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Why The Penny Should Be Abolished Essay

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“A penny saved is a penny earned,” to quote Benjamin Franklin. Unfortunately a penny saved is not worth a whole lot anymore. Like many other once useful things the penny has become obsolete. The production and use of the penny in the United States monetary system should be abolished.

Eliminating the penny would not be the first time the U.S. has abolished a small denomination. For example the half-cent coin was eliminated in 1857 with little to no trouble. This was due to the half-cent’s production cost exceeding its face value similar to the penny right now. Also the half-cent was deemed no longer necessary in purchases just as the penny is no longer necessary today. One reason why the penny should be abolished is because more and …show more content…

“Penny candy” and similar selling strategies or products do not exist anymore. Not to mention what used to be worth one cent forty-five years ago costs ten cents today. Over time the value of the penny has depreciated with inflation rendering them useless. Furthermore, since the penny cannot function on its own in a purchase the production of the penny is pointless.

A third reason why the penny should be abolished is because it is a time waster. When making a purchase and an annoying penny is needed, precious seconds are wasted digging in pockets or purses. In a culture where time is money, why is an annoyance like the penny still used. The penny is a timewaster and its use and production should be halted immediately.

Finally a fourth reason why the penny should be abolished is because its production cost exceeds its face value. The U.S. Mint is losing money, as it costs 1.5 cents to manufacture a one cent penny. This results in the U.S. Mint losing millions of dollars per year. For example, in 2016, the U.S. Mint lost $46 million dollars by producing pennies. This makes no sense logically. Why would you manufacture a product that you can not make a profit

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