Pablo Hoffman forwarded this New York Times opinion piece about putting a woman on U.S. currency. Thanks. -Editor
A new poll out on Wednesday shows that 27 percent of Americans would like to see Eleanor Roosevelt on the $10 bill and about 17 percent
want Harriet Tubman. Sacagawea came in third with 13 percent and Susan B. Anthony and Amelia Earhart each had 11 percent.
Those are interesting findings, but there is a related question that is perhaps even more important: Do Americans want a woman on the
$10 bill or the $20 bill?
The Treasury secretary, Jacob Lew, says he wants to put a woman on the $10 bill, which currently has a portrait of Alexander Hamilton,
which is why the Marist Poll focused on the $10 bill. Mr. Lew has said it is up for a redesign for anti-counterfeiting purposes; he has
also promised to keep Mr. Hamilton on the bill in some form – either somewhere else on the bill or by issuing two different versions of the
note.
But, as the editorial board wrote in July, it would be far better for a woman to replace Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill. Jackson is one
of the most controversial presidents in American history. He owned slaves and he was responsible for the destruction of American Indian
tribes in the southeast. By contrast, Hamilton, the country’s first Treasury secretary, was an abolitionist and created the foundations of
the American financial system.
Marist did not ask people whether a woman should go on the $10 or the $20. But in March, a Rasmussen Reports poll found that 45 percent
of the people surveyed wanted a woman on the $20, 34 percent disagreed with that idea and 22 percent were undecided.
That was before Mr. Lew put out his $10 bill proposal. Lots of polls are being conducted these days for the 2016 presidential election.
Maybe those pollsters could add a question to their voter surveys: Should a woman be on the $10 or the $20?
I'm still in the camp for keeping Hamilton on the $10 and redoing the $20 instead. It's nice to see the Times keeping the heat on
this topic, but Treasury seems to have dug in their heels on this. -Editor
To read the complete article, see:
A Woman on the $10 or the $20 Bill?
(http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/08/05/a-woman-on-the-10-or-the-20-bill/)
Howard Berlin passed along this article from the Washington Times about the results of the polls. Thanks. -Editor
It’s Eleanor for the 10-spot: The nation has spoken, at least in one survey. A McClatchy-Marist poll released Wednesday reveals that 27
percent of Americans favor Eleanor Roosevelt to be the portrait of choice when the U.S. Treasury Department unveils its redesigned ten
dollar bill some five years in the future. The first lady was also favored by 34 percent of Democrats, 28 percent of Republicans and 26
percent of independents.
Harriet Tubman is the second most popular choice with 17 percent, followed by Sacagawea with 13 percent. Susan B. Anthony and Amelia
Earhart each receives 11 percent, and Sandra Day O’Connor garners 4 percent.
To read the complete article, see:
Eleanor Roosevelt wins top
billing for the new $10 bill - but 11 percent can’t name anyone: Poll
(www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/aug/5/eleanor-roosevelt-wins-top-billing-new-10-bill-pol/)
Wayne Homren, Editor
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