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f ROM THE EDITOR Nothing endures but change S eeing the country accept a dollar coin would be ideal for the coin-op industry and the other members of the Coin Coalition who are lobbying for the change. We know that it could be an advantage and have been touting those reasons why to anyone willing to listen . And while we can recite the prosincluding an annual $318 million savings to the government-there are groups that can match us reason for reason with the cons . For example, Donna Pope, director of the U.S . Mint and L. Nye Stevens of the General Accounting Office are not in favor of seeing a new dollar coin. Pope is flat-out opposed to the idea and Stevens agrees, to an extent. Pope has said that she sees little indication of public support. She grants that machines may like coins, but people like bills. She added that without substantial public support, the proposed Christopher Columbus dollar coin would not be any more successful than its predecessor, the Susan B. Anthony. Half of the 857 million Susies remain in storage. Pope points out that if the coins were melted down , the Treasury would have to write off $415 million in bookkeeping seigniorage. ''No one is yet proposing to get rid of the Susies , but no one wants the things either," she said. Although Stevens somewhat agreed, he conceded that it would have a chance of acceptance only if the dollar bill was 10 PLAY METER/September 1990 phased out within a short period of time. He noted that foreign governments can impose unpopular measures, but the American Congress enjoys no such power. And this is where it stands, two very distinct, opposing views. A Gallup Poll suggests that 59 percent of the public is opposed to the idea of a dollar coin. OK, but that means that 41 percent are not opposed to it! That's where this issue will be resolved-at the public level. The public does not forget so quickly the fiasco of the Susan B. With a choice of the familiar paper buck or the new Susie, it's not surprising that few rallied to the new coin. I'm not really sure, but I think this is why the metric system is in limbo. The public has more or less refused to change, although a few things have slipped through (the two-liter drinks, for example) . It would take a lot of convincing to prove that going to metric would be a change for the better. But if a group believed strongly enough, I guess it would change. We should know well how strong public opinion can be. Remember when the fly-by-nights opened arcades that were inferior to anything we had previously? And do you remember when those were the only places that seemed to draw attention? We not only had to convince the public that the industry was legit, we also had to explain that those places were not the norm. It's bad enough to struggle for acceptance; it's worse when you have to fight preconceived notions . In fact, our industry has been doing just that for many years. An editorial in the Denver Rocky Mountain News talked about the new dollar coin. It stated, ''Old habits die hard, and polls show many people don't think this is the greatest idea. But if the new coin is minted, and the dollar bills are trashed , life will be easier, especially when it comes time to belly up to the vending machine, where dollar-plus items are common . The idea makes sense. We hope that doesn't doom it." I think the 41 percent of the public that doesn't oppose the coin are a positive indication that it can be done. You have probably all seen this quote cross stitched and framed, "God grant us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things which should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other." I hope that we all continue to show courage in our efforts to change that which should be changed, in this case, a dollar coin instead of a paper one. D Valerie Cognevich Editor