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Brother, can you spare a….
: So the Republicans want to put Ronald Reagan on the dime — in response to the CBS/Showtime Reagan movie. Jeesh.
The Democrats don’t want to get rid of FDR on the coin.
I’m with the Democrats on this coin toss.
With dimes — or aircraft carriers — we should wait until someone’s dead until we start building the memorials. In fact, building them while they’re still alive is, frankly, rather tasteless.
As much as I like Reagen, taking off FDR would be a mistake.
How about replacing Andrew Jackson? Even I think he was a kook, that neglegently killed native Americans and defied the Federal government.
Greg, I totally agree. I was going to comment the exact same thing. Andrew Jackson was a total disgrace in my opinion for his treatment of the Cherokee and violation of treaty and law.
I also agree that tributes like this should wait until someone dies.
OK–You decide why they want Reagan on the dime specifically.
Supporters of both men said each has a special connection to the dime. McGovern argued Roosevelt belongs on the dime because he inspired the March of Dimes effort to stamp out polio after the U.S. mint put the crippled President on the dime in 1946.
And in an unusual argument, Souder said “it is particularly fitting to honor the Freedom president on this particular piece of coinage” because he was “wounded under the left arm by a bullet that had ricocheted and flattened to the size of a dime.”
So it sounds like the GOPers want to commemorate Hinkley’s bullet. Wait–I thought they didn’t want him to visit his parents–but his bullet recocheting bullet should be enough to kick the crip off the dime. I’m so confused. Oh, hell, let Jody Foster decide.
What really bothers me about this is the sheer infantilism of it. Quit wasting time showboating over meaningless crap and run our country, dammit! Find Bin Laden, get NASA working again, figure out how we’re going to pay for the new Medicare benefit, do something meaningful. We don’t pay you to debate about who’s on the freaking dime.
Reagan’s wife agrees with you. She says that she disagrees with it and says so would her husband.
So there.
Glad the Dragon Lady thinks it’s a bad idea. What I find unpleasant is how the Republicans are taking advantage of Reagan now that he is unable to speak out for himselves, deeply embraced by Alzheimer illness. Reagan may have been a great president (or not), but please, let’s wait till about 20 years after his death before we can come to any sort of conclusion about this question.
Put them both on the dime (Reagan and FDR). That way, the dime will have to be bigger. I hate looking for those tiny things in my purse.
The Republicans are starting to scare me.
We ought to redesign >allnone
Try again. We ought to redesign all our pocket change. It’s boring!! And dead presidents weren’t a feature of coinage until the early 20th C. — before there were Mercury Dimes, Buffalo Nickels, Indian-Head Pennies, the “Standing” and “Walking Liberty” dollars & half dollars, etc. The Sacajewa Dollar was on the right track, but its execution was dull.
We should put Reagan on all our currency. Like the Queen on Canadian money, except we just leave him on there forever after he dies.
Keep it simple.
Considering the way Democrats feel about the New York Post these days, I would think any move to take its founder, Alexander Hamliton, off the $10 bill would be greeted with their enthusiastic support — so long as he’s not replaced by Rupert Murdoch, of course…
Actually, I think the feds should just start up a new effort to push acceptance of the $1 Sacajawea coin by taking the dollar bill out of circulation while at the same time resuming printing of the $2 bill. Given the increasing prices for everything the $2 would be far more useful now than in its last appearance in the 1970s.
Since hardly anyone remembers that Jefferson was on the $2 in the first place, and since Tom’s already on the nickel, no one will really notice or care if someone new was put on the front of that bill. And Hamilton along with all the other former presidents currently on the currency could rest easier that they’re not going to be replaced anytime soon.