3.Eliminating pennies

Pennies are smallest coin the United States has; size and worth. The penny is also the oldest piece of money the United States bears. A penny is not only used to buy things, it also signifies luck to some and is used to play heads and tails for others. Money is used in everyday life, pennies being a significant amount of that money. One may use a penny, but never ponder the significance of it. Pennies are a useless coin and should be eliminated. Our economy is changing, times are getting harder, and as a result there is no point to a one cent coin.

Pennies are worthless in today’s economy. Times have changed since the penny was first invented. One cannot buy anything with a penny anymore. There is no such thing as penny candy, and Five-and-Dime stores are now Dollar Stores (source C). What could be bought with a penny before cannot be now. Plainly, things are worth more now. Pennies do not have the same worth they did in previous years.

Too much time is wasted on pennies. Through calculations, it is estimated that about 40 seconds per day per person, 4 hours per person per year, equaling to be about 60 dollars per year are wasted on searching for pennies (source B). You know what they say, time is money. One does not think about all the time that is wasted on searching for pennies. In order to pay for an item, one will literally fish through their pockets in order to find a penny. It can be figured that too much time is wasted on pennies.

One may say that the penny is a significant part of history holding a great historical worth. The penny holds a historical importance being “the most visible and tangible reminder of Lincoln’s significance in American history (source F).” If one were to think about this, it can be concluded that there is no fact in this statement. As shown in source G, in 1793 a different face appeared on the penny. Therefore, the penny is not only showing the historical importance of Abraham Lincoln, but also another famous person in our American history.  Coins change with history. A new face could appear in another couple of years. Something that changes cannot be a historical artifact. The penny is not a significant part of history.

Though the use of pennies is still ubiquitous in our society, the worth of the penny is the same as it was years ago. Congress has contemplated eliminating the penny many times, but never followed through with it. With our growing economy, the penny is not worth much. Considering the insignificance of the penny, the wasted time, and the irrelevance of the penny, one can suggest that the penny should be eliminated.