Ike Skelton, December 14, 2003

Legislation was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives last month that proposes a change in the design of the dime coin. The bill would remove the image of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt that is currently imprinted on the dime and replace it with the likeness of President Ronald Wilson Reagan.

Although I served in Congress during President Reagan's term of office and he was personally very gracious to me, I think it would be absolutely wrong to remove FDR's likeness from the dime. President Roosevelt was one of the greatest presidents of our country, serving during some of the most challenging times ever faced by the American people and the American republic.

Roosevelt assumed the Presidency during the depths of the Great Depression, and through his bold leadership he inspired the country and helped the American people regain faith in themselves. He rallied the nation and the world to defeat totalitarian regimes and to liberate the oppressed during World War II. Re-elected by the American people for four consecutive terms, FDR established a record of legislative achievement by which all modern presidents are judged.

Roosevelt's legacy lives on through the programs he created for our country that took millions of Americans out of poverty and sustained them through the Great Depression. Roosevelt's most enduring legacy may be the creation of Social Security, which has rescued millions of senior citizens from the destitution experienced by the elderly in previous generations. Today, Social Security provides half or more of the income that supports 60 percent of our seniors.

Following President Roosevelt's death on April 12, 1945, the decision was made to honor FDR by placing his image on the dime. The new Roosevelt dime was issued on January 30, 1946, which would have been FDR's 64th birthday.

Like many Americans, I consider FDR to be one of my personal and political heroes and I believe he deserves to be remembered for his historic contributions and achievements. In my Congressional office, I prominently display a copy of the famous unfinished portrait of President Roosevelt, which was being painted by the artist Elizabeth Shoumatoff at the time of the President's collapse at the Little White House in Warm Springs, Georgia.

I hope that those who have endorsed the proposed dime legislation will take a moment to reflect on FDR's contributions to our country and reconsider their support for this initiative. President Reagan already has an airport named after him, a federal building named after him, and an aircraft carrier named after him. As the result of a concerted campaign by friends and admirers, I know Reagan has a lot of other things named after him. But we should leave Franklin Roosevelt alone. It is only right that we continue to honor him on the dime coin. He deserves continued recognition through the ages.

Congressman Ike Skelton, a Democrat, has represented Missouri's Fourth Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1977.