Is it time for the US to ditch the dollar bill?

coondoggie writes: "It seems well past time that the US ditch its $1 bill, considering such a move could save the country somewhere in the neighborhood of $4 billion. But there is much resistance or perhaps a lack of real consideration of the issue from most people. Watchdogs at the Government Accountability Office this week testified before a Congressional hearing on the topic said dollar coins could save $4.4 billion over 30 years, or an average of about $146 million per year."

Dollar coins rock!

[skade88]

I love dollar coins. I say bring em on. They look nice and they wont be rejected by the candy machine in my office after my money accidently gets washed with my jeans...

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[Stickybombs]

I'm the opposite. I hate carrying around coins. I would rather have a small stack of bills in my wallet than a pocketful of coins, since I have to have the wallet anyway for license, credit card, etc.

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[skade88]

How much would we save if we just made all money digital?

Canada leads the way

[Capt.DrumkenBum]

Canada has had a dollar coin for many years. I thought when it was brought out that no one would use it, I for one hated it at first. But the banks were instructed to remove the bills from circulation, and very quickly I, and everyone else, got used to the coins.
Now I like the dollar coin. It is kind of nice to be able to reach into your pocket and pay for lunch with coins. Also handy for paying for parking.

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[naught101]

Australia has had $1 and $2 coins for decades. We have even had special-edition $5 coins. Small notes are a waste of time.