Money Makeover

For some reason, 5 years from now seems a lot sooner than the arrival of 2020. In either case ladies, we need to get our act together, as well as our makeup kits. I'm hoping to convince Treasury Secretary, Jack Lew, to wave that pesky One Must Be Deceased Rule to qualify for picture status on the soon to be revised $10 bill. ("Pesky" is a funny word, "deceased" is not.)

First of all, I want to go on record as saying I don't think it's fair to bump Alexander Hamilton. He's been the "Face of the Ten" since 1929. A possible reason for the Deceased Rule is dead people can't protest demotions.

That being said, I would like to nominate Audrey Hepburn to be the new Face of the Ten for the following reasons:

• Audrey Hepburn and Alexander Hamilton have the same initials. (Irrelevant, but interesting)
• 1929 is significant to both AH's. Audrey was born in 1929 and Alexander first appeared on the current size bill.
• Audrey is more photogenic than Alex.
• Audrey was a proud supporter of UNICEF and voted in every election, even when on holiday in Rome and sizzling in Paris!

I would also like to propose a compromise. My research assistant, Wolfgang, informed me that $10 bills last an average of 3 years. They wear out from everyday use, are taken out of circulation and replaced. So why not alternate pictures every 3 years? Or better yet, why not print half of the bills with Audrey and the other half with Alexander every year? 

And isn't it about time to spice up our currency with some color? According to Audrey's son, Luca, Audrey's favorite color was cyan. So, I think a headshot of Audrey with a cyan background would be beautiful. Since we can't ask Alex his favorite color, I'm going to suggest red for his background color.

Although Susan B. Anthony, Harriet Tubman, Eleanor Roosevelt or Rosa Parks would all be excellent choices to feature on a ten, my choice of Audrey is not completely frivolous. She did work for UNICEF for 38 years and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for her work as a UN Goodwill Ambassador. In addition, she won an Oscar, Golden Globe, Emmy, Grammy, Tony and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

In conclusion, even if Audrey Hepburn is not chosen by Jack Lew, I'm going to award Audrey posthumously (She's dead, not me!) the first annual Kanela Award for just being a good person. So be good dear readers ( good being defined as writing favorable comments about my articles) and you may be chosen for next year's Kanela Award.  

Contest to follow to design a Kanela! Think Hawaiian!

Sandra Warholic Seeley is the creator and author of Kanela's Korner and The Sandra Seeley Column. She is a lifelong educator who has taught in Hawaii, where Kanela was born; Bethel Park, where her 3 children were born and in the inner city schools of Pittsburgh Public where her passion for the underprivileged began. Kanela's Korner is often 95% fiction and 5% fact, leaving the reader to do the math. Her motto is: Funny or not, here I come! Her faithful assistant, Wolfgang, is always by her side. He looks just like a black Lab and works for treats. To contact the author, click the following link.