The reason we go through this stupidity is that government and its related administrative beauracracy is schizophrenic (by the way, please note that the upcoming issue of Presidential Dollars was mandated by legislation passed by Congress). On the one hand, people in government try to make things better for us, and they recognize coins are much better than bills in almost every conceivable way. On the other hand, they do not dare to offend the vast majority of Americans, who like the comfort of “tried and true.” So, we get dollar coins, but we don’t get discontinuation of dollar bills.
Ergo, repeated failures at dealing with the situtation. Reference our somewhat quixotic attempt in the 70’s to move towards the much saner metric system… :o
[QUOTE=John DiFool]
Well, death (or lack thereof) doesn’t stop the Navy from launching ships bearing the
names of living ex-Presidents, so why would it here?
[/QUOTE]
Federal law prohibits a living person to be depicted on a U.S. coin. If a President dies during the duration of this program, they have to be dead for at least two years before their coin comes along to be included in the proper order.
[QUOTE=Eonwe]
Or it just means that we generally prefer things that we are familiar with, which is not always a good reason to make public policy.
[/QUOTE]
I’ve noticed many people in the U.S. seem to have a problem with differently coloured denominations of paper bills, which would support that conclusion.
[QUOTE=Apos]
All these new coins just make life harder for vending machines. They have to be able to recognize THREE different one dollar coins now?
[/QUOTE]
I believe the Sackies are the same size and weight as the Susan B’s, so vending machines didn’t need to be modified to accept them. It looks like the same is true for the new Presidential dollar coin.
[QUOTE=spoke-]
Do they? I don’t think most of the public are aware of this, since for a long time vending machines haven’t accepted dollar coins. So that may just be a problem of public perception.
[/quote]
They do, yes - but that may only be the case with newer vending machines. I couldn’t say for sure.
If merchants get dollar coins regularly, I think they’ll give them as change. I think dollar coins are a good idea (although I’m intrigued by this plastic money thing), and I expect it would work if the government stuck with it instead of giving up right away.
[QUOTE=Apos]
All these new coins just make life harder for vending machines. They have to be able to recognize THREE different one dollar coins now?
[/QUOTE]
The dollar coins we currently use have the same diameter (26.5mm), thickness (2mm), weight (8.1g), and posess the same electromechanical characteristics. As far as a vending machine is concerned, a Suzy and a Sacky are the same coin. I assume the new coins will be the same.
On the other hand, vending machine operators need to modify their machines every time the Mint revises the paper currency.
Coins eventually wear holes in your pockets. When you sit down they will leak out and hide in car and sofa cushions. You can not throw a dollar bill across the Potomac though.
[QUOTE=mobo85]
Federal law prohibits a living person to be depicted on a U.S. coin. If a President dies during the duration of this program, they have to be dead for at least two years before their coin comes along to be included in the proper order.
[/QUOTE]
Emphasis mine.
I assume that the delay is ensure that the recently deceased not return to life in some way and thus violate federal law. Two years is long enough for near-complete decomposition, preventing any possible presidential zombification scenario.
[QUOTE=iamthewalrus(:3=]
I assume that the delay is ensure that the recently deceased not return to life in some way and thus violate federal law. Two years is long enough for near-complete decomposition, preventing any possible presidential zombification scenario.
[/QUOTE]
Makes sense. I hope the U.S. Mint is planning ahead for 2022… wouldn’t want to be breaking the law.
[QUOTE=scr4]
Do people really like dollar bills? I thought everyone hated having to use them on vending machines.
[/QUOTE]
I like dollar bills. I hate coins, I hate jingling when I walk, I hate the weight in my pocket. I don’t keep bills in a billfold, I keep them in my front pocket, and given the choice between 10 slips of paper and 10 coins, I will take the slips of paper. I never got used to having pound coins in my 2.5 years in England, and loaded up on pound notes when I visited Scotland, 2 years into my stay.
[QUOTE=DSYoungEsq]
Most vending machines DO take them. By far the vast majority, actually.
[/QUOTE]
The vast majority? I’ve seen them accepted in automated parking lots and in campus break rooms, but rarely elsewhere.
Nixon commemorated on a coin? Man, I can’t wait.
[/QUOTE]
Why not? Is Nixon’s name not on a 1969 plaque on the moon, where it will stay for all eternity?
Can you just see it now? The year is 2030. We finally make contact with aliens from another solar system who come to visit Earth after first studying us from the moon to make sure we are not too dangerous. They have studied the lunar lander and its inscriptions. And when they arrive, to be polite, they greet us in the name of our great and wonderful diety Richard Nixon. Naturally! The aliens would logically conclude: Why else would the human race have put his name on a plaque on the moon if he were not the most wise, wonderful, saintly, honest and exemplary man in human history?
[QUOTE=John Mace]
I hate coins. Coins, to me, are something you throw into a big glass jar and then drag off the bank to get real money every few years. Besides, you can’t slip a dollar coin into a stripper’s thong-- which is the main use for dollar bills anyway.
[/QUOTE]
I agree totally!!! If we converted to dollars, I would withdraw all my cash in $1 bills. I would hoard more dollars than a Las Vegas trailer park crack whore stripper.
[QUOTE=Paul in Saudi]
(What is that crossword puzzle word I am thinking of? The profit made from producing coins from metal? Singurage?)
[/QUOTE]
It’s seigniorage. [link provided for people wondering what the hell it is we’re talking about.]
[QUOTE=DSYoungEsq]
The reason we go through this stupidity is that government and its related administrative beauracracy is schizophrenic (by the way, please note that the upcoming issue of Presidential Dollars was mandated by legislation passed by Congress). On the one hand, people in government try to make things better for us, and they recognize coins are much better than bills in almost every conceivable way. On the other hand, they do not dare to offend the vast majority of Americans, who like the comfort of “tried and true.” So, we get dollar coins, but we don’t get discontinuation of dollar bills.
Ergo, repeated failures at dealing with the situtation. Reference our somewhat quixotic attempt in the 70’s to move towards the much saner metric system… :o
[/QUOTE]
This is the reason our government doesn’t work. I’ll tell you the reason we need to switch to dollar coins, in fact I can give you a half a billion of them. That’s how much money the mint would save each year by switching to dollar coins. Now, a half a billion dollars is a trifling ammount, a pittance in government terms, but it’s still money that we have to pay through taxes. The only reason not to switch is because Jenny Coinpurse and Joe Moneyclip might be slightly inconvenienced and bitch. Fuck 'em. Mint the coins, 86 the bills, and move on to something of real importance.
[QUOTE=John DiFool]
Well, death (or lack thereof) doesn’t stop the Navy from launching ships bearing the
names of living ex-Presidents, so why would it here? [And yes the ship-naming thing
bugs me-wait until Reagan is gone before naming a ship after him mmkay?]
[/QUOTE]
You have a problem with Jimmy Carter too or is it just Reagan?
[QUOTE=Apos]
All these new coins just make life harder for vending machines. They have to be able to recognize THREE different one dollar coins now?
[/QUOTE]
I was under the impression that the new dollar coins would be vending-machine compatible with the Sackies.
