PEOPLE

The Southeast Missourian asked people whether they support the replacement of the dollar bill by a dollar coin. The House Banking Committee is expected to consider such a change that would save millions of dollars in production costs. The General Accounting Office has said that elimination of the paper dollar would be necessary to ensure public acceptance of a dollar coin.

Barbara Chiles: "I would rather have the dollar bill, because I don't like to have change in coins. I have enough coins as it is. If a bill gets worn out and faded, it doesn't matter to me. It still spends."

Don Laird: "It would be a backward approach to convert paper money to coins. The coins they use in England are heavy and a pain to handle. Vending machines can handle the dollar bill, so let's stay with it."

Elizabeth Farmer: "It's pretty convenient to carry several dollar bills in your wallet, so I don't think it would be a good idea to eliminate the dollar bill. It would be inconvenient to carry several of the coins."

Jim Karnes: "Yes, it should be changed. With inflation in mind, the dollar bill is practically worthless. You would not have to use so many quarters. Probably the $5 bill will be the smallest paper money we'll need."

Jim Sanderson: "If they did that, I think the $2 bill would become popular. People would complain about a pocket-full of change, so four dollar coins would be two $2 bills. It wouldn't bother me to have a dollar coin."

Terry Wolsey: "The paper dollar has been around for so long, and I think it should stay. Having dollar coins would be like having a bunch of keys in your pocket. I didn't use the Anthony dollar coins when we had them."