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Kill The Penny - Save Millions of $$$

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 8:11 am
by Col Hogan
I can’t post a source on this information because I got it in an email that I won’t share...so take it for what it’s worth...Information only.
What's the easiest way to make money in the world? To me, the answer is printing money.

I mean it...

If you print a bill that says "$100" on it (and people accept that it's worth $100), then what's your profit on printing that bill?

What are your costs to produce it? Basically, some green ink and some paper. So your profit on printing a $100 bill should be something darn near, well, $100.

It's the easiest money on earth.

So it's truly stunning to me that our government could somehow manage to lose money in the business that is the easiest way to make money on earth...

I'm specifically talking about the penny – one U.S. cent.

It actually costs our government more than two cents to make a penny. Can you believe it?

For the specifics... In 2018 alone, the U.S. Mint produced more than 8 billion pennies (yes, billion). That's $80 million worth. The problem is, it cost $166 million to make those pennies.

In short, the U.S. government lost more than $85 million in the process of producing $80 million worth of pennies.

Let's get rid of the penny. I'm serious.

Canada got rid of its penny in 2012. And heck, who even noticed? I go to Canada every year... And I hadn't even noticed.

Electronic payments in Canada still account for the penny. But you round to the nearest five cents when using cash. No big deal.

At U.S. military bases overseas, they don't accept pennies. Instead, they round up to the nearest nickel at the base-exchange stores.

Heck, even in the U.S. we got rid of the half-cent in 1857, when it was worth more like 10 cents today due to inflation.

So if we already got rid of the dime (so to speak) in 1857, why stop at the penny today? A nickel costs 7.5 cents to produce today. We lose money on them, too.

Between the penny and the nickel, the U.S. government lost $120 million in 2018 alone in minting these coins, as the costs exceeded their value.

This idea was actually floated in Congress. Former President Barack Obama was for it. He said, "One of the things you see chronically in government is it's very hard to get rid of things that don't work so that we can then invest in the things that do."

This bill was introduced in 2017. It was read twice and referred to the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. That's the last we heard of it.

Meanwhile, the U.S. government has lost money every year for the last 13 years producing the penny.

Ridiculous!

If you agree with me – and you want our country to stop losing $85 million a year from minting pennies – then the best you can do is let your representatives in Congress know.

Heck, go straight to the top... Let President Trump know...

He's "Mr. Money," right? Wouldn't it be fitting for Mr. Money to get rid of the penny?

I know that a large number of people disagree with me on this. But it's already working just fine in Canada, and on our overseas bases, among other places.

Most importantly, I can think of a heck of a lot better uses for $85 million than losing it by spending two cents to create something worth one cent.

The U.S. government should be embarrassed about this... and it should want to make the problem disappear. In this case it's incredibly easy to do... Just stop. Stop spending two cents to create something that's worth one cent.

Done. Easy.

Re: Kill The Penny - Save Millions of $$$

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 8:14 am
by ∞∞∞
I'm ok getting rid of the penny (and nickel).

You can just change their values too (3 cents/6 cents); inflation would be minimal.

Re: Kill The Penny - Save Millions of $$$

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 8:21 am
by 93henfan
No need for the penny or dollar bill.

I really like the way Canada does it. No penny (since 2012). No dollar bill (since 1989). $1 and $2 coins make things much faster.

Of course, a credit card or phone app is faster yet. :thumb:

Re: Kill The Penny - Save Millions of $$$

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 8:45 am
by CAA Flagship
93henfan wrote:No need for the penny or dollar bill.

I really like the way Canada does it. No penny (since 2012). No dollar bill (since 1989). $1 and $2 coins make things much faster.

Of course, a credit card or phone app is faster yet. :thumb:
:tothehand: I use dollar bills for strippers. Where would they put a $1 coin?

Re: Kill The Penny - Save Millions of $$$

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 9:11 am
by dbackjon
Get rid of it

Re: Kill The Penny - Save Millions of $$$

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 9:18 am
by 93henfan
CAA Flagship wrote:
93henfan wrote:No need for the penny or dollar bill.

I really like the way Canada does it. No penny (since 2012). No dollar bill (since 1989). $1 and $2 coins make things much faster.

Of course, a credit card or phone app is faster yet. :thumb:
:tothehand: I use dollar bills for strippers. Where would they put a $1 coin?
Right in the balloon knot.

Re: Kill The Penny - Save Millions of $$$

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 10:14 am
by BDKJMU

Re: Kill The Penny - Save Millions of $$$

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 11:00 am
by Ivytalk
Also, remind the fvcking oil companies that you don’t charge for gas by the tenth of a cent. $2.49.9 per gallon? Fvck that. Round up to $2.50.

Re: Kill The Penny - Save Millions of $$$

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 12:11 pm
by Chizzang
Ivytalk wrote:Also, remind the fvcking oil companies that you don’t charge for gas by the tenth of a cent. $2.49.9 per gallon? Fvck that. Round up to $2.50.
$2.50 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Where do you live - Houston ?

:shock:

Re: Kill The Penny - Save Millions of $$$

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 12:32 pm
by CAA Flagship
Chizzang wrote:
Ivytalk wrote:Also, remind the fvcking oil companies that you don’t charge for gas by the tenth of a cent. $2.49.9 per gallon? Fvck that. Round up to $2.50.
$2.50 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Where do you live - Houston ?

:shock:
I just passed a station at $2.26.
Maybe you need to think about where YOU live. :coffee:

Re: Kill The Penny - Save Millions of $$$

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 1:58 pm
by Ivytalk
Chizzang wrote:
Ivytalk wrote:Also, remind the fvcking oil companies that you don’t charge for gas by the tenth of a cent. $2.49.9 per gallon? Fvck that. Round up to $2.50.
$2.50 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Where do you live - Houston ?

:shock:
No. Just picked numbers out of the air. Closer to $2.35 here.

Re: Kill The Penny - Save Millions of $$$

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 3:21 pm
by Chizzang
Ivytalk wrote:
Chizzang wrote:
$2.50 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Where do you live - Houston ?

:shock:
No. Just picked numbers out of the air. Closer to $2.35 here.
:ohno:

I can't get out of Seattle fast enough

Re: Kill The Penny - Save Millions of $$$

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 3:38 pm
by CID1990
93henfan wrote:No need for the penny or dollar bill.

I really like the way Canada does it. No penny (since 2012). No dollar bill (since 1989). $1 and $2 coins make things much faster.

Of course, a credit card or phone app is faster yet. :thumb:
Several years back El Salvador dumped their own currency and went to the US dollar. What was cool about living there was I never had to exchange money.

El Salvador does not import 1 dollar bills though. There is no mechanism to unload them when they are worn out. So El Sal uses the dollar coin only.

I thought it was going to be a pain in the ass but I quickly became a proponent of getting rid of the dollar bill. I had just fives and up in my wallet, and I never had to pull it out when buying a six pack.


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Re: Kill The Penny - Save Millions of $$$

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 3:49 pm
by Ibanez
Of course you posted this....:


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Re: Kill The Penny - Save Millions of $$$

Posted: Fri Aug 30, 2019 5:07 pm
by 93henfan
Ibanez wrote:
Of course you posted this....:


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I didn't mind getting BDKlinked there. I was remarkably consistent in both posts. Canada has a superior system to us for legal tender.

Kill The Penny - Save Millions of $$$

Posted: Sun Sep 01, 2019 2:15 pm
by css75
93henfan wrote:No need for the penny or dollar bill.

I really like the way Canada does it. No penny (since 2012). No dollar bill (since 1989). $1 and $2 coins make things much faster.

Of course, a credit card or phone app is faster yet. :thumb:

I agree with this, it is one of the few things Canada does better than us.


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Re: Kill The Penny - Save Millions of $$$

Posted: Sun Sep 01, 2019 5:36 pm
by Vidav
phpBB [video]

Re: Kill The Penny - Save Millions of $$$

Posted: Mon Sep 02, 2019 3:35 pm
by JoltinJoe
So it costs two cents to make a penny? Gives new meaning to "a penny saved is a penny earned."