Here is an example summary of this reading selection:

In “Abolish the Penny” William Safire argues that we should do away with the red cent because it buys nothing, it winds up in coffee cans, and it does not save consumers money. (Merchants would round down to give consumers the sense of saving money.) The zinc lobby (zinc is the main ingredient in pennies) and those who exalt Abraham Lincoln oppose change, but what’s bad for zinc would be good for copper (the nickel’s main ingredient), and Lincoln is honored already by appearing on the five dollar bill.

Your summary will differ from this one in the way it is written, but it should include roughly the same information.