The Value of a Penny

            With advancements in technology, objects are becoming readily obsolete. In the past, individuals predominately relied on cash in order to purchase goods and services. In this economic structure, pennies were considered a worthwhile denomination because prices are listed in dollars and cents. However, as the United States is becoming more modernized and the value of the penny increasingly diminishes, the penny coin should be eliminated to increase economic efficiency. .
             The penny should be eliminated because in our quickly modernizing world, credit cards, debit cards, and checks are replacing paper money and coins. Pennies and many other low-value coins have been "shoved out of the economic picture by charge cards" (Source B). Most people, including children and teens, attain these cards because they are a simple and fast way to purchase goods and services without wasting the consumer's and the employer's time. Compared to charge cards, pennies have become "practically useless in everyday life" (Source A). These technological advancements increase efficiency because it does not require an individual to count out a certain amount to give the cashier or the cashier to give back exact change to the consumer. Rather than counting dollars and coins, it is as easy as swiping once and signing. Our world and economy is changing, it is time we stop living in the past and eliminate the worthlessness and inefficiency that is inherent with the penny. .
             Not only are pennies becoming less useful due to technological advancement, but also since prices are inflated yearly, the value of the penny has decreased over time. With a "pedigree dating back to 1787" (Source B), pennies have slowly, over the years, become useless to the people who attain them. In 18th and 19th century, pennies were useful because the penny itself could be used to purchase certain goods and services.