Crazy Horse

The life expectancy of a dollar bill is about four years. A dollar coin, on the other hand, will likely still be in circulation 30 years after being minted. That’s why a congressional committee held a hearing last week to consider getting rid of dollar bills altogether. Even though the coins cost more to make, they are far less expensive in the long run. If we were to stop printing dollar bills today, it could save taxpayers as much as $4.4 billion between now and the year 2033. That’s a no-brainer, right? Well, it would be if there weren’t so many people emotionally attached to dollar bills or averse to the idea of carrying dollar coins in their pockets. I wonder if they’re the same people who insist that we keep minting pennies, even though it’s been decades since you could buy anything for one cent; even though it costs us roughly two cents for every penny we make.