Argumentative Speech

Conclusion-last two sentences No real conflicts will come from eliminating the coin.

Conclusion-last two sentences Overall the penny is just being kept for sentimental value that is costing American citizens and the government every day. Retire the penny, it just makes "cents"

Introduction You're digging through your coins at a drive-thru, looking for anything- a quarter, dime, or a nickel-

Introduction you're constantly pushing aside the small copper coins worth almost nothing, looking for a more valuable one.

Introduction-thesis Thousands of Americans have had the same experience.

Introduction-thesis Without pennies, America would be better off because the country wouldn't be losing money on the penny's own production costs, they are so invaluable they are often dropped or left behind anyway, and they are considered useless by many machines.

Introduction-topic sentence body Para1 Although many worry about a potential 1 cent increase in purchases, eliminating it from the U.S. currency would be possible due to the many other countries who have already done it.

Introduction-topic sentence body Para1 By getting rid of the penny, the government and taxpayers will no longer be wasting money on its production.

Rebuttal paragraph This means all those purchases that end in 99 cents would be rounded up one penny to the nearest dollar.

Rebuttal paragraph However, this might not always be the case.

Rebuttal paragraph In Whaples study, he found that "the final digit of purchases, which usually involve multiple products and a sales tax, was pretty much random.

Rebuttal paragraph Sometimes you'd round up; other times you'd round down. In the end, it would basically be a wash."

Rebuttal paragraph With sales tax in most states, prices are almost always at random when purchasing a number of items anyway

Rebuttal paragraph Therefore when prices are affected by this one cent it is almost never noticeable.

Rebuttal paragraph-thesis conclusion Consumers may actually benefit if stores more often choose to round down to 95 cents rather than up to the nearest dollar.

Rebuttal paragraph-thesis conclusion In conclusion, by getting rid of the penny, America can eliminate the loss from penny production, remove the dead weight of a coin with limited utility, and follow in the footsteps of our history and effectiveness of other countries.

body paragraph 1 7.04 billion pennies were produced in 2019 which is more than every other coin combined, a statistic posted by the U.S. Mint.

body paragraph 1 Robert Whaples, a professor of economics at Wake Forest University, estimates the U.S. loses about 300 million dollars per year on penny production.

body paragraph 1 In 2018, the U.S Mint states that each penny cost a total 2.08 cents to make and distribute.

body paragraph 1 That money is adding to both the national debt and costing taxpayers money.

body paragraph 1- body paragraph 2 topic sentence Overall the penny has become more of a sentimental keepsake than a smart investment moving forward for America.

body paragraph 1- body paragraph 2 topic sentence The one cent is also nearly worthless to the working class and has little convenience.

body paragraph 2 Economist Greg Mankiw says "The purpose of the monetary system is to facilitate exchange, but the penny no longer serves that purpose."

body paragraph 2 The take-a-penny trays that are seen at every gas station and convenience store goes to show that a penny's value is too small to be useful. People see so little value in pennies that they will literally leave them for others to take.

body paragraph 2 Pennies also have very limited utility.

body paragraph 2 They are not accepted at vending machines, parking meters, laundromats, arcade games, toll booths, etc.

body paragraph 2 In 2017 the median wage in America was 18 dollars 12 cents. With these wages, a penny is made about every two seconds.

body paragraph 2 This means it's not even worth the time it takes to pick one up off the ground.

body paragraph 2 In an article posted by the National Public Radio, Greg Rosalski makes a good point by saying, "Money is supposed to be the medium of exchange, not dead weight."

body paragraph 2 This means you're supposed to want to have those coins in your pocket or wallet, not do anything you can to get rid of them as often as possible.

body paragraph 2 Especially if it takes you longer than 5 seconds, because that would mean this action would be earning less than minimum wage

body paragraph 2 This, on top of the hassle of carrying around the penny in your pocket, causes most Americans to not even bother with them at all.

body paragraph 3 Over 40 other countries have withdrawn their use of their low value currency, or have at least stopped minting them all together.

body paragraph 3 Canada has even recently discontinued their penny in 2012 according to the Royal Canadian Mint.

body paragraph 3 Eliminating a low value coin is something that the United States, and other countries have done in the past.

body paragraph 3 In 1857, America got rid of the half cent coin.

body paragraph 3 Then, its value was worth 14 cents in today's value due to inflation

body paragraph 3 There has never been a coin in circulation in the U.S. worth as little as the penny is worth today.

body paragraph 3-topic sentence rebuttal If other countries have released this dead weight of a coin, why can't America retire the penny?

body paragraph 3-topic sentence rebuttal Defenders of the penny argue that if the penny were to be eliminated we would be imposed with a "rounding tax".