rkw

Today, walking back home, I saw a bright shiny new penny laying on the sidewalk. Only a single penny, but it was so bright in the sunshine that I picked it up. Looking ahead, I saw what looked like another just a few feet away. I picked that bright new penny up as well. I had noticed that other folks were just walking by, ignoring the pennies, even though both were very bright. Most folks walking on sidewalks in Manhattan, especially in residential areas like the Upper West Side, do pay attention to what is on the sidewalk, mostly to avoid stepping on dog turds. Yes, most dog owners are good about sticking with the regulations that they must pick up after their dog. However, clearly enough dog owners fail to follow the regulation to ensure that there is always the risk of messing up one's shoes if not paying attention to the surface of the sidewalk.

For almost ten successive blocks, I found one to three pennies on each block. I picked them all up, although many of them were not as shiny as the first two. As I walked, I remembered seeing a young man going through a pile of coins in his hand and just dropping the pennies. Initially I had wondered if someone deliberately created a path of pennies, but the memory convinced me this was just the result of yet another person who treated pennies as trash.

After a bit of online research, I learned that a lot of folks think pennies should be abandoned – and that some just treat them as trash. Others assert that could be considered a violation of US code. It is true that pennies now cost more to create (1.7￠) than they are worth.

Finally I found a good summary of the arguments about pennies: Should We Get Rid of the Penny? – 8 Reasons to Keep It vs Eliminate It. I discovered that, like many Americans, I just like pennies because they honor Lincoln, our most revered president.

I also liked the story about the student, Stephen Coyle, who used pennies for protest: 11,000 pennies for your thoughts? One student’s unique protest against fines

#100daystooffload Day 22.