tuscl

Senator Tom Coburn (R-Okla) Proposes Eliminating the Dollar Bill

Wednesday, July 20, 2011 3:51 AM
From his “Back in Black” Deficit Reduction Plan: Replace the $1 Bill With $1 Coin The Treasury Department should phase out use of the $1 bill and replace it with the $1 coin. Paper-based currencies wear out faster than coins, and so cost taxpayers more in the long run. According to GAO, starting in the 1980's, “Over the last 47 years, Australia, Canada, France, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, Spain, and the UK, among others, have replaced lower-denomination notes with coins.” WTF? – this idea is just plain “loonie.” (Also, does AC/DC know about this?) [view link]

22 comments

  • rell
    13 years ago
    i loss coins all the time and a $1 coin for tippin @ the sc
  • mmdv26
    13 years ago
    The girls would have to wear a coin box strapped to their leg.
  • buzzer68
    13 years ago
    If he wants to save money, stop minting those damn pennies!!! The penny has to be the world's most useless unit of currency - and has been for the last 25 years.
  • smokeshopjoe
    13 years ago
    I am going to disagree with buzzer the russian kopeck is probably more worthless it is made of steel and worth so little that when I was on a study abroad in Russia we used to throw them at pigeons. I guess that carhop coin dispensers will soon replace the garter belt as the leg accessory of choice. And just a thought to ponder imagine some big titted dancer trying to get a coin out of your mouth with her boobies.
  • samsung1
    13 years ago
    Hope this will put an end to that "make it rain" trend
  • shadowcat
    13 years ago
    sam: No it won't they do a Loonie toss at Canadian clubs. Instead it will be a "hail storm".
  • SuperDude
    13 years ago
    The long term adjustments might include: changing the drawer in the cash register to add a slot for $1 coins; changing vending machines; toll booths; new change purses for men and women; coin sorters and coin wrappers; making throwing a coin at someone a crime of assault; two handles on the church collection plate.
  • jackslash
    13 years ago
    Real Americans don't use $1 coins.
  • troop
    13 years ago
    we've been down that road before, anyone remember the susan b anthony dollar coins? probably rarer than the dodo bird now and as useful as one too.
  • Doc_Holliday
    13 years ago
    Who uses cash? If it weren't for strip clubs and casinos, I wouldn't.
  • newmark
    13 years ago
    A lot of newer vending machines already take and give dollar coins. I tend to agree with one of the comments above about real Americans. I think all of those coin countries are also on the metric system.
  • mmdv26
    13 years ago
    Yikes! I don't want dollar coins if we have to switch to metric....new laws require that customers stay 182.88cm away from dancers on stage.
  • Dudester
    13 years ago
    The past couple of times a dollar coin was introduced, it not only smacked of political correctness, it dripped and reeked of it. In the 1970's, it was the Susan B. Anthony. Ten years ago, it was the Sacajawea coin. Come on, let's make the coin more interesting. Put an Eagle and flag on the front and Mount Rushmore on the back. As for how to tip strippers, bring back the two dollar bill, but let's make this bill interesting also. Put Reagan on it, and on the back, the Iwo Jima memorial.
  • Prim0
    13 years ago
    Let's just go electronic and be done with all cash! We can just slide our ATM cards down the dancers crack for tips. :) SCs could just sell you funny money to use for tips and card readers for everything else.
  • shadowcat
    13 years ago
    Dudester: the $2 bill is still around. My favorite club gives them to increase tips. I had a couple left over after my last trip. I tried to pay for a drink at Follies in Atlanta with them and the waitress balked at taking them. When I said "get the manager" she took them and stormed off. Had the same problem a few yeares ago at the Discothque Lounge in Augusta GA. Bar tender did not get a tip.
  • sanitago
    13 years ago
    most folks here seem to be ignorant of the fact that the Mint has been making dollar coins for several years now. they've got the face of a president (they've been doing different presidents, I can't remember which one they're up to now)on one side, and an image of the Statue of Liberty on the other. there was no pressure put on Treasury to get rid of the dollar bill though, so they produce *both*, and because people are "used to" the bill, nobody uses the coins. so now there are something like a billion (yes, with a "b"!) of them in storage around the nation, including (supposedly) a brand-new vault stuffed with them. I don't much care either way which one we use, I just wish someone would get their head out of the ass and decide so we're not waste a shitload of money like we are now!
  • farmerart
    13 years ago
    As shadowcat says, the loonie ($1 coin) toss is the preferred way to tip dancers on stage in Canada (particularly in Alberta). We also use a toonie ($2 coin) up here. Dancers prefer the toonie toss!! I hate it. It is so boring and demeaning to watch a dancer crawling around on stage spreading her legs so guys can toss coins at her pussy. Of course for the dancers it is all about the money. I know a club in Alberta that caters to high wage oil patch workers. When the club is full a dancer can pick up $200+ during the loonie/toonie toss after each stage show she does. Four or five sets per day can add up to serious money! Most Alberta clubs have change machines to convert $20 bills into loonies for the customers' 'pleasure'. Most dancers now have mini magnetic vacuum devices to pick up coins from the stage floor. (Loonies and toonies are magnetic.) Bending over to pick up scores of coins by hand is tedious but if she is naked some interesting vistas can be presented for one's viewing pleasure!
  • SuperDude
    13 years ago
    I'm with Dudester, but I think Reagan should be on a new $40.00 bill. The back could be the Iwo Jima Memorial or Mt. Rushmore.
  • minnow
    13 years ago
    How about going to dollar coins, and stop production of pennies/round to the nearest nickel. Shoot, federal, and at least several states already round the tax return bill or refund to the nearest dollar. The time is here for considration to be given to the cost of printing/minting vs the face value and/or longevity of the denomination in question. There was a time when the half cent was a staple of US coinage (up to 1857). One utile factor of this coin was exchanging for peso (centavo?) where 12 1/2 c equaled 1 of the other. Since I last bought something for a penny, inflation has gone up six fold. Thus for several tusclers, the nickel today has less or equal value/relevance as the penny did not so long ago. We've all probably heard the moniker "pocket change." Consider that CPI has doubled since the late 80's. I haven't heard anyone griping about carrying a couple of quarters change around, current presidential dollars are lighter than 2 quarters and buy what 2 quarters used to. I also propose ramping up the production of $2 bills. Remaining $1 bills would still be usable in circulation, but phased out. Before the howls of outrage begin on the increased cost of stage tipping, ask yourself what percentage of your total visit budget is consumed by stage tips vs drinks, lapdances, and VIPs. While I don't kid myself that reducing the cost of printing money will be the silver bullet to our nations budget deficit woes, at least some reasonable options should be pursued.
  • SuperDude
    13 years ago
    "West Wing" episode showed Sam Seaborn struggling over shaping a proposal to eliminate the penny. He was hit with how many jobs would be eliminated and how many devotees of Lincoln's memory would be offended.
  • spudd
    13 years ago
    Here's some interesting facts about the current Presidential Dollar coins: - There was a law passed years ago to mint Presidential Dollar coins to drum up interest, just like the States Quarter. - The law also stipulate for every 3 President coin, 1 Sacajawea coin has to be minted. - The dollar coins (all of them) has not been as popular as they thought, so the US Mint spends BILLIONS to store them. - The coins could be bought with a credit card, with free shipping. In essence, you can buy one thousand $1 coins for $1000 on your credit card every 10 days, earning you points or mileage or whatever your favorite Rewards program is. Most of these buyers would in turn deposit back to the bank, taking them out of circulation. The deal made news on Yahoo, NPR, etc., so the Mint just stop taking credit cards this week.
  • rl27
    13 years ago
    If I recall the reason the Sacajawea dollar was created was a shortage of SBA dollar coins due to various systems had basically taken dollar most of the coins out of circulation and the subways wanted more created. So the mint decided to come up with a new dollar coin. I personally hope that the dollar is not eliminated. It' s bad enough that a few restaurants in the U.S. give change in dollar coins. If they all did it then it would become a pain very quickly. I visit Canada ever year or so and it's very easy to end of with a pocketfull of heavy dollar coins in a single day of shopping.
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