Washington Nationals name dispute?

[pooter]

Since current American conservatism tries its hardest not to recognize anything before 1980 (except that Carter wore cardigans and some silly little court decision in 1973), they figure most people won't notice or care.

You must not remember much before 1980 then.

[BallWonk]

Seriously, they've named everything else after him.  I hear they want his face to replace FDR's on the dime.

Actually, they want to knock Hamilton off of the ten dollar bill. Since current American conservatism tries its hardest not to recognize anything before 1980 (except that Carter wore cardigans and some silly little court decision in 1973), they figure most people won't notice or care.

That's my other genius plan for exploiting Reagan worship. The government could save hundreds of millions of dollars if we would just scrap the $1 bill in favor of $1 coins. So my plan is to put Reagan on the quarter, put Washington on the new $1 coin, replace Jefferson and Lincoln on either their coins or their bills (with Teddy Roosevelt or Eisenhower and Truman or Grover Cleveland to maintain historical partisan balance), and eliminate the $1 bill. It puts the Gipper on money like his backers want and it reduces wasteful government spending, which actually seems to me to be an even better way to honor the man's memory than sticking his name on stuff.

Since I'm something of a Washington, Jackson, and Lincoln fetishist myself, I find the Reagan mania basically unobjectionable, regardless of what I might think of the guy. I just wish people weren't still so bitter over his presidency that they can't focus on exploiting the right's Gipper idolatry to help accomplish stuff.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

Since current American conservatism tries its hardest not to recognize anything before 1980 (except that Carter wore cardigans and some silly little court decision in 1973), they figure most people won't notice or care. 

You must not remember much before 1980 then.

That's technically true. I am physically unable to remember anything that happened before 1980, and for that matter, summer of 1981.

[OMMF]

Problem: The only snappy syllable you can extract from that to turn into a nickname is the "Cans."

Nice logo work, though.

At least out here, we shorten Americans to Ams, as in the Tri-City Ams.

[Your Name Here]

Count me as a Republican who's categorically opposed to bumping Alexander Hamilton. However, if they wanted to put Reagan on some obscure, rarely-used note, that would be cool. Is Grover Cleveland on the $500? There you go. And why wouldn't you call it "The State of Columbia?"

[The_Admiral]

Put every president on the $1 bill. Collect 'em all!

[ElwoodCuse]

Put every president on the $1 bill. Collect 'em all!

"Oh yeah? What president is on a $10,000 bill?"

"Uh, all of them. They're having a party. Jimmy Carter is passed out on the couch."

[WJMorris3]

If it were my country to run, briefly, you'd see the following money situation.

COINS

5¢ - Thomas Jefferson (5 g, 21.21 x 1.95 mm, 75% cupro-nickel, smooth edge)

10¢ - Franklin Roosevelt (2.27 g, 17.91 x 1.35 mm, 92% cupro-nickel, reeded edge)

25¢ - George Washington (5.67 g, 24.26 x 1.75 mm, 92% cupro-nickel, reeded edge)

50¢ - John F. Kennedy (11.34 g, 30.61 x 2.15 mm, 92% cupro-nickel, reeded edge)

$1 - Sacajawea (8.1 g, 26.50 x 2.00 mm, 88.5% cupro-zinc-manganesse-nickel, smooth edge)

BILLS

$5 - Abraham Lincoln (pink, 63.50 x 139.70 mm)

$10 - Alexander Hamilton (yellow, 63.50 x 146.05 mm)

$20 - Andrew Jackson (green, 63.50 x 152.40 mm)

$50 - Ulysses S. Grant (blue, 63.50 x 158.75 mm)

$100 - Benjamin Franklin (tan, 63.50 x 165.10 mm)

$500 - William McKinley (orange, 63.50 x 171.45 mm)

[Perfect Zero]

I might be wrong, but I thought the mint was printing no more $500 bills. And the new $1 coin will feature all the Presidents of the United States (don't ask me how that will work).

Anyways, if it were up to me, I would put Reagan on the $10, and take out the One Cent piece alltogether. I would also change the name of the team in Washington to the Senators because 1) It's full of them, just not representing them, and 2) Most people who support the Rangers HATE their breif history in Washington, and would beg to give it away.

[leopard88]

I know I will probably be crucified by someone for asking this, but why is Reagan worthy of (1) having damn near every government building named after him and (2) consideration for being added to currency . . . at someone else's expense? I turned 13 in 1980, so I know the history. Just explain why the history warrants such over-the-top tributes.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

I know I will probably be crucified by someone for asking this, but why is Reagan worthy of (1) having damn near every government building named after him and (2) consideration for being added to currency . . . at someone else's expense? I turned 13 in 1980, so I know the history. Just explain why the history warrants such over-the-top tributes.

Someone has a previous post calling Ronald Reagan (tongue-in-cheek, I'm sure) THE GREATEST AMERICAN PRESIDENT OF ALL TIME!!!!.

I think that there are those in power that wouldn't mind eliminating American history before 1980. I think that there are those in power today who inflated communism to be (again) THE GREATEST THREAT IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY!!! and see Reagan as the one true reason the USSR doesn't exist anymore. Ergo, the slayer of our greatest tormentor deserves all possible veneration.

How they (you know which "they" I'm talking about) square this with the first commandment, I'll never know.

[leopard88]

I know I will probably be crucified by someone for asking this, but why is Reagan worthy of (1) having damn near every government building named after him and (2) consideration for being added to currency . . . at someone else's expense?  I turned 13 in 1980, so I know the history.  Just explain why the history warrants such over-the-top tributes.

Someone has a previous post calling Ronald Reagan (tongue-in-cheek, I'm sure) THE GREATEST AMERICAN PRESIDENT OF ALL TIME!!!!.

I think that there are those in power that wouldn't mind eliminating American history before 1980. I think that there are those in power today who inflated communism to be (again) THE GREATEST THREAT IN THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY!!! and see Reagan as the one true reason the USSR doesn't exist anymore. Ergo, the slayer of our greatest tormentor deserves all possible veneration.

How they (you know which "they" I'm talking about) square this with the first commandment, I'll never know.

I suspect "they" square it by saying he is not a god before God, but simply a great man worthy of honor. The harder part would seem to be squaring it with massive budget deficits, resulting intractable federal debt, Iran-Contra, elimination of numerous social programs at the expense of those least able to bear their elimination and that sort of thing.

[The_Admiral]

$5 - Abraham Lincoln (pink, 63.50 x 139.70 mm)

$10 - Alexander Hamilton (yellow, 63.50 x 146.05 mm)

$20 - Andrew Jackson (green, 63.50 x 152.40 mm)

$50 - Ulysses S. Grant (blue, 63.50 x 158.75 mm)

$100 - Benjamin Franklin (tan, 63.50 x 165.10 mm)

$500 - William McKinley (orange, 63.50 x 171.45 mm)

Pink Lincoln? What's your malfunction? The Great Emancipator deserves better than pink. Bunch of Monopoly-money nonsense you got here.

[The_Admiral]

How they (you know which "they" I'm talking about) square this with the first commandment, I'll never know.

Yeah. THEM. Those which cannot be named.

Also, I'd say having Communists working in the State Department probably wasn't ideal.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

How they (you know which "they" I'm talking about) square this with the first commandment, I'll never know.

Yeah. THEM. Those which cannot be named.

Also, I'd say having Communists working in the State Department probably wasn't ideal.

Better communists than facists. Zing!

[Survival79]

I might be wrong, but I thought the mint was printing no more $500 bills.

You're right, $500 bills are no longer being printed. However, banknotes are printed by the US Bureau of Engraving and Printing.

And the new $1 coin will feature all the Presidents of the United States (don't ask me how that will work).

And here is some information on the Presidential $1 Coin Act of 2005.

[Gothamite]

Also, I'd say having Communists working in the State Department probably wasn't ideal.

"I have a list here of 57 Communists in the State Department!"

[IceCap]

What about the Washington Communists?

[jab8281965]

Alexander Hamilton was the ULTIMATE conservative, and I don't think there's a member of the GOP who would think differently.

Anyone who wants a good read on Hamilton should read Ron Chernow's book. A bit long, but an EXCELLENT read on a guy who is highly underappreciated today.

By the way, does anyone think that the William Henry Harrison $1 coin will be a big seller?

I didn't collect the state quarters (although now I have kids, I'll probably go back and get them all), but I'm going to collect the presidential dollar coins.