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美游说集团力推一美元硬币流通

With America's national debt continuing to climb, Congress is constantly debating ways to save money. The Dollar Coin Alliance, a lobbying group, says billions could be saved if dollar coins were used instead of paper bills.

美国的国债在持续攀升，美国国会一直在就如何省钱展开辩论。美国游说团体“美国一美元硬币联盟”(The Dollar Coin Alliance)说， 如果用一美元硬币来替代一美元纸币的话，可以节省数十亿美元。一美元硬币在美国流通也有相当长的一段时间了

But many people won't use them. The U.S. government tried to push dollar coins again in recent years, but then suspended almost all production in 2011.

但是许多人都不使用它。美国政府近年来曾试图推动一美元硬币的使用，但是到了2011年，暂停了几乎所有一美元硬币的铸造。

Jim Kolbe, co-chairman of the Dollar Coin Alliance, thinks switching to the coin is worth it.

美国人喜欢用纸币。但“一美元硬币同盟”的共同主席吉姆·克尔比（Jim Kolbe）认为，换用硬币是值得的。

“The coin does cost more to produce, roughly on the neighborhood of 17 cents versus¹ the 5 or 6 cents that a paper dollar costs to produce," he said. "However, the coin lasts 35 years, and it’s made of mostly recycled metals, and the paper has to be produced from new materials, and we shred² 3 billion of those every year because they wear out.”

他说：“一美元硬币的铸造成本确实要高一些，大约在17美分作用，而一美元纸币的成本大约在5到6美分们。但是，硬币可以流通35年左右，而且主要是用可回收的金属制成的。纸币的制造却需要新材料，因为纸币的损耗，我们每年要废掉30亿美元。”

For years, the former Arizona congressman³ has been pushing legislation that would prop⁴ up the dollar coin by phasing out the greenback — a move that has met resistance from both politicians and the public. But today, he said, the climate has changed, and a recent poll indicates 61 percent of Americans like the idea.

多少年来，这位前国会众议员一直在推动立法，用一美元硬币来逐步取代一美元纸币。但是，这个动议遭到政治人士和普通民众的反对。不过， 克尔比说，现在的情形变了。最近的一个民调显示，61%的美国人赞同这个想法。

“When they learn of the savings⁵ that can be involved with this, [they] will support the idea of substituting the coin for the paper dollar,” he said.

“当他们知道这样做可以节省很多钱时，”他说，“他们就会支持用硬币来取代纸币。”

Major savings

Kolbe points to a study by the Government Accountability Office, which investigates how the government spends taxpayer⁶ dollars. The GAO estimates taxpayers⁷ would save more than $4 billion over 30 years, and that figure could be much higher. That appeals to taxpayer Christy Thompson, who said, “I’d probably say, yes, we need to do it.”

克尔比提到了美国政府问责办公室（GAO）的一项调查， 这个办公室主要调查政府是如何花费纳税人钱的。政府问责办公室估计，30年间，纳税人会省下40亿美元，而且这个数字可能还会更大。这对纳税人克里斯蒂·汤普森来说具有吸引力。她说：“我可能会赞成，我们应该这样做。”

But plenty of people aren't convinced, including Kim Doering of Alexandria, Virginia.

但很多人还是没有被说服。金姆·多林就是其中之一。

“It’s easier to carry the paper bill than a bunch of coins. They’re louder; they’re heavier in your pocket,” she said.

她说：“硬币太响了，而且放在口袋里也太重。”

Washington, D.C. restaurant owner Sue Fouladi doesn’t like the idea of having more dollar coins in her cash register.

华盛顿的餐馆老板苏·福拉迪不喜欢将很多硬币放在收银台。

"It’s very inconvenient," she said. "If I don’t have a choice, then I’ll do it, but I’ll be a very unhappy person.”

她说： “如果我没有选择，我会用的，但是我会变得非常不开心。”

Adding to the problem is that the gold- and silver-colored metal coins are about the same size as the 25-cent quarter. Robert Blecker, an economics professor at American University in Washington, says the dollar coins should be a different size and thickness.

让问题更麻烦的是，这种金色和银色的金属硬币和25美分硬币的大小差不多。美利坚大学经济学教授罗伯特·贝克说，一美元硬币的大小应该不同。

“And if we can design a dollar coin that’s not so big and bulky, probably Americans would like it better,” he added.

他说：“硬币在厚度和直径上可以不同。如果我们可以设计出一种不那么大，也不那样笨重的一美元硬币， 也许美国人会更喜欢它。

But that doesn’t bother college student Emily Sturgill.

但大学生艾米莉·斯图吉尔认为这没有什么不好。

“Sometimes they fit into your pocket easily and you don’t have to worry about them slipping out, like a dollar [bill] would if you brought your keys or your phone out,” she said.

她说： “我觉得它们很方便。有时候，很容易就把硬币放到口袋里去了，你掏钥匙或手机的时候，也不用担心硬币像一块钱纸币那样被带出来。

Eliminate the choice

Both Kolbe and Blecker agree that widespread usage won’t happen easily.

克尔比和贝克都认为，大范围使用一美元硬币不太容易发生。

"We will never give up the bill until it's abolished and we have no choice but to use the coins," Blecker said.

美利坚大学的贝克教授说：“我们不会放弃纸币，除非不造纸币了。那样，我们没别的选择，只能用硬币了。”

That’s what happened in other countries, like Canada, Blecker said, where the public now takes one- and two-dollar coins for granted. He thinks the American public would get used to the U.S. dollar coin.

贝克认为美国民众最终会习惯使用一美元硬币的。

"I guess I would, but I wouldn’t like it at first," said Doering. Thompson is more optimistic: “If we were just circulating the dollar coins, you would get used to it.”

反对一美元硬币的金姆·多林说：“我一开始不会喜欢的。”可是，克里斯蒂·汤普森却说：“你会习惯的。”

But stacks of the coins are piled in government vaults⁸, instead of in American pockets.

不过，现在的情况是，一堆堆的一美元硬币被放在政府的国库里，而不是美国人的口袋里。