OT: Two Years until the Analog TV Shut-off

[Tom Schindler]

For crying out loud, the don't know how to get the American people to switch away from paper dollar bills.





Tom

 

[Ryan Schaecher]

For crying out loud, the don't know how to get the American people to switch away from paper dollar bills.

That is about the only thing about Canada I admire.... the $1 and $2 coins. No bills under $5.



I usually throw all my change into a bucket each night. I save the quarters up for "toys" (read guns). I am not alone. Many people do this same thing and this is their "savings account". Could you imagine the amount of money people would save if they tossed their $1 and $2 coins into a bucket and once a month or once a quarter took that bucket in and dumped it even into a modest savings account at a bank?



I usually average about $30/4-months just in quarters. I don't spend a lot of cash to get change back.



My wife and I have more than $100 just in pennies, nickels and dimes in a jar in the closet.



I am all for a $1 and even a $2 coin. Forget paper.



Here's the key though....



MAKE THE $1 DIFFERENT SIZE FROM A QUARTER!!!!



Now the first $1 in the "collector" series is going to have G. Washington on it? Great. Now it's not only the same size, but also looks the same? In the words of the Guinness guys... "BRILLIANT!"

 

[Nelson Atwell]

They need to get rid of pennies too. Put Lincoln on the Dollar coin, and round everything to the nearest nickel. Gas stations should get rid of that 9/10ths of a cent too.

 

[Bill V]

I usually average about $30/4-months just in quarters.

This past Saturday, my 4 year old daughter took her piggy bank into the bank to have the coins counted. She had just received and started filling the bank at Christmas. Some of the money in it came from asking the grandparents for change and things like that, but most was just from stuff she collected off the ground while walking through stores, parks, etc., and from checking vending machines and phone booths for change that was left behind.



Her total for under two months: $83.84 !

 

[Tom Schindler]

They need to get rid of pennies too. Put Lincoln on the Dollar coin, and round everything to the nearest nickel. Gas stations should get rid of that 9/10ths of a cent too.

I don't agree with that. That can be confusing and it gives businesses too much leeway to price their items where they round up and not down.



Dump the penny and make a 2 cent coin. The coin will be worth what it costs to make.



It is a win-win for everyone.





Tom

 

[Thomas Rogers]

This morning I had about 16 $1 bills in my wallet, along with some twenties. I got all the ones back in change from an automated car wash. I would HATE to have that many dollar coins in my pocket.



About the only thing the dollar coin will do is increase "jar savings".



TJR

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Rounding to the nearest nickle is fine by me. Most stores and vendors that work in cash have already rounded their prices to include tax or that so when tax is added the total price is some multiple of a nickle or a dime anyway.

 

[Bill V]

This morning I had about 16 $1 bills in my wallet, along with some twenties. I got all the ones back in change from an automated car wash. I would HATE to have that many dollar coins in my pocket.

I'm of the opposite opinion. I'd rather have 16 loonies or--better yet--8 toonies given to me in change, than have to deal with all that paper money in my wallet.



Better yet--I'd prefer to have more places be credit card compatible (including things like vending machines, parking meters, etc), and just not have to deal with cash--paper or metal--at all. I suspect that someday we'll get to that point--but it won't be soon, and might not even be in my lifetime.

 

[Thomas Rogers]

BillV, What is the size of a loonie and a toonie? If the US didn't feel the need to make the $1 coin so big, maybe I would change my opinion.

 

[Bill V]

The link below is Loonie info...

 

[Bill V]

...and this one is for the Toonie.



Note the double-ring of the Toonie. It's distinguishable to both the touch and the eye.

 

[Thomas Rogers]

BillV, that's no good...that's wider than a US quarter. If I'm going to start carrying around a bunch of these things I want something as small as if not smaller than a dime.



But the US would never go for a dollar coin that small. It would boggle the mind of most.

 

[Bill V]

TJR, I understand why you'd say that, and I'd probably say that too if I didn't have experience with Canadian money--but I can honestly say that any time I've been in Canada, I've quickly adjusted to not only accepting but preferring to use Loonies and Toonies.

 

[Nelson Atwell]

The EU and even Poland are way ahead of the US on this one. They have a Euro coin (worth about $1.30). The Polish Zloty also goes up to a 5 Zl coin, which is worth about $1.30. Poland doesn't use paper checks at all. You must use a debit card to pay your bills. The EU is the same, and they use the SmartCard technology in most vending machines, so you don't need change to get your espresso.



Let's face it. The rest of the world is leaving the US behind. They have better cell phones, better TVs and a better banking system. We need to evolve or we will be left in the dust.

 

[Tom Schindler]

Let's face it. The rest of the world is leaving the US behind. They have better cell phones, better TVs and a better banking system. We need to evolve or we will be left in the dust.

Lets not forget, the bills are different sizes so those that are blind can count money.



They also have affordable health care and they live longer than we do too. Does it have something to do with each other?



As I have said before, we are the dumping ground of all the old electronics. Our "new" electronic devices are the rest of the worlds last year models.



To top it off, most of those countries also limit the ammount of goods coming into their countries keeping their own from loosing jobs.



No wonder they are handing us our @$$es when it comes to a world economy.





Tom

 

[Thomas Rogers]

BillV, I have nothing but my notions of how it would be. I don't doubt my mind could be changed if I had to "live the change" like you did (pun intended).



TJR

 

[Thomas Rogers]

^ BUMP ^



And an update with more info on what is being called the upcoming "700Mhz auction"...

 

[Richard L]

I'll bet this thread goes on longer than the Analog TV broadcasts :lol:



...Rich

 

[Alex Gonzalez]

Some folks don't realize the value of the 700Mhz analog spectrum. There is a reason the big IT and Communication companies are behind the push for the conversion to digital and are willing to subsidize costs for set-top boxes etc--they want a piece of the analog spectrum on the cheap, which they can in turn use for profitable WiMax capabilities.



So to say that public safety agencies such as the police and fire departments could not benefit from this, is underestimating the capabilities of the spectrum.

 

[Thomas Rogers]

^ BUMP ^



And updated news.

Feds Unveil Digital-TV Subsidy Details



WASHINGTON--Americans who want a converter box permitting older televisions to receive digital broadcasts will be eligible for federal subsidies, according to new rules announced Monday that clear up some confusion about how the program will work.



As part of the lead-up to a scheduled February 2009 shutdown of over-the-air broadcasts in the United States, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) held a press conference here Monday to unveil its long-awaited final rules for a congressionally mandated subsidy program.



Under the rules, all U.S. households will be able to apply for up to two $40 coupons to defray the cost of a basic digital-to-analog converter box during the program's initial phase, in which up to 22.5 million coupons are expected to be available. Beginning January 1, 2008, households will be able to make such requests through a toll-free phone number, a Web site, fax or postal mail. March 31, 2009 is the last day to make the requests. Boxes are expected to cost between $50 and $70 apiece.



If that initial $890 million worth of coupons run out, NTIA has the power to ask Congress to hand over an additional $450 million, creating up to 11,250,000 more vouchers. Those coupons would be reserved, however, for households that self-certify that they rely solely on over-the-air broadcasts, as opposed to cable or satellite.

Read it all and see a link to the NTIA site ( http://www.ntia.doc.gov/otiahome/dtv/dtvcoupon.html ) below: