“The Penny Debate” is an article written by Brad Andrews that focuses on whether the U.

S
should halt the production of the penny or not and its people’s honest opinions. There are two
sides, one wants to get rid of the currency and one hopes to keep it. Although the arguments
given by both sides are strong and convincing, I think that the penny is best being kept because it
has more upsides than how some people would imagine. It is said that the penny proves to be
economically insufficent and inconvenient, as its intial value costs more than after being put out
to circulate in the economy; And could get lost easily because of its small size. However, I
would argue that pennies have not only financial benefits but sentimental values also. First of all,
the denomination of pennies keep the high prices in check, which would greatly benefits the
consumers as it prevents rounding prices to the nickel. Without the penny, it is said that
consumers would be devastatingly affected with a “multi-billion dollar rounding tax”, according
to the research by Penn State economist Ray Lombra. Therefore, the penny plays a major role in
keeping the economy balanced and undisturbed, especially when it comes to the poor. Secondly,
the penny bears the sentimental and symbolic aspects that exist in many idioms, sayings which
have inspired the people to do good things ,like “A penny saved is a penny earned”, for many
decades, as well as many other priceless tradition such as Wishing Well, Piggy Bank, etc. Lots of
charitable organizations thrive on pennies, their collection of pennies have proven to have helped
the poor, ensure who are in need get the help they deserve, it also funds certain cancer
researches. For instance, in 2009, 150 million in pennies gathered across the country was
donated to the “Pennies for Patients”. In conclusion, the penny should be kept because of its
immense capabilities.