Hello, I am Ananya and I do not support the idea that the penny should be abolished. In our daily lives without the penny, costs of things might go higher without the penny. Finally, President Lincoln is on the coin, which abolishing one of his memorials would be unpatriotic.

Abolishing pennies make prices go up by the nearest nickel(or in some cases to the nearest dime). People would be paying more than what was needed. Also, hen people are receiving money, they would either receive either more money or less money. This would make the economy unstable due to the variation in receiving money.

The penny has President Lincoln on the coin. The penny was solely dedicated to him because he was one of the greatest American presidents. If we abolish the penny, we are only disgracing for everything President Lincoln has done for us! He had stopped slavery of African Americans and done everything for them, like declaring the Emancipation Proclimation.

In a survey conducted in 2012, 200 million people want the penny to keep the coin! Many charities also benefit from the penny as well. Penny Drives solely benefit from pennies.

To summarize, my first point was that pennies could cause economic stability, and that abolishing it could destabilize it. My second point(and my final) is that taking Abraham Lincoln's coin is not a good thing. Therefore the opposition tea has won this debate.

Assertion: We have no practical use for the penny anymore

Reasoning: In earlier times, we had a use for it. Now we don't

Evidence: In the earlier 1900's, you could go to a candy shop and buy a piece of candy (or more!) for a penny. Also, you could go to a vending machine and use pennies in it. Now that does not happen. Where have you recently seen a vending machine that accepted pennies? Where have you recently seen a piece of bubble gum or licorice for a penny? The truth is, you haven't. So why keep the penny if you can't use it?

Assertion: Costs are higher than worth

Reasoning: It costs the mint more to make a penny than the tiny coin's value in currency

Evidence: The cost of the metal (zinc and copper) alone for the necessary amount in a penny costs about two cents

Assertion: No foreseeable economic breakdown

Reasoning: The economy won't break down just because we get rid of the penny

Evidence: Canada got rid of their penny in 2012 and their economy hasn't broken down for the loss of the one-cent coin

Hello, my name is Ryan Johnson and I will be telling you why pennies should be abolished.

Assertion: You can not buy anything today from a store today for a penny.

Reason: Pennies are just worth so little that people can give ten of them away and would not care. If people don't care why should the U.S. mint care?

Evidence: At BJ's a pack of jelly beans costs about $10.00. That is 100 pennies. You have to have a lot of pennies.

Assertion: It costs more for the U.S. mint to make pennies than how much people pay using pennies.

Reason: Not a lot of people use pennies anymore. It costs to much to make them if nobody uses them.

Evidence: Pennies cost 2.4 cents to make.With nearly 5 billion pennies minted in 2011, the U.S. spent almost $120 million to produce less than $50 million of circulating currency.

Again my name is Ryan Johnson and the proposition team has won this debate.

Good day everyone, my name is Zoe Rivera and I strongly believe that we should abolish the penny once and for all! Pennies don't make any CENTS! Now, if I may, I would like to assert my three main points.

1. America is converted to electronic banking; there is no use for ONE cent.

2. Pennies are an absolute waste of space and time.

3. Pennies are toxic and harmful to the environment.

Now, if I may, I would like to move onto my starting point.

America is transforming into a more modern, electronically-focused nation, similar to how urban areas in Japan are. There is no need for petty change such as the penny, and even the nickel! Pennies even cost more than a penny! To add to that statement, the cost of the metal (pennies are made of zinc and pure copper), the cost of running the mint, paying the citizens who work at the U.S. Mint, and several other maintenance! Do the math, and making a single penny cost approximately 2 cents! Getting rid of the useless zinc coin just makes good financial sense. According to the U.S. Mint, both the penny and the nickel have been produced at a loss since 2006 because the materials used cost more than the value of the coins. By some estimates, producing a single penny can cost more than 2 cents. With added enforcement, I declare that the penny isn't even worth a penny!

We are looking forward to the future of technology. Roy Finklehiem, a native of local Michigan, states that getting rid of the penny would be a wise choice, saying that, "In about 2025, that one cent that you found on the sidewalk isn't going to matter anymore. It's gonna matter whether you have that new IPad or not." (source: littleus.org) According to an internationally conducted survey, 49 percent of moderates and 47 percent of liberals strongly believe that the penny is not a relevant form of currency that America should waste its time on. Electronic banking is conducted in all 50 states of America; it is quite irrelevant to keep a piece of worthless copper sitting there when it is worth hardly anything! ATMs are electronic terminals that let you bank almost virtually any time. To withdraw cash, make deposits, or transfer funds between accounts, you generally insert an ATM card and enter your PIN. Both types of digital banking are on the rise. In 2010, 46% of U.S. adults, or 58% of internet users, said they bank online. (source: pewinternet.org)

Online banking is simpler, easier, and more environmentally friendly than the copper pennies we use! Electronic banking will change the world for the better, not the polar opposite!

I would know like to elaborate on my next point.

Pennies are an absolute waste of space and time. A penny costs more to produce than it is worth (even after the 1982 change from a 95 percent copper composition to 97.5 percent zinc), so the U.S. loses tens of millions of dollars a year minting them. The average American wastes about 12 hours counting and picking through a trough-full of useless zinc coins. 12 wasted from you short and valuable life; picking these fruitless pennies out of jars and whatever crevice you can find! Even the half-dollar, in today's money power, is worth approximately 10 cents!

A penny saved may be a penny earned, but it is about two seconds of income for an average American. Andy Warhol, a French writer, stated, “I hate PENNIES. I wish they’d stop making them altogether. I would never save them. I don’t have the time. I like to say in stores, ‘Oh forget it, keep those pennies. It makes my French wallet too heavy.’ (source: theparisreview.org) Further evidence even demonstrates that the National Association of Convenience Stores and Walgreens estimate that handling pennies adds 2 to 2.5 seconds per cash transaction. By eliminating pennies, one such business, Mike's Bikes, will save over $5K a year; rounding up to the customer's benefit, allowing them to share these savings with their customers. The worth of these copper-ish coins are rapidly shrinking; even the minimum wage pays more than they do. They are so worthless now that it doesn't even pay the California Minimum Wage of $8/hour to pick them up off the street. Pennies are useless forms of credit that only cause a waste of time, money, and space! Why do you think you see so many pennies cast away like rejects at the bottom of fountains? I doubt anyone would want them in the market we have functioning today!

Finally, I would like to discuss the topic of my third assertion.

The penny is a toxic material once it is freshly mined. Pennies are 3% copper, and 97% zinc and are primarily made from virgin ore. Making pennies from zinc means and copper means mining for those materials. Red Dog Mine, which is the largest zinc mine in the US, is by far the #1 polluter on the EPA's list, because of large quantities of heavy-metal and lead rich mining tailings. The process of refining both metals can release sulfur dioxide, lead and zinc into the environment. Although zinc is a useful material, used in galvanizing metal, building materials, and many products that we use every day. But it is crazy to move 50,000 tons of rock to get a thousand tonnes of zinc to make something that we barely use, that piles up in jars and bowls, and actually costs 1.79 cents to make. (source: treehugger.com) Red Dog Mine, the sole mine that is the central hub for pennies, has had problems with toxins entering the air as metal-laden dust, and metals leaching into the ground and water, prompting a lawsuit from communities downstream from its operations. The toxins that leak into streams and the air is also affecting wildlife native to Alaska; those innocent, poor animals! I am an environmentalist at heart; and a pang of guilt enters my heart knowing we are treating our land and animals this way, for what? The useless penny? This is absolutely outrageous and uncalled for on our part, and our governments part! It is time to take a stand!

In conclusion, Judge, after I have presented my given evidence, I strongly believe that the proposition side has won this debate. Pennies make zero CENTS! You'll be getting more bang for your buck if you join us, the proposition side, in the abolishment against pennies! Thank you for your time.

Assertion:Making pennies wastes taxpayer money

Reasoning: It costs the U.S. Mint 1.26 cents to make each 1 cent coin, meaning that taxpayers are losing 0.26 of a cent for each one of the 7.4 billion pennies the Mint produces each year.

Assertion:Making pennies wastes time

Reasoning/ evidence:The U.S. Mint makes an average of 20.27 million pennies per day to produce its 7.4 billion penny annual output. If we just get rid of the penny, the Mint would only have to do half the work! And we're not even counting the time, fuel, expense, and hassle of carting all of those pennies around to the banks, merchants, etc. If we stop making pennies in the first place, we save all this associated time and trouble, too.

Assertion: Rounding-up prices wouldn't matter

Reasoning/evidence: The anti-penny folks rebut the rounding-up argument by pointing out that we wouldn't pay more for each item we buy, only for the total price of what we buy. Even if you shop 2 or 3 times a day, (which most people don't,) and even if the rounding goes against you 2 times out of 3, (which it shouldn't,) we're still only talking about a 3 or 4 cents per day at the most! Most people throw more than 4 cents' worth of pennies into the jar (or trash) each day anyway!

Hi, my name is Esha Trivedi and I support that we should abolish the penny.

1.ASSERTION:The U.S. is spending more money to make a penny than what the penny is actually cost.

REASONING: The Wall Street Journal wrote that American only place little value on the penny,but it's costing us millions each year.

EVIDENCE: Almost $900 million dollars are drained from the national economy each year. This is the price we have to pay for making pennies. (retirethepenny.org) In 2013 pennies costed 24.1 cents to produce. This means that the government spent nearly $169 million just to put $70 million of currency into circulation.(Huffington Post)

2.ASSERTION:Abraham Lincoln wouldn't want his face on a coin that pulls around millions from the economy.

REASONING:

EVIDENCE:John Green said that "If Abraham Lincoln were alive today he would say, 'Why is my face on a coin that is worth 1/26 of what the penny was worth when I was president?' "

Prop:

Assertion: The government is losing a lot of money on making pennies.

Reasoning: It costs 1.7 cents to create one penny, which is worth 1 cent (washington post)

Evidence:

90.5 Million dollars are being wasted on pennies a year (studentnewsdaily.com)

This is the ninth straight year in which the price of making one penny has been above its face value (latimes.com)

Before 2006 the cost of the penny was pretty low. After 2006, the price of the penny did not stop going up

Pennies should be abolished

Hello all. I am Agni Rajinikanth. And I am stating that we should abolish the pennies.

Assertion #1

Pennies are useless

Reasoning #1

Only a few vending machines allow pennies. There is nothing much you can buy for a penny. Pennies are a hassle to carry. For example, instead of carrying 1000 pennies, you could carry a 10 dollar bill.

Evidence #1:

Many Americans don’t carry pennies around with them. People don’t use pennies when buying. They created the penny because in the old times, things were cheaper. Now they are not. We don’t need pennies anymore.

Assertion #2:

Pennies make government lose money easily.

Reasoning #2:

It costs our government more money to make the penny instead of what the penny is worth now.

Evidence #2:

US mint spends almost 120 million dollars to produce less than 50 million dollars of the circulating currency with nearly 5 billion pennies printed in the US. Pennies drain almost 900 million dollars from the nation’s economy each year. It costs more than 2 cents to many 1 penny.

Assertion #3:

There won’t be an economical breakdown.

Reasoning #3:

Pennies are worth less. There would be difference but not that big that would affect our economy. People would lose some money, but it won’t matter. People get money each day at their jobs.

Evidence #3:

Canada abolished and they did not have an economical breakdown. We already have experience d in getting rid of a currency: the half cent. It was not a problem.

I think we should abolish the penny for these three reasons.

Thank you

References:

http://magazines.scholastic.com/news/2014/03/Should-America-Get-Rid-of-the-Penny

http://www.retirethepenny.org/

http://www.wsj.com/articles/easy-to-lose-and-expensive-to-produce-is-the-penny-worth-it-1411145870

http://www.thewire.com/national/2014/09/ a-guide-to-ditching-the-american-penny-for-once-and-for-all/380353/

http://silverchips.mbhs.edu/story/3718

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/07/get-rid-of-the-penny n4719984.html

Abolishing the penny makes sense !

Hello my name is Shyam Parikh and I am on the proposition side for this debate. I would like to abolish the penny.

#1 Assertion: Pennies are too expensive

#1 Reasoning: From 2006 to 2015,the price to make a penny was above one cent. In 2011, the price was above two cents. It will be very costly for the U.S. government and U.S. taxpayers to pay all the money for the pennies. Pennies have resulted in the two times the loss from producing them. We lost 42.6 million from making pennies and nickels in 2010.

#1 Evidence:In the U.S. Mint's Annual Report 2010 talks about the cost and the shipment payment of the pennies.I found about this at http://coincollectingenterprises.com/information/cost-to-make-a-penny

#2 Assertion: There is nothing you can buy with the penny

#2 Reasoning: Before you could buy many candies with one cent. Right now, you can not buy anything with one cent. In vending machines you can not buy anything for one cent right now. Pennies get rounded up to the nearest nickel. If something cost 2.79 dollars you would round it to 2.80 dollars. Canada stopped making pennies in 2012.

#2 Evidence: It says you could treat yourself to a candy feast.It also says there is nothing we can buy with a penny. All prices would be rounded to the nearest nickel. I found all of this information at http://magazines.scholastic.com/news/2014/03/Should-America-Get-Rid-of-the-Penny

#3 Assertion: The penny is a useless coin

#3 Reasoning: They got rid of the half-dollar coin. If you think about it, the half-dollar coin could be easily rounded.Stores such as Walgreen's and the National Association of Convenience Stores estimated that it wastes 2 seconds of that transaction. Since there are about 107 billion cash transactions a year, we are wasting 102 million hours counting the pennies and other coins. The Army and Air Force said that they are" "too heavy and not cost-effective to ship."5 Pennies weigh 12.5 grams.

#3 Evidence: In the article it talks how the penny affects our national economy. The half-dollar was no longer made after 1950. You can find all of this information at http://www.retirethepenny.org/itmakessense.html

Hello my name is Karishma and I am on the proposition side of this debate.

Assertion: It costs around double the penny's worth to make a penny.

Reasoning: In 2011, 5 billion pennies were produced. The U.S. spent around $120 million to produce less than $50 million of circulating currency.

Evidence: The penny drains around $900 million from the national economy each year.

Assertion: The penny does not have any use.

Reasoning: In the earlier times, things were cheaper. Now they are not.

Evidence: Before, you could buy a piece of candy like bubble gum for a penny. (These things were called penny candy.) Now, you can not. Things cost more than just a penny.

Assertion: There will not be an economical breakdown.

Reasoning: Pennies are worth very little. People may lose some money but they can always get money from their jobs.

Evidence: Canada abolished the penny and they did not have an economical breakdown.

Pennies should be abolished because the cost to make a penny is double it's worth, the penny does not have any use, and there will not be an economical breakdown.

Hello my name is is Vaishnavi Bhalla and i believe that the penny should be abolished.

(1) It costs more to make a penny than what than what the penny is actually worth. A penny costs 1.7 cents to produce which includes the cost of the metal (pennies are made of zinc and copper) and running the Mint, including paying the people who work there.

Source: A Wall Street Article - http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2014/12/15/just-how-much-does-it-cost-to-make-a-penny/

(2) These days, there’s nothing you can buy for a penny. Few vending machines accept them, and using them to pay for pretty much anything is just a hassle. (Imagine hauling a thousand pennies to the movie theater for a ticket instead of a $10 bill.) Do we really need pennies at all?

(3) Canada has successfully transitioned away from penny in physical transactions. It is not the first country to have done away with its smallest unit of currency: in the past few decades Britain, France, Israel and Spain, among others, have done the same. The Canadian penny has been eliminated because it is a waste of both money and time. Inflation has reduced its purchasing power by 95% since it was first minted domestically in 1908.

Source: http://www.economist.com/blogs/newsbook/ 2013/02/economist-explains-why-canada-killed-penny

Assertion: The penny costs more than how much it is worth.

Reasoning: It costs two cents to make a single penny. A penny is made of zinc and copper, so the zinc industries are paying money to keep the penny in the market, so they do not run out of business. Canada stopped making the penny in 2012, so why don’t we?

Evidence: It says in the passage, that to make one cent, it costs 1.67 cents. This does not seem like a big difference, but to make 100, 000,000 pennies it costs 1,000,000 extra dollars. This seems like a lot.

Assertion: Making the penny go away, won’t affect the memory of Abe Lincoln.

Reasoning: We already have Lincoln’s portrait on the front of the $5 bill and the memorial on the back, and the $5 bill is not going away any time soon. Also, why would we put such a great president on this one cent!

Evidence: Since the penny hurts the national economy, because handling the penny adds an average of 2 seconds for each transaction. Anyway, by abolishing the penny, we are not going to forget one of the greatest presidents, Abe Lincoln.

Assertion: The penny is worthless now.

Reasoning: Before, you could buy something with a penny, so it made sense that the penny was still being produced. At that time, there was something called the penny candy. Now, it costs at least a nickel to buy anything, even a little piece of gum.

Evidence: It says in the passage,”Assuming that the timing was correct before, the penny should have been eliminated in 1950, when the penny was worth what a dime is today.”

Hello, I'm Janie Mallari and I'm telling you why we should abolish the penny.

Assertion: We don't use the penny anymore because we have the dime, nickel, and quarter with us and we get pennies from a vending machine, but some say we shouldn't use the penny, so what is the use of the penny.

Reasoning: Because the penny has no use and we get pennies. Some people drop it and maybe soon later in the future there might be a lot of stacks of pennies on the ground, or the whole world will be covered in pennies when we drop them.

Evidence: If you look under tables, counters, drawers, streets, and grounds, you find pennies all over yourself when you walk and you find them almost everywhere you go, if I were you I wouldn't pick it up.

This is my argument for the penny to be abolished.

Hello my name is Nia and I am supporting the idea that the penny should be abolished.

1. Assertion: A penny cost more money to make than its monetary value.

Reasoning: If it is costing the mint more money to make the penny that a penny’s value we lose about $90 million from the national economy each year.

Evidence: A penny is worth 1 cent but making it cost 1.7 cents. This means in seven years the national economy will have lost $630,000,000. The United States has to save as much as possible the making of the penny is harming the drastically. This is why the penny should be abolished.

2. Assertion: Nothing costs a penny.

Reasoning: In the 1900s you could buy some candies, but now even candy cost more than a penny. If we cannot buy anything with a penny it is useless. We are wasting money on something we don’t even use.

Evidence: The penny was originally created because it was almost like having a nickel. Today, you can barely use a nickel or a penny. Things that use to cost a penny, now cost twenty-five cents.

3. Assertion: Tax-payers pay for the penny

Reasoning: The penny cause the population of tax-payers to lose $ 90 million a year. The $90 million that tax-payers are wasting on the penny could be used for parks, houses, education, hospitals, and road repairs. The making of a penny takes away money from public services and gives it to a lost cause.

Evidence: 122 million people who live in the United States pay taxes. Each year the U.S collects $2.2 trillion from those tax payers. So much of that money is wasted for something we do not use.

Hello!My name is Siya and I am stating that the penny should be abolish the penny here is why

A-You can't buy anything with a penny

R-Before you could buy things for a cent like bubblegum now this stuff costs maybe a dollar

E-a bubblegum isn't sold in singles anymore

A-a waste of money to make a penny

R-zinc is very expensive

E- a penny costs $1.67 that is 167x the value of the penny

A-money is usually rounded

R-if something is for $8.99 you will pay only a cent extra

E-49% say yes to rounding (debate.org)