3 Responses to The Penny Debate Continues - Why Keep It?



  1. Koichi Ito says:

    Abolish the penny and make nickel out of aluminum! No one use penny to buy things out of vending machine. Make 5 cent nickel out of aluminum that is cheaper than nickel-copper alloy! And make dime, quarter, and half dollar out of nickel-plated steel.

  2. Ethan says:

    It seems to me that everyone’s missing a few important details. Pennies are used, every day. If they weren’t, you would never see one, just as I’ve never received a dollar coin from anybody. Interestingly enough, not only do I get pennies every day, I also find that they spend just as well as other coins, and often save time and trouble by allowing me to make exact change for a purchase. Sure, you could eliminate the penny and force everyone to round all prices up (they will of course never be rounded down) but then we as a nation stand for freedom, including the freedom to set your own price, which today can be set at any amount, in a very logical fashion– the standard decimal system, which does not stop at 0.05.

    Another thing which is not being considered is the longevity of a penny. Once placed in circulation, a penny will normally be useful for decades. I occasionally receive wheat pennies which were minted in the 40s and 50s and have been circulating all this time. Sure, a penny may cost 1.7 cents today, but after decades of use, we’ve surely gotten our money’s worth out of that coin. Consider the poor lifespan of paper money which must be replaced every 2 years or so on average, and I dare say coins, even the lowly penny, are a good deal for the taxpayers.

  3. Cody Frommelt says:

    I feel that it is time to abolish the penny. It is holding back our country’s monetary system. For those of you worried about rounding of prices being unfavourable to the consumer, jusst write the government requesting if it does happen round prices down. I try to use coins as often as possible, but I try to avoid pennies as often as possible. This is also the more of a hassle due to the quarter being the largest coin. I would like to see a new 5,10,20,50 cent and nickel sized one dollar coins being smaller and of a cheaper alloy. I also am for wider circulation of the two dollar bill.

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