DICK JOHNSON'S TAKE ON WOMEN ON MONEY

A woman on the $20 bill? I asked three of my female friends their opinions. Their response:

"Leave the twenty alone."

"I wouldn't want to see any of those women on our money."

"Is that the best they could come up with?" [in response to the four finalists suggested].

The women candidates listed in the news Item were all advocates of some movement. As such half of Americans would be against them because of their political stance.

If I had to suggest a woman it would be a generic mother -- honoring Mothers of America. This is an icon no male could match and everyone could venerate.

Recalling the fiasco of the Susan B. Anthony on the circulating dollar coin, the U.S. Treasury has learned a lesson. With portraits of bigger-than-life male celebrities from early American history, they have served their illustrative purpose well on our coins and currency, even if they are Dead Presidents or historic men.

Nine years ago I wrote an article on Future Coins. I predicted because of increasing economic factors we would eliminate lower value coins. Instead the Treasury would issue higher value ones, five, ten, twenty -- and sometime in the far distant future, the fifty dollar coin -- all for circulation. I tackled the problem of whose portrait should appear on these coins.

My suggestion was to keep the same portraits as on our present currency. Thus Jackson can mean $20 in everyone's mind whether coin or paper. That would eliminate such controversy as is presently raised on placing a woman on our currency.

No woman, it seems, would be able to appeal to all Americans. Existing portraits have a satisfactory record.

To read the earlier E-Sylum article, see: CAMPAIGN LOBBIES TO PUT A WOMAN ON THE TWENTY (www.coinbooks.org/esylum_v18n10a28.html)

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