I'm sorry, but I prefer more focused whining. Round coins don't stack in rectangular array well; however, if I stipulate hexagonal close pack, the volume is about the same as for a stack of bills of eqaul volume. It will be worse if i insist on rectangles because of all the "half coin" positions on the edge of the hexagonal array.
A stack of given value will have about 8.1 times the mass in coin form, and be more likely to wear a hole in my pocket. Finally, we are smart enough to have invented machines that handle paper bills even including $5, $10, $20, so there is no "convenience to me" argument for the $1 coin, only inconvenience. I stipulate the government's durability advantage on coins, but the government wastes plenty of money on things stupider than making me happy with the extra cost of printing $1 bills (over and over, compared to coins). We have had the dollar coin available for a LONG time and it hasn't passed the popularity contest vs the paper bill. Unlike metric, the monetary value of the bill and coin are identical, and it really doesn't affect relations with any other nation. Why do some feel the need to impose their choice on others, when there is not a truly compelling argument for the decision. I stipulate the "waste" of printing $1 bills, but it is a negligible drop in the bucket of total government waste. The argument is FAR weaker than for metrication. ________________________________ From: Carleton MacDonald <[email protected]> To: U.S. Metric Association <[email protected]> Sent: Sat, June 12, 2010 1:34:47 PM Subject: [USMA:47742] RE: Post regarding coinage There is definitely a connection. “You changed something. Why did you change something? I hate change. I don’t understand change. Change is hard. Change is scary. I’m going to remember this at the next election. Don’t ever change anything ever ever ever.” Carleton From:[email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Harry Wyeth Sent: Saturday, June 12, 2010 11:02 To: U.S. Metric Association Subject: [USMA:47738] Post regarding coinage Coinage is maybe a little off topic, but the miserable experience of the US in handling the dollar coin bit is educational: ALL efforts to really introduce a dollar coin in the US have failed miserably, and the reason is that the mint keeps printing one dollar bills. I like handing out those pretty golden coins, and when I spend them frequently people say "Gee, these are nice. Where can I get some?" (Just go to the bank, duh.) Point is: as long as dollar bills are printed, coins will go nowhere. And it is a lesson for metrication. I say that it has to come from above to really, really catch on. HARRY WYETH
