of all notes, per the BEP) and not requiring banks to maintain adequate supplies of $1 coins and $2 bills the government is simply perpetuating the inefficiencies. If nothing else all post offices, national parks, and other federal agencies that have direct public sales could be required to give change in the form of $2 bills and $1 coins. E.g. $4 in change would be given as two 2s, $3 would be a bill and a coin, etc.

Coins are easier for the blind to distinguish.

Coins work better in vending machines.

If the $2 bill were more widely used, we wouldn’t need to carry around so many ones. So part of the reason for the failure of the dollar coin is the failure of the $2 bill.