

There’s just too much stuff that runs on quarters […] too much cultural staying power.
“Because that’s the way it is” is never a good reason not to do something new.
It’s always the case that things don’t change. Until they suddenly and unexpectedly do. Then in hind sight it seems obvious they should have changed long earlier.
US dollar circulates widely in foreign countries […] There, US coinage is basically non-existent
There’s no real reason coins couldn’t circulate in foreign markets. They don’t because the value to weight ratio is worse for shipping. But if the coin value went up to a dollar, and the dollar note wasn’t an option anymore, foreign markets would adapt just fine. Especially since the coins would circulate for decades longer.
It’s not easer. It’s just what your used to thinking about.
Anything less than a quarter isn’t worth your effort. And you don’t see dollar coins often only because of social inertia.