Should the penny be decommissioned? Why or Why not?

June 11-18, 2007 Answers:

• Yes!! They are annoying and aren't worth the metal they are made of.
• Heck yes! Down with Pennies!
• 1.They're not worth the time it takes to pick them up.
• 2.They're so dirty all the time.
• 3.It cost 1.4cents to manufacture one penny.
• 4. New Zealand did away with them and they are doing just fine.
• Let's round to the nearest nickel!
• No, because if you drill a hole in a penny it's cheaper than buying a washer!
• Yes. I believe pennies are useless, they cost more to produce than they are worth, sooo make them worth 2cents!- Liam
• A penny for your thoughts, 3 penny theatre, a penny saved is a penny earned, penny ante, penny royal, pennywaist, George Penny Washington, the penny colossus, where will this erosion of our culture end? When will the hate stop? Is there a God blessing our country anymore? Why do you even ask an evil abomination of a question like this? A penny for your thoughts.
• Yes it should. For years (20+) overseas in the military PX's they have rounded up or down.
  
• The sooner the better.
• This is a good idea. Kudos to you folks. I read about this little artistic/neighborly vision in the paper. Pennies are good -- it gives us hope that things will be cheap.
• No. Everything would be four cents more.
• It depends. If I had a penny for every time I passed by a dead skunk this past week in the middle of the Intervale trail -- well, we could just use the nickel (actually it was the same dead skunk each time).
• No, because Lincoln rocks!
• No way! It would be unamericanful.
• Yes. Really too small an amount to make any use today.
• Yes because its unnecessary in its consumption of energy and materials, both in its production and recycling.
• Yes, but we would need good warning so we could cash in the 400,00o pennies that we each have in jars. And Lincoln need a new assignment.
• Jana says "no way"! What would I save for a rainy day?
• No, if they were decommissioned, there would be no lucky days.
• No, if they are decommissioned, my loafers would be bare!
• Yes, in New Zealand there are no pennies and tax is included in the price. What you see is what you pay -- all in multiples of 5. Easy!
• No, because then I would be officially 'old'!
• Yes, it is useless. Australia laughs at us for still using it. They round up.
• What about "a good luck penny" or "a penny for your thoughts"? I like pennies just because we have always had them...and besides everything is changing too fast!
• No, I think pennies allow us to feel like we are getting more for our $! I say bring back the hay penny.
  
• No, the penny should stay as a symbolical memory of Abraham Lincoln. Apart from that, saving up pennies for a long time can have some results.
• No, how will I save my pennies? Every cent counts. $9.99 isn't $10.
• Yes, no one uses it anyway. It's more of a pain to carry them than they are worth.
• No, I like the penny.
• Yes, it costs more money to make than it's worth!
• Yes, because it's easier for kindergarteners to count. Alida, age 7
• Absolutely!
• Yes, because it's a hassle -- make them 5 cents and up.
• No. Having the lowest denomination as something other than one is wrong. Copper is beautiful. Abraham Lincoln deserves it. Nothing will ever cost 99 cents again. Stamps will have to be raised in 5 cent increments. Everything will ultimately cost more. Those pennies add up. It ruins the base 10 system for our $. We should bring back the gold dollar coin, though.
• Yes, and let's get rid of nickels and dimes too! - Gary
• Yes. Why? Because it is such a small amount of money. Lots of pennies are dropped on the ground along sides of parking lots and meters (due to angry people and meters not taking pennies). Can you imagine the amount of pennies lost or just dropped on the ground? People think twice about nickels and dimes because they add up quick. The best way to count pennies is by the pound!
• If the penny is decommissioned, what do we get for change?
• No! You can't say something is $1.37 or $0.26. - Ella
• Should this question even matter. Does it make any difference at all?