My dear fellow American people, our nation is currently undergoing a greatly tragic affair. A decision has been made that defies every value our country was built on and every belief that this country stands for. 

On Feb. 9, President Donald Trump announced that he had directed the United States Treasury to stop producing pennies, “For far too long the United States has minted pennies which literally cost us more than 2 cents. This is so wasteful!” he stated on his Truth Social site. 

No matter how you flip it-heads or tails-this is preposterous. Pennies are the foundation of our society and the basis of human happiness. Eliminating these little Abe Lincolns from my life is like eliminating puppies and rainbows. 

Pennies support charities and hold a significant place in American culture – they just make “cents.”

Charities and other nonprofit organizations around the nation depend on penny drives and spare change donations for a large portion of their funding. Do you hate charity, America? 

If we want to get rid of a coin that costs more to make than it’s worth, I say we turn to the nickel. Don’t even get me started on those little five cent silver circles that are like a millimeter off from being a quarter. Nickels have no originality, they’re just wannabes. Why would I want to have to intricately study the face on a coin to determine how much it costs? Why couldn’t they be tiny like dimes or, even better, a whole different color like pennies? 

Pennies have been in circulation in the United States since 1792. The commitment and endurance of the coin are representative of the American spirit and the never ending legacy of the country and its leaders. 

There are disastrous Domino effects waiting to happen. What about the NBA? Lincoln was the tallest U.S. president. How will the tall people of our nation be influenced to pursue their dreams without seeing 6 ‘4 Abe every time they receive their change at the grocery store? They won’t. Bye, bye, basketball. 

There’s a reason nobody’s out there naming their kids nickel, quarter or dime, but they are naming their kids Penny. 

The penny has been with me through all the ups and downs of my 17 years of living. The copper and zinc coin is my oldest friend, my most long term companion. From the mountains of pennies in my baseball piggy bank that played a squeaky “Take Me Out to the Ball Game,” to visiting a friend at their first job and paying entirely in pennies just to be a nuisance, my trusty favorite coin has been there for it all. 

The penny has never judged me. It never smirked distastefully upon catching me picking a lost one up off the ground excitedly when times got hard. It never glared or sneered at me for taking a little longer to give a customer change at work because I struggle with basic math. No, the penny is kind. The penny is true, and that’s a lot more than any of these other sorry old coins can say, I can assure you that. 

But don’t fret my friends! According to the Federal Reserve, 114 billion pennies are currently in circulation in the United States. Pennies will be in our lives for much longer. If we’re lucky, the nickel will not.