Editorial: Ditch the dollar bill and live with change: The main reason to make the switch is that it will save money. Paper dollars wear out in about three years and then are typically shredded and put in landfills. Coins cost more to make, but they last 30 years or more, and they’re recyclable when they become too worn to circulate. The government also makes money on the difference between what money costs to make and what it’s worth.

8 Easy Ways to Cut Government Spending: Replace George with Sacajawea (est. savings: $184 million).

In defense of the dollar coin: To the extent it’s possible to weigh the matter objectively, facts favor the coin. Almost all industrialized countries have eliminated small-denomination bills, because metal objects last longer than paper ones. Protecting the long-run interest of taxpayers is what Congress is supposed to do.

Cutting a dollar a tough issue for Congress: On balance, though, the merits favor a coin: Past attempts have failed because the government continued to offer a dollar-bill alternative. If you eliminate that, as Mr. Schweikert’s bill would, then business and consumer acceptance should be no problem. The government could draw down existing stockpiles to meet demand. Given the country’s financial emergency, it’s worth a try.

Dollar coin? It’s time: A coin would last longer than a bill, saving the government money. A dollar bill, as we all know too well, is a fleeting thing. Not just because it leaves our hands so much more easily than it returns but because, as it changes hands, it wears out within about three years, and often sooner. A coin’s life span, by contrast, averages 30 years. That’s

Ditch penny and paper dollar bill: A dollar coin — without a dollar bill — makes so much more sense. Congress, including and especially Wisconsin’s delegation, should show it isn’t totally dysfunctional by getting this done.

Congress Should Ditch the Dollar Bill for Long-Lasting Dollar Coins: Here’s an easy way to save billions without cutting federal programs or raising taxes: Simply ditch the $1 bill… Most Western economies have moved to the equivalent of dollar coins to similarly save money, according to USA Today. The United States should, too.

2012 Annual Report:

Replacing the $1 note with a $1 coin would provide a significant financial benefit to the government over time. Over the past 40 years, many nations have replaced lower-denomination notes with coins as a means of providing a financial benefit to their governments.

GAO has reported five times over the past 22 years that replacing the $1 note with a $1 coin would provide a net benefit to the government of hundreds of millions of dollars annually (p. 273).

February 2012:

Replacing the $1 note with a $1 coin would provide a net benefit to the government of approximately $4.4 billion over 30 years

March 2011:

Replacing the $1 Note with a $1 Coin Would Provide a Financial Benefit to the government

April 2000:

Financial Impact of Issuing the New $1 Coin