Friday, Dec. 12, 2003 | 5:19 a.m.
WEEKEND EDITION December 13 - 14, 2003
Did Ronald Reagan lead us out of the Great Depression of the 1930s? No, Franklin D. Roosevelt did. He set up myriad social programs, including Social Security, which continue to improve our lives.
Did Ronald Reagan lead us through the horrors of World War II in victory in Europe? No, Franklin D. Roosevelt did. Only his death prevented him from seeing the end of the war in the Pacific. It was left in the capable hands of Harry S. Truman to finish that job.
Did Ronald Reagan bear the daily pain of polio and still do a magnificent job of being president? No, Franklin D. Roosevelt did. He also founded the March of Dimes to find a cure for polio so that others would not have to suffer from this dread disease. Franklin D. Roosevelt was the greatest president I have ever known in my lifetime.
Now there is a move afoot to remove his image from the dime and replace it with that of Ronald Reagan. How disrespectful! Again today we are in economic trouble. Does anyone realize how much it would cost for the U.S. Mint to retrofit equipment to change the dime?
We have better places to spend our money than on this frivolous nod to Ronald Reagan. Also, I do not believe the image of a living ex-president should be on our currency. It smacks of the Roman Caesars.
In the name of all that is decent, leave the face of Franklin Delano Roosevelt on that dime!
SUE GOLD
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