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O.K. Here we go again. The old debate that continues to show up about the poor penny. The penny has been around for as long as the world has been here it seems, but that is impossible, since Abraham Lincoln has not been around as long as the world. According to the following website: http://www.enchantedlearning.c om/math/money/coins/penny/ the penny was first issued in 1909.

We are just a bit away from the 100th anniversary of the first issue and I think we should celebrate by collecting every penny that we have in our household and spend the day counting them. I am now even thinking about asking my wife to make a cake shaped as a penny (I guess we will have to use chocolate icing (not my favorite) to reflect the copper color. I even think that she can really make a great Lincoln, since my wife is extremely talented.

Anyway, I do not believe we should eliminate the penny. First and foremost, young children learn about money and how to save by placing every penny that the earn and find into a large jar and wait until that jar is filled and then they have a great time rolling them and going to the bank to open their first bank account, most likely a savings account if the parents train their children right. Most children do not need a checking account, yet, then again, some children are so intelligent these days that they start a business when they turn seven (you know, the lemonade stand during a nice hot summer day at the ball field or in the front yard of the house to quench the thirst of neighbors cutting the yard).

Second, I think of my situation at times. Pennies are everywhere. They are in the SUV, they are in the washing machine and somehow they find their way into the dishwasher. They are under the bed, sometimes under the sheets. Sometimes pennies are left in shorts or pants or even shirt pockets from years before. Once these are all collected, then I would place them in my large jar or my water jug. The penny is so important. When I find myself in the proverbial unemployment line and waiting days if not weeks for my first check, I am sometimes in need of extra money for that one pack of cigarettes or a cola. I wrap them up in their nice little wrappers and before you know it, I have enough for some of my needs.

The penny is a great item. I truly believe that we have to save it. It is a learning tool as well as a saving grace when you are short of cash. It is also a good luck piece for some of us when we find one lying heads up. Sometimes when I find a penny and it is face down, I turn it over and leave it for someone who needs better luck then I do.

Do not get rid of the penny. If we do, what else would we have to debate on?

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