Presidential dollar coins proposed	美國計(jì)劃發(fā)行歷屆總統(tǒng)紀(jì)念幣
the Lewis and Clark expedition received help from Sacagawea Before long, American pockets could be jingling with dollar coins engraved with the faces of Ronald Reagan, Millard Fillmore and Bill Clinton, as Congress considers a plan to begin minting dollar coins to commemorate all the past presidents. Hoping to cash in on the popularity of the state quarter program - which has generated $5 billion in revenue and turned an estimated 140 million Americans into coin collectors - the House of Representatives began debate Tuesday on legislation that could turn the dollar coin into a collectable. The current dollar coin, which made its debut in 1998, features Sacagawea, the young Shoshone interpreter who guided the Lewis and Clark expedition. It has yet to come into widespread use. The presidential coins would be minted at a rate of four presidents a year, starting with George Washington and working up to the modern day. Every former president, living and deceased, would be on a dollar coin if the bill becomes law. Sitting presidents would be excluded. Supporters hope the new twist would drive up demand for dollar coins that are now gathering dust in sock drawers and coin collections. "That coin needs some sort of boost to do better," said Michael Castle, who sponsored both the state quarter and the presidential dollar legislation. "The question is, will there be enough demand for a young person to walk into McDonald's and tell the cashier, 'I want a $1 coin in change.' " Because coins are more durable than bills, the government could save as much as $500 million a year on printing costs if the public embraced the dollar coin, according to a 2002 report by the Government Accountability Office. The government minted just 6.7 million Sacagawea dollars last year, most of them destined for private coin collections. In addition to the state quarters, the mint is rolling out a series of commemorative nickel designs celebrating the Lewis and Clark expedition. "We've really seen a coin renaissance in the past few years," said Henrietta Holsman Fore, director of the U.S. Mint. "Coins tell the story of our nation. They help us reconnect with our history." The dollar coin legislation is expected to win approval in both the House and Senate. But to get to the floor, Castle had to persuade North Dakota, which did not want to have one of its most famous residents, Sacagawea, booted off the dollar coin. The compromise calls for Sacagawea dollars to be minted with the presidential coins - and for the presidential coin rollout to wait until after the Lewis and Clark anniversary celebration ends in 2008. (Agencies)	美國計(jì)劃發(fā)行歷屆總統(tǒng)紀(jì)念幣 美國國會正在考慮一個(gè)鑄造紀(jì)念幣的計(jì)劃，以紀(jì)念歷屆美國總統(tǒng)。不久以后，美國人口袋里叮當(dāng)作響的1美元硬幣上將出現(xiàn)羅納德·里根、米勒德·菲爾莫爾和比爾·克林頓的頭像。 本周二（4月26日），抱著乘“50州紀(jì)念幣（25美分）”風(fēng)靡之機(jī)繼續(xù)賺一筆的愿望，美國眾議院開始討論是否應(yīng)通過一項(xiàng)法案，使1美元硬幣也變成收藏品。現(xiàn)在流通的1美元硬幣最早出現(xiàn)在1998年，上面印著薩卡加維亞的頭像，面世后很快被廣泛使用。薩卡加維亞是一位年輕的肖松尼族翻譯，曾擔(dān)任過劉易斯和克拉克探險(xiǎn)隊(duì)的向?qū)А！?0州紀(jì)念幣項(xiàng)目”創(chuàng)造了50億美元的收益，促使大約1.4億美國人變成了錢幣收藏愛好者。 新的總統(tǒng)頭像硬幣將以每年四位總統(tǒng)的速度推出，從美國“國父”喬治·華盛頓總統(tǒng)開始，之后按時(shí)間順序逐漸推到現(xiàn)代。如果這項(xiàng)提案變成法律，那么每一位前總統(tǒng)，不論在世與否，都將在1美元硬幣上“露臉”。不過現(xiàn)任總統(tǒng)除外。支持者們希望這一新舉措能使市面上對1美元的需求上漲，現(xiàn)在這些硬幣多半被丟在裝襪子的抽屜或錢幣收藏者的柜子里，積滿了灰塵。 “這種硬幣需要某些推動措施，使它更好地流通起來。問題是，年輕人真的會走進(jìn)麥當(dāng)勞，對收銀員說‘我想換1美元的零錢’嗎？”邁克爾·卡索說。他是“50州紀(jì)念幣項(xiàng)目”和“歷屆總統(tǒng)紀(jì)念幣”法案的積極支持者。 美國國家審計(jì)總署2002年發(fā)布的一份報(bào)告指出，因?yàn)橛矌疟燃垘鸥湍p，如果1美元硬幣能夠受到公眾歡迎的話，政府每年可以節(jié)省5億美元的印刷費(fèi)用。去年美國政府僅鑄造了670萬枚薩卡加維亞1美元硬幣，其中絕大部分都落到了私人錢幣收藏家手里。 除了50州紀(jì)念幣，造幣廠還大量生產(chǎn)了一系列5美分紀(jì)念幣（鎳幣），以慶祝“劉易斯和克拉克探險(xiǎn)隊(duì)”的光輝歷程。 “過去幾年中，我們確實(shí)看到了硬幣風(fēng)尚的重新興起?！泵绹鞄艔S負(fù)責(zé)人亨麗埃塔·侯斯曼·芙爾說，“硬幣講述了美利堅(jiān)民族的故事。它們能幫助我們重溫歷史?！? 關(guān)于1美元硬幣的法案預(yù)計(jì)在參議院和眾議院都將獲得通過。但要真正地付諸實(shí)施，卡索還要成功說服北達(dá)科他州，他們可不想眼看著薩卡加維亞——自己土地上最著名的公民之一——就這樣從1美元硬幣上消失。一種折衷的辦法是讓薩卡加維亞紀(jì)念幣和歷屆總統(tǒng)紀(jì)念幣同時(shí)發(fā)行，并且將“總統(tǒng)幣”的首發(fā)儀式推后到2008年“劉易斯和克拉克探險(xiǎn)隊(duì)”周年慶典結(jié)束后。 （中國日報(bào)網(wǎng)站譯）