Tea Party wants to end dollar bill, replace with coin

I remember back in the day when the old pound note was replaced by a coin that was immediately dubbed a 'Thatcher' because it was hard, brassy and pretending to be a sovereign.

A bunch of Tea Partying GOP types are looking to do the same with the dollar bill, a move that they say would save $184 million a year. The proposal has met with bipartisan opposition from Massachusetts Senators Kerry and Brown. Could that be because dollar bill paper maker Crane and Co is in their state?

Perhaps the dollar coin would be more popular if shopkeepers had a space for it in their till. As of 2010 the US penny cost 1.79 cents to make. Eliminating the penny would make space for the dollar coin in tills and pockets alike and save another $30-50 million a year.

What do you think? Is this the Tea Party idea that might make sense or their stupidest notion yet?

NOTE FROM JOHN: We already tried this stupid idea once, and I don't know about you, but I got kind of tired of giving people a dollar coin when I thought I was giving them a quarter. I get the idea, it's like the euro, which seems to work in coins I guess - though get ready to have a sack of coins in your pocket every freaking day - but truly hated the damn thing last time around. You?