The Power of One vs. The Man

Now that my Sacagawea dollar stash has disappeared I have been trying to get my hands on some of the new dollars. However, in my two trips to Wells Fargo I've come up empty. They seem to have "sold out." I wish I could say that this means that they are taking off like I hoped, but I suspect that these dollars are sitting in various collections out of circulation.

However, there are many that have taken up the same burden as I. In this article on slate.com (previously linked to by Peter at Pete the Elder), the author seems to have picked up on all of the same arguments that I've put forth about the golden dollars. He even goes as far to suggest that the government takes the paper dollar out of circulation. Bonanos writes:

But back to dollar bills: Why keep producing them? The Bureau of Engraving and Printing pumps out 3.4 billion fresh singles every year. Pressure from bill partisans at the BEP even kneecapped the Sacagawea ad campaign. According to the GAO, "an informal Treasury restriction" prohibited the Mint from suggesting that a coin was superior to a bill—it could say only that a coin was also available. One TV spot showcasing a frustrating vending-machine moment (vvmp-vvvvmp, vvmp-vvvvmp) was scotched, after a combative meeting at the Treasury, on the grounds that it "negatively portrayed the dollar bill."

I can't believe that "special interests" are inhibiting the growth of the dollar coin. Whores!

I'm hoping that people really start to pick up on this movement, especially seeing how we are clearly going to continue wasting billions in Iraq. Bonanos