More women on U.S. currency?

King 5 ^ | 8-4-2014 | Gregory Korte

[Citizen Zed]

President Obama created a minor stir last week when he said it would be "a pretty good idea" to put more women's faces on U.S. currency.

Could it happen? It turns out that changing the lineup of dead presidents on paper currency is within the power of the Obama administration.

An 1862 act of Congress gives the secretary of the Treasury near-complete authority over the design and printing of paper currency, while Congress retains the power of coinage under the Constitution.

Adding women would mean either creating a denomination or bumping one of the familiar men adorning the front of paper currency.

The White House said it had no announcement on the design of greenbacks. "I don't have anything to report to you on the faces on our currency," spokesman Eric Schultz said.

Obama opened up the issue in an economic speech in Kansas City last week.

"A young girl wrote to ask me why aren't there any women on our currency, and then she gave me like a long list of possible women to put on our dollar bills and quarters and stuff — which I thought was a pretty good idea," he said.

The White House would not disclose the contents of the letter but said it was written by a girl from Massachusetts.

[Fledermaus]

I think it was the failure of a $1 coin, not what was on it.

[clearcarbon]

"President Obama created a minor stir last week when he said it would be "a pretty good idea" to put more women's faces on U.S. currency.

It sure took him a long time to make that observation. Did the young girl from Massachusetts have to explain to him that it was George and not Martha on the dollar bill?