Why America Should Get Rid of the Penny (Persuasive Essay Example)

When people think of pennies, the first thought that comes to mind is "worthless." You were once able to buy all sorts of snacks from a handful of pennies, but now they're just a waste of space. This is why I personally believe that these small copper and zinc coins should be removed from circulation. It would save the government an abundance of money, and cut down on the labor associated with manufacturing them. 

Believe it or not, the government loses 90 million dollars a year just to produce pennies. According to the article "The Penny Debate - Should We Keep the Penny or Get Rid of It," a penny costs about 2 cents to make, which is double its worth. All that money is wasted just to create a coin that people don't even bother to pick up from the ground. Don't you think it would be much better spent on more important matters such as the education system or NASA? It not only creates a loss of money, but is a massive waste of copper and zinc. Copper is used in many things such as electronics and plumbing, so it would make more sense to use it there instead of worthless coins.

Pennies don't conjure up in thin air, they need people and labor to produce. There is a lot of hassle associated with the manufacturing of pennies. Tons of time is wasted a year because of pennies. It is an arduous task to make these. There are many complex steps needed to roll these coins out. If we simply got rid of these coins, the Mint would have to do less than half the work they do to churn out pennies. As a bonus, they would use less fuel and not have to distribute pennies out to banks and stores. As mentioned earlier, copper and zinc have to be mined in order to produce pennies. The problem with this is that it causes a lot of pollution. The large equipment used for mining eats up fuel and causes carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, to fill the air. As well as using a huge amount of fuel, it utilizes a large amount of energy.

Some people may argue that removing pennies will cause the price of products to increase. While this is true, the difference is almost indistinguishable. According to "The Penny Debate - Should We Keep the Penny or Get Rid of It," even after you shop for things such as gas and groceries, you'll only spend about 3 or 4 cents extra. That figure is so insignificant that some people may even throw those 3 or 4 pennies out and not think twice. Other countries such as Canada, Britain, and Australia have gotten rid of pennies, and they're not struggling economically as a result. What would be different about the United States?

All in all, pennies have more downsides than upsides, therefore should not be produced anymore. Other countries have already taken this step without any repercussions, so that should be our goal as well. Things such as reduced pollution and more money for more important things make it worth our while.