Like so many liberals sick of the campaign to name every building, airport and fireplug after Reagan, I have tried to imagine what would be a proper tribute to a former president and reasonable at the same time.
I just came across this via Matthew Yglesias... a terrific idea, although it would seem to require compromise, which I'm not sure is possible these days in Washington.
Reagan money
WCCO: A $10 Reagan Bill?
First off, there's no way that Reagan's going on the dime. Forget it. Leaving aside the arguments for relative greatness (which in my opinion are all on FDR's side) it's divisive.
Hamilton deserves his place on money, as far as I'm concerned. But since he doesn't have FDR's fan club, ditching him for Reagan would be easier.
However, there is no reason to do this. There is an obvious answer, though I haven't seen anyone in the media suggest it: put Reagan on the $1 coin. Yes, this would displace Washington, but he would still have the quarter, and some $1 bills would remain in circulation.
The great advantage of this is that it would gain powerful allies for something the Mint and the government have tried and twice failed to do: to establish a viable $1 coin. The Susan B. Anthony and Sacagawea coins were both miserable failures. But with half the country wanting to honor its hero, a Ronnie would have a big leg up in getting established. And us liberal good government types, whatever our feelings about the man, would support the coin because it's the sort of thing we like to support.
There are a number of arguments for a dollar coin, most of which you've probably heard. Drink machines and the like wouldn't have to have the stupid dollar bill readers that don't work most of the time. (The people who make the dollar bill readers, of course, are anti-dollar coin.) The coin would be more expensive to produce than the greenback, but would last much longer, leading to ultimate savings. And it would be nice to have some coins worth something.
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