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A little bit of currency, a big lesson on rights
© St. Petersburg Times In honor of Bill of Rights Day, which is Saturday, let's talk about an idea started a few years ago by a group of middle school children in Virginia. The proposal is to replace the back of our $1 bill, which now features the national seal and the word "One," with a summary of the U.S. Constitution. The front, featuring George Washington, would remain unchanged. The words "The Constitution of the United States" would stretch across the top. Underneath would come the famous "We the People" preamble. Summaries of the articles and amendments would follow in columns. The old illustrations, the ones used now, would remain faintly in the background. This is the idea of Liberty Middle School in Ashland, Va. The idea has been introduced in both the House and Senate by Virginia's representatives in Congress. For the record, the bill numbers in the current Congress are S. 1225 and H.R. 1021. Naturally, the kids have a Web site. Check it out at www.libertydollarbill.org. Their best argument for changing the $1 bill is that it would advertise our basic American principles and promote human rights around the entire world. To be honest, it would be a pretty useful reminder for ourselves, too. The reverse side of the current $1 bill is (to me) the least impressive of our currency. On the $5, you've got the Lincoln Memorial. On the $10, the Treasury Building. On the $20, the White House. On the $50, the U.S. Capitol. On the $100, Independence Hall. But on the $1? Take a look. On the left there's that weird pyramid, topped off by an eye that appears to be radiating. There's some Latin stuff above and below. This is the obverse side of our nation's seal. It turns out that the pyramid has 13 steps and the eye represents the eye of God. The words Annuit Coeptis mean, "He has favored our undertakings." The words Novus Ordo Seclorum mean, "A new order of the ages." Just in case you didn't know you were holding a $1 bill, the word "One" appears in large letters in the middle of the note. On the right-hand side is the familiar eagle, bearing arrows and olive branch. But it's not like the $1 bill is the only place to see it. The kids have done their homework. The Bureau of Engraving and Printing confirms that it would cost something like $500,000 to $1-million to change the design of the bill. "The department has taken no position on the bills (in Congress)," Jim Hagedorn, a spokesman for the bureau, told me. Any problems with counterfeiting? In the first place, Haedorn said, not that many people waste their time trying to counterfeit $1 bills. In the second place, most of the security features are visible from the front anyway. There are two kinds of opposition to the idea of changing the $1 bill. The first kind is practical and political. Everybody whose machines accept $1 bills would have to change -- an enormous expense, much larger than the changes needed when the larger denominations were revamped. They have their own lobbyists and associations that give campaign contributions to Congress. To date, Congress has forbidden the Treasury Department to redesign the $1 bill as it did all the others. The other basis of opposition is simply tradition. It might feel like messing with our nation's Founders to alter all that ancient stuff. But here is a little secret: The seal wasn't used on currency until 1935. Not so ancient a tradition, really. Besides, nobody says we can't start a new tradition ourselves. I like the idea of summaries of the Constitution everywhere in the world, whether it be in the pocket of some guy in a cave in Afghanistan, or propping up the underground economy of China. There are 8-billion $1 bills in circulation today. Imagine, 8-billion copies of the Constitution! No way could that be bad. -- You can reach Howard Troxler at (727) 893-8505 or at troxler@sptimes.com.
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Times columns today Robert Trigaux From the Times Metro desk |
