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FROM THE EDITOR If only I had a dollar... F Valerie Cognevich Editor PLAY METER or everyone in the coin-operated entertainment business, there has been some good news from Washington concerning the dollar coin. Since the Republicans are dominating Congress, the push is on to eliminate the doll ar bill and full speed ahead on the dollar coin. But with every silver-lined cloud there's bound to be someone itching to rain on the parade. True to form , here comes the United States Mint and a beefed-up campaign against the dollar coin. Their reasons don't seem very well thought out, but they are determined to fight the plan. U.S. Mint Director Phillip Diehl explained in an article in the Wall Street journal, "While the Democrats held Congress, the Mint hadn't thought it necessary to take a position on the coin. Now there is a greater degree of urgency to reconsider what has traditionally been a neutral position." In a strange way, that sounds like good news to those who have been trying to get the dollar coin legislation passed. Think about it; if the Mint has decided to take the time and effort to fight it, it must be much closer to passing than ever before! But why is the Mint so opposed? In the United States Mint newsletter, Mint News, Diehl declared, "This is another attempt to force the American people to accept something they've rejected twice in the past 25 years." He goes on to say, "This is a case of mistaken policy magnified by ill-considered technical requirements. The public rejects a dollar coin generally. Moreover, the Mint can't make H.R. 534 work in the time allowed. That combination virtually guarantees the third failure of a dollar coin [referring to the Susan B. Anthony in 1979 and the earlier Eisenhower dollar coin in the early '70s]." But I think what bothers me the most is Diehl's sluffing off the savings as "modest" although it stands to be millions. He claims that savings have been exaggerated. While proponents of the bill claim savings of up to $800 million per year, Diehl thinks a $20 million savings would be more the number. Ok, so it's only $20 million! Where do these government people get off saying that a mere $20 million per year is not worth the effort. It would certainly be enough to fix a few potholes on my street that are big 10 enough to plant California redwoods! There seems to be this view that Americans can't or refuse to change. Does the metric system jump to mind? Sure we can buy a two-liter bottle of Coke but just how many meters are there in a foot? I've had no reason to talk in centimeters instead of inches. The country is making it very easy for me to continue using the familiar customary weights and measures. And that is the point with the dollar coin. You can't compare the previous dollar coins to the efforts underway now. The comfortable, familiar dollar bill was never far away, so we continued to use it. That's why the Eisenhower and Susan B. are taking up space in Mint warehouses. There was no incentive to change. Eliminate the dollar bill and you've taken away the choice about whether to stay with the comfy bill or try the new coin. If you've ever been to a country that uses a dollar coin (or a denomination similar to our dollar), then you'll feel much different about a dollar coin. When I was in London, the first thing I did was convert my dollars to pounds. I just stared at the unfamiliar coins I was given, trying to figure out what they were. For the first couple of days, I'd simply scoop up a handful of coins and hold them out for the sales clerk to choose the appropriate amount. But it wasn't long before I was able to snatch up a pound coin for my purchase. I learned quickly that it was much easier dealing with these coins than with the paper money. Recently my son and I were in a building with a bank of vending machines. He saw that the machines took dollar bills so he got one out of my purse and went to make his choice. I couldn't help but chuckle when I saw him put the dollar in and it was spit right back out-seven times! He didn't think it was funny. "Why the heck can't they make a dollar coin?" he innocently asked, not realizing that we have been campaigning for that very thing for several years. I asked him if he would mind having more change in his pocket. Surprisingly, he countered with th e explanation that he'd probably have less. "Look, I've got three quarters, four dimes and a nickel. If there was a dollar coin, three quarters, two dimes, and the nickel would be just one coin." Does the public, as Mr. Diehl claims, reject a dollar coin in general. I don't believe that's true, but I do think that most people will continue to use what they are familiar with as long as it's available. It's a shame that Mr. Diehl has not taken a hard, long look at all of the advantages to having a virtually indestructible coin that will be much easier to deal with than paper. It's time it happened. But please don't ask me to learn that pesky metric system! .A. AUGUST 1995