Thumbs up: Relegated to the back of the bill

What do Syria, the Philippines and Mexico all have in common? Despite their struggles, they’re all way ahead of the United States in figuring out the value of recognizing women on their currency. The same is true of some of America’s chief allies including England, Australia and Israel.

So why the lingering controversy about the decision to have a woman featured on U.S. paper currency for the first time in more than a century? The options were either to create a new denomination - remembering how the Susan B. Anthony dollar experiment didn’t work out so well - or replace a face on an existing bill. In the end, the U.S. Treasury announced last week that women suffragists will appear on the back of the $5 and $10 at some point in the future. Meanwhile, Harriet Tubman will succeed Andrew Jackson as the face of the $20. Jackson hasn’t been erased, however. He will still be on the back of the bill. It’s a laudable move. If it’s true that this country was founded on the efforts of great men and great women, it’s about time we put our money where our mouths are.