I like the idea, though I’d recommend the bald eagle instead of the Statue of Liberty – if only because the ol’ gal came to us from France, and some conservatives are still nursing a grudge(*) because they didn’t rubber-stamp our Iraq war. 
(* = they have tough nipples 
)
Then you’ll be relieved (as I was) to learn that the text of the bill provides for his image to go on dimes “issued after such date as the Secretary determines to be appropriate”, “appropriate” apparently meaning after President Reagan passes away.
Also according to this more complete article in the L.A. Daily News, the sponsors are amenable to switching off Messrs. Reagan and Roosevelt.
Heh. The then-largest tax cut in American history. Sounds like a pretty good reason to put a guy on a coin to me.
Can’t be a living person?
I vote for Sauron on the dime!
I agree.
Would that be the young thin Sauron, or the big fat eye one?
Bill O’Reilly’s replacement on the Factor tonight just read a letter from Nancy Reagan stating that while she can understand the sentiment behind efforts to put her husband on the dime, she doesn’t support the proposal, and doesn’t think her husband would either. I wonder if those who submitted this bill will show the respect for Mr. Reagan and his wife that they seem to profess and withdraw it.
That’s interesting Fiddle Peghead. Did she state why?
There is a specific reason for FDR being on the dime. Remember The March of Dimes?
As for JFK, he served his country with distinction in WWII. He also lost his life serving his country as president. Kinda big sacrifice, really.
What, exactly, did Reagan do?
If she did, I didn’t hear it. I was only half-listening to the show, and only zoned in at the end of the segment. A recap at the half-hour point stated what I wrote above and nothing more…
Well, the usual practice was often to have Liberty on one side and an eagle on the other. Not so much the Statue of Liberty–which is but one representation of Liberty personified–as various renderings of Liberty.
Screw all these homely dead white males. Many politicians are (or are popularly considered to be) good looking, yet most of our “dead president” coins are quite uninspiring. I suppose FDR was actually a rather handsome man, in a jaunty, aristocratic, cigarette-holder-sporting, doesn’t stand up much kind of way, but the Roosevelt dime bust just looks like some goofy, round-headed, weak-chinned guy. Let’s recapture the glory days of the Augustus Saint Gaudens $20 “double eagle”, the “Peace” silver dollar, the “Walking Liberty” half dollar, and the “Mercury” dime (which was actually Liberty again, wearing a funny hat). I don’t mean that I want to go back on a bullion standard or anything silly like that. And I don’t mean that we should just re-use the old designs (although we could do worse, and have for about the last forty or fifty years). But if we could get money as esthetically pleasing and inspiring as those, it would be a good thing, and better than squabbling over which dead (or soon-to-be dead) popularly over-idolized politician to honor. Not putting real people on our coins would also be more republican–with a small “r”, but we can fudge the capitalization for the G.O.P. The bust of the emperor or the king or the president smacks of monarchism–monarchs have been putting themselves on coins since coins were invented.
Having all new designs would be fun, too–look at how interesting the state quarters have been. And of course we need to re-design our paper money as well; they’re apparently set on doing that on a regular basis anyway. If we still want to honor Lincoln or Jefferson, both have handsome monuments in Washington (and Monticello in the case of Jefferson) which could still be featured on the obverse of some denomination or other.
Of course they’d probably screw it up if they actually tried this, but hell, it can’t be much worse than putting Ronald Reagan on there (or JFK, for that matter).
Exact same thought I had. Heck, for an even better act of justice, just put Ron on the $1 piece and send Sacajawea to take over from Jackson the ethnic cleanser.
In fairness, Ronnie WAS a very influential, and very well-liked, President who set the tone for the end of the cold war and the late-20th-century boom (even if during the actual time of his officeholding it was not that clear that this was the case). Which makes me puzzled about the Reagan Legacy guys, how they seem to have absolutely no faith in the judgement of history, until I realize that they probably think historians are just pinko liberal pointy-headed intellectuals who will cast Ron as a failure just out of spite.
MEB
You’re proposal is altogether too reasonable for real, grown-up politicians to consider. Go to your room!
But that’s where I’m posting from!
I couldn’t help but notice that the Dems are on this list of “Minor Political Parties”.
Your wish is the mint’s command…
http://money.cnn.com/2003/11/06/news/economy/nickel/
Although I liked President Kennedy enormously and value his accomplishments, I do think that he was placed on the coin in response to the horror of his death. If I remember correctly, it was issued fairly quickly afterwards. It served its purpose at the time.
I can see his image being replaced, but I would find it totally revulsive to have Reagan’s image on a coin. He did nothing to earn it.
I rather like the idea of Teddy Roosevelt on a coin. There is something so American about him.
But best of all, I like the idea of replacing Andy Jackson some day with the likeness of Wilma Mankiller – at one time the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation. She was the first woman to hold such a high position in any of the Indian nations.
Since we have quarters planned with all fifty states, we could have other coins with more than one portrait running concurrently. Perhaps a “Great Americans” series of half dollar dollar coins that will stimulate interest in larger denomination coins. Maybe for a change, we won’t just have presidents on them!
Now I don’t want to bash Reagan - personally I don’t think enough time has passed for his place in history to truly be appreciated. All of these proposals - to add him to Mount Rushmore, put him on the dime…and name everything after him are a bit too much. There are so many other important figures that could go on a coin as well.
What was it that Jackson did again?
It’s so much easier here in Canada - we just put Lizzie on all our coins. No fuss, no muss…
