On Wed, 2 Jun 2004 17:56:45 -0500, "Kyle Mutcher"
wrote:

The answer, I think, has to do with zinc, which is what pennies are
mostly made of; light copper plating turns them into red cents. The
powerful, outsourcing zinc lobby - financed by Canadian mines as well
as Alaskan - entices front groups to whip up a frenzy of
save-the-penny mail to Congress when coin reform is proposed.

Ding! Ding! Ding! You got it, Bill. It's all about the zinc.

It's funny, but the blanks for the Copper Plated Zinc (CPZ) Canadian 1c are
made in the US at the same place US 1c blanks are made in Illinois. Since
2002 there have been CPZ and Copper plated steel being made at the same time
with the CPS coins bearing a "P" mint mark.


But when the penny is abolished, the nickel will boom. And what is a
nickel made of? No, not the metallic element nickel; our 5-cent coin
is mainly composed of copper. And where is most of America's copper
mined? Arizona. If Senator John McCain would get off President Bush's
back long enough to serve the economic interests of his Arizona
constituents, we'd get some long-overdue coin reform.

I doubt McCain cares much about copper, but I also question this copper
"boom". I don't see why any increase of nickel production would be
necessary with cent elimination.


The Copper would most likely come from Chile, and the blanks would be
alloyed in Korea.

What frazzled pollsters, surly op-ed pages, snarling cable talkfests
and issue-starved candidates for office need is a fresh source of
hot-eyed national polarization. Coin reform can close the controversy
gap and fill the vitriol void. Get out those bumper stickers: Abolish
the penny!

This year it will most likely cost more than one cent to make a penny.
It already costs more to get them circulating. And the cost of wasted
productivity to businesses is immeasurable. I think we can suffer them
up to 2009, which will be the centennial of the Lincoln cent and the
bicentennial of Lincoln's birth. If I were king, I'd make 2008 be the
last year of circulating cents, and make a special commemorative cent
for 2009, and then no more.

--
Bob

I move that bob be made king of RCC for 403 days starting Friday. Any one
want to second that movement?

Naah,,,,,we reserve that for Man of the Year!!

Gary

'Rest In Peace Larry Calder'