Pennies are the most underrated and overused things in today’s economy. It can be used to add the extra penny on the Michigan sales tax. It can be used for spare change when you need that extra penny so you’re not stuck with all that change in your pocket. For a while, the penny could even be used to ride Penny the Pony at the Meijer stores all over America. Now, people are trying to get the penny eliminated. Eliminating the penny would be a terrible move by Congress.
Nobody likes math. But when it comes to counting excessive amounts of money, everybody seems to love the subject of math. Pennies add up over time making it the most popular coin among the four commonly used ones we have now (penny, nickels, dimes, and quarters). Nickels, dimes, and quarters are all used on a daily basis whereas the penny rests in pockets and piggy banks collecting dust. That previous statement might sound bad, but when you think about it, Americans are too lazy to do anything else with the penny. Lazy Americans keep popping pennies into their piggy banks and overtime they add up. In source B, it says, “… Edmond Knowles figures he has saved an average of about 90 pennies a day for the past 38 years: On his counter, in jugs, and finally in 55-gallon drums in his garage. In June, an armored car picked up his 4.5 tons of spare change, and had it recycled through Coinstar. That would be 1,308,459 pennies, or $13,084.59….” Nowadays, $13,084.59 pays for half of a private college’s tuition. Most college students would love to have that much college debt paid off. Overtime, pennies really do add up.
Pennies are the most loved coin of all. Source D is an unpublished letter to an editor of a website. The letter says, “The fact is the penny remains popular with the public and important to our pricing system.” There are many uses of the penny as stated in the first paragraph. From that extra cent for sales tax to a Meijer pony ride, the penny is loved by most. The quote from Source D is backed up by the information show on the table in Source E. When the percent of people for each income is compared most people oppose abolishing the penny. No matter the income of the person who gave their opinion, every total income class had more votes that opposed abolishing the penny than votes that favored abolishing the penny. The love for the penny is palpable from reading the statistics.
It’s almost guaranteed that when asked who the best president is or was, most would say Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln was one of the most influential presidents and speakers in the history of the United States. Source G shows a picture of the front and back of the original penny and the front and back of the penny in circulation today. When one looks on the front of today’s penny, they see the face of a great man with a great beard. Out of all the presidents in America’s history, Abraham Lincoln was the one to get the most stuff done. Not only did he, in a way, start a war, but he ended it and in doing so, released hundreds of slaves from their despicable masters. That’s what Abraham Lincoln is recognized for; releasing the slaves is one of the things that makes America the country that it is today. Abolishing the penny would take away all honor from Lincoln. Without the penny, the legacy of Lincoln would be forgotten by anybody who has never opened a history text book in their life.
Being loved is one of the greatest feelings in the world. Everybody deserves love, even the penny. If congress decides to abolish the penny, a little piece of America will be lost. Abolishing the penny means raise in prices because businesses will have to raise their $7.99 good to $8.00 then add sales tax. Abolishing the penny is also important to the public. Lastly, the penny is a reminder of the legacy of one of the greatest presidents of all time: Abraham Lincoln. Keeping the penny around will keep everybody happy and even remind of the legacy of one of the greatest presidents. A happy country equals a happy government.
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