If you're comparing them to the US, then it's mostly just uninformed... since the US was found to have laundered more than 16 trillion dollars from taxpayers recently through the federal reserve (actually it appears it was much more than that). Most people haven't heard of it because it wasn't talked about on TV, but the report is out, you can read it yourself. The US government is a PROFESSIONAL money waster/thief. TARP, the Iraq War, the Afghanistan war, the illegal occupation in Pakistan, the bank bailout, the federal reserve... all of these things WASTED the money of American taxpayers AGAINST their will (since we never voted on them, or they were forced on us)...

So I guess I fail to see your point, I'm pretty sure we waste a lot more money than they do. We also STEAL a lot more. Are you just being blindly hateful (in the US they call that "patriotism")? ... or is this sublimation?

You need to be chipped. The kunucks are always losing money. Better to keep it always inside your person.

In Canada it's only when you pay cash and it is either rounded up or down - not just up - so the US could do it as well. If the total comes to .01 or .02 you pay .00. If the amount is .03 or .04 you pay .05. However, if you are paying by debit card or credit card, you pay the exact amount.

Canada is also a country with reasonable people in the government. We're not nearly as fortunate. It's a solid bet that the US Chamber of Commerce will enact this exactly in a manor to increase their profits, and the republicans will snap to attention and execute their orders.

Dude, the US Chamber of Commerce is a lobbying organization, not a branch of government.

Furthermore, I'm not even sure you need Congressional approval to get rid of the penny. I'm pretty sure the President could just order the Treasury to stop making them.

In any case, it's also ridiculous to suggest that it would cost the average American much of anything. That's based on some kind of math that assumes you pay an extra ten cents at every transaction or something, which is silly.

Canada got rid of the one dollar bill and the two dollar bill a number of years ago and have replaced them with coins. The only problem with this is your change gets heavy.

don't know if he'd appreciate that.....

Although the Loonie and Twoonie last longer they do make your change heavy. Also, I think most people in Canada absolutely hate the new $20, $50, and $100 dollar bills. They are plastic, stick together and even though they don't get ruined in the wash, they can melt and look like play money.

Hmmm.....I'll have to think about that, and then you can give me a penny for my thoughts, or as we like to say up here now, a nickel for my thoughts :)

Bucky Fuller proposed that we went from the gold standard to the mind standard back when Nixon took us off the gold standard in 1972. So in today's economy that would translate into a billion dollars for your thoughts.....

ROFL! That's a good one.

We now say, "A polymer for your thoughts?" We used up all our coins for disaster relief, and now even the polymers are getting low. Though I have kept a few pennies for experiments and wearing as monocles.

Indeed. And those people, we elect to Parliament :)

HA HA HA. That may have been the case a few years ago, but the Canadian dollar is worth more than the US dollar these days. So I'd say that the Canadian penny is worth more now.

Pfffft! I don't think so. Check the exchange rate. It's at least on par, if not above.

I still can't use i them at the mini mart without pissing off the clerks.;-)

I guess they don't like the maple leaf on the back of the penny. I'm surprised they even take the time to notice that they are Canadian pennies though. But, I'll bet you ten-to-one that is where you got them from in the first place.

Take like $40 worth in there. :)

That does remind me. A clerk at Taco Bell gave me a Canadian penny for change one day, and the next day would not accept the very same penny as payment.

Love it.

Niiiiice.

if we are going to start useing those again I'm rich

I miss all the penny candy. I used to get $3.00 a week allowance and even after buying my weekly supply of candy and a pint of 45 cent ice cream, I'd still have money left over. Now that same pint of ice cream costs almost $5.00, more if it's Ben and Jerry's. However, we do have a store in town that sells the old fashion candy from jars, but forget buying anything for a penny today.

That's interesting. Most stores here have a system for that - they leave on the counter by the till a dish marked "take a penny, leave a penny" or some similar thing so customers can do what you've just described - it's a good system.

We have some stores here that do that but not all of them do but I give them back anyway :-).

:) Hey there, girlfriend. Getting excited about spring? I'm already poring through my seed catalogues - going to try do my tomatoes from seed this year instead of buying nursery plants.

I am definitely getting excited for Spring -- esp since we've been getting snow about once a week here. I'm hoping that translates to a better growing season this summer. Now that my garden is fenced I'm going to plant it the 1st of April. But hey, I got 25 pears off my pear tree -- put them in abrown paper bag in the laundry room and they actually ripened :-)! I wanna plant a peach tree this year. Thnx for askin' :-)!!!!

I so wish we could grow peaches here. They're my favorite fruit, fresh or home canned. They do grow in nearby communities, but not in ours. Mmmm....good luck with the peach tree - there's so much one can do with peaches.

My mom used to can all her own fruit and make her own bread. My school lunches always consisted of sandwiches on homemade bread, home baked goods and often home-canned fruit, usually peaches. A friend of mine whose mother never baked or canned used to go gaga over my lunches, as I did over hers - wow! store-bought bread! store-bought cookies! Unbeknownst to our mothers, we'd trade lunches nearly every day.

Right on!
Or as we say here now: Pwr 2 the NICKELLESS peons!

Since Mike has gotten so sick and has had to watch what he eats I have been making our bread -- buttermilk, sugar free maple syrup, olive oil, 2 eggs, and half white flour and half wheat. We both love it and it smells soooo good baking in the oven :-)!
My Aunt Bernice had a peach tree in her yard and when we went to visit she and I would go to the local dairy (seriously, a real dairy!) and buy cream to pour over her homegrown peaches -- nothin' better!!!
And ... a number of years ago when we were young I always had a garden and at the end of the growing season I would gather all the tomatoes and make homemade catsup :-) -- nothing's better than homemade ANYTHING :-)!!!

Thank you dear friend -- I love it when internet buddies copy my 'pwr peon' comments :-)!

Your bread sounds delicious. With the ingredients you listed, it must be moist and tender. I'll bet it's heavenly toasted. Yes, I'm convinced that if everyone had access to REAL food we would not have an obesity epidemic. When my grandchildren visit in summer, they would MUCH rather have anything fresh from the garden than packaged foods.

Oh, I know - the new bills are hideous! Who on earth conceived of them? Yes, I'm hearing stories as well from retail workers about the bills sticking together - not to mention the damn things melting. What a debacle.

That's an awesome idea re: the collection. I should save some for my grandchildren as well - thanks for the idea.

Your welcome.

Oh, we're both so Canadian ;)

In spirit at least. I've lived in Canada for 43 years, but I'm still a landed immigrant. It's procrastination on my part more then anything. But, I've been thinking about it more and more since I cannot imagine ever moving back to the States as my children and grandchildren are all Canadian.

I'll bet they will be, Leen - apparently their usage has dropped dramatically in the U.S.