The argument for going cashless, it’s about controlling you
Those calling for us to switch to a digital currency, or to go completely cashless, offer what may seem like good ideas for such a move. However, one could look at places like China to see how cashless transactions could be used to control your activities. You don’t need an army to control the population if you could shut down people’s means of paying for services. This shutting down could happen if your “social credit system” score gets too low, or the government decides that you’ve purchased “too much” of an item, purchased “the wrong” item, contributed to the “wrong causes,” etc.
From The Daily Reckoning:
Recently, the FBI and Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) sent letters to U.S. banks asking them to identify and provide a list to the government of customers using Zelle, Venmo and similar payment channels who mentioned “MAGA,” or “Trump” in their message traffic.
They also asked for details on bookstore purchases of “religious” articles including Bibles. Finally, they asked for details on those shopping at Cabela’s, Dick’s Sporting Goods or Bass Pro Shops, presumably on the view that those are places to buy guns and ammo.
This is a clear-cut violation of the First Amendment (free speech, freedom of religion), Second Amendment (right to bear arms) and Fourth Amendment (no unreasonable search and seizure).
It’s not a crime to write “MAGA,” etc. and therefore there’s no reasonable basis for suspecting a crime, and therefore no right to get the information without a warrant, which requires a judge. Any judge would likely reject the warrant request since there’s no probable cause.
This is an obvious case of profiling that may well involve AI. If you shoot someone and you’re wearing a MAGA hat, you get arrested for the shooting, not the hat. In this case, the hat is enough to put you under surveillance because you have been profiled as “an enemy of the people” by the government’s definition.
I predicted this kind of surveillance would arise with the use of Biden Bucks since the government would have your financial records and would not have to go to the banks or get a warrant. I’d like to say I was wrong, but unfortunately I was right.
James Rickards provides the balance of his view on this topic here.
Category: Economy, Editorial, Joe BIden, Money, Op-Ed, Society, Trump!
MAGA!
Oh shit, am I on their list now?
Welcome to the group. We’ll make room for ya.
Interesting.
Then add AI:
I’m surprised I’ve never seen it mentioned, but in addition to everything you posted, it’s also about ensuring that the government gets it’s cut every time there’s a transaction.
Susie babysat your kids? Awesome, with a digital currency we can automatically charge you sales tax and ensure that Susie is taxed on that earned income come tax time.
You went on a chow run and everyone paid you back? Sounds suspicious. They all could have paid the store directly, or you could have utilized a MegaCorp to deliver your chow. Tax on them for sending the money, tax on you for the income.
It’ll be sold to the public as convenience. No more W2s, 1098s, etc, it’s all automatically sent to the IRS in real time. And I’d guess there will probably be a fixed dollar limit per year of “taxless” transactions. A few hundred dollars. This way the retarded sheep can gush about how reasonable and caring their powers that be are.
On a similar note, I got a letter from the state of Arizona Department of Revenue yesterday. Last year, Arizona gave families a tax rebate, attempting to offset the success of Bidenomics. The IRS has now decided that money, money that I already paid taxes on, is now taxable income, and Arizona will be issuing a 1099 for submission wih federal taxes. Didn’t we fight a revolution over taxes and similar silly governmental shit? Or was that just whitewashed history I learned in grade school. Fuck Joe Biden.
Same here, my state tax refund I got in 2023 is now taxable income– just got an IRS Form 1099 on it (first time, I recall).
I already don’t use cash. Hell, I hardly even carry any cash. Everything goes on a credit card, for which I get a rebate and then payoff twice a month so that I never pay interest. I get so many points that I use them for nearly all my travel needs paying for flights and hotel rooms.
Staying out front like that maxes out my credit score and my mortgage was dirt cheap. I don’t even use an ATM card because the opportunity cost is to high plus the risk of the card being compromised.
“…adventurous abroad and despotic at home…” Marse Robert called it, and here we are.
Those of us who have made a study of history, trends, and intentions know that the control of We, The People has been a goal of grubermints for like…ever. The book “1984” was NOT supposed to be a “How To Manual.” George Orwell sez…”I told you so!”
A dollar bill only has value because we are told that it has value. Even “precious metals” only have a perceived value. You can’t eat either one, nor can you really use either to defend yourself and your family. Pretty much everything we do now is tracked, one way or another, it appears that it will only get worse. Remember a few months ago there was a glitch in the EBT type systems? Could that have been a test run of shutting down the electronic trade? When the gimmes can’t use their freebies, THAT’s when the SHTF starts.
Prepare
EBT goes down all the time. Their servers are contracted out to the lowest bidder. The most hilarious one was when it went out in Louisiana a couple of years ago. But instead of cutting off cards it gave everybody unlimited money for a day. Every grocery store in New Orleans got cleared out.
If that was a test of the system it was an excellent one. It showed clear as a bell, If you ever need to know how much free s*** to give people, The answer is always “more”.
And just how much was spent on beer along with ready-to eat foods versus everyday groceries? Meh, I can already guess.
Lots… Free Sh*t! (and this the clean version):
Citi dropped the ball here in CT back in ’21 (iirc).
The missus works at a grocery, texted her immediately to keep her head on a swivel then headed down to the Shop Rite in the “good area” of town to witness any fireworks.
None had. Welcomed surprise.
Again iirc, Citi Bank is responsible for the administration of 21 state’s EBT, so we have that going for us?
Tha Chippah, she hungers.
Hormel canned… meats(?) have been on a rotational sale ’round here for a clip. Beef stew and corned beef hash will supplement the near-year’s worth of calories from rice and beans we got here.
I put my fiat debt notes where my mouth is gonna wanna be.
Wait, that don’t sound right. Or does it?
The G&S are only to secure transit of stored wealth. If we gots to bounce, round poured bars won’t be too uncomfortable… but I do love the idea of 90% coins being money again.
Prepare? Sheeeeet
Remember what the guvmit of Canada did to the truckers. They want to do that to we the people.
You beat me to it.
Yep. Look to our friends to the north of us to see how they screwed everybody in the dead of winter
C..k suckers
Dan Bongino talked about the cashless deal on the radio.
Side note, Anyone here about the major phone companies getting rid of landline service. Sis showed me a letter she got the other day from some company who offers landline service.
Haven’t had a land line since 2007. Land lines aren’t even that anymore. They all go VOIP/Digital somewhere at some point. Even in 2007 the only people that called were telemarketers. Why have a phone for that?
Analog LL is still required for true analog voice.
Sure, you can still run DSL with the same line at the same
time but some comms require non digitzed analog purity
and that will be around for few more years.
VOIP is nice, streamlines comm systems. However… when the internet is down, your modem takes a dump or the power goes out, POTS lines will still be operating.
I run DSL2 on the same POTS line that I need
for analog voice/HF comms. The DSL goes out
and the POTS is still up unless a tree fell.
And that POTS cable…..you could use it in a logging winch. Try that with fiber.
WD1, baby! But for real pulling power, you need WF16.
When a hurricane knocked out power for weeks in the GB AO, only the landlines worked.
They dud have to recharge the batteries after a week, though
A week. That’s pretty damn good!
Almost all transactions now are already digital. The only thing I pay cash for is a haircut as they only accept cash or check to avoid fees.
If the govt wanted to control your finances and purchases they have already had that option for years. Canada proved that recently when they froze the accounts of the truckers protesting the dictatorial government. With a phone call trudea ( I have no idea of how to spell the asshat’s name nor do I care) froze the accounts and removed cash from the truckers by not letting them have access to it.
Unless you cash your pay checks upon receipt (which the govt can already stop) and stick the cash in your mattress you aren’t going to be able to avoid being restricted.
Yep, they think they can control things. But all they have done is raise the stakes. When the revolution really comes the revolutionaries will be paying with bullets.
Gonna need one of those sights that was in a previous article.
Mother always told me to keep $20 in my wallet…..
Back in the day when I was a kid, mom always told me to make sure my underwear was clean in case I had to go to the Hospital. Those 50’s were nifty when I was growing up.
Got a haircut 2 weeks ago at a real clip joint, so it was hair today gone tomoro
Not no, but F*CK no!
Cash is King. Been hearing that ever since I was a paperboy.
Anyone else notice the rag tag, soiled and torn currency you
get from an ATM past couple years?
Some of it won’t even work in a Walmart self checkout.
Lately, the C-notes issued at the teller window look the same.
I use a cc on line only because that’s all they take.
And even online transactions are highly suspect with all the
personal info they glean.
If you live in one town but get mail in another you are screwed.
Toss in an unlisted phone number and you are all done.
Cash is King except on line.
The Eagle flies tomorrow and I will turn it all into cash.
Spend the raggety notes, save the crispy ones.
Cash also creates privacy and anonymity – which some people need and use.
Yep, especially low level drug dealers, hookers strippers, thieves, fences, blackmailers , con men and a bunch of other illegal and illicit activities. Although a lot of them now use cash apps also.
If you are in a state that’s still allows private party gun sales, cash is going to be the way to go there. Mk
Bought a p/u with a cashier’s check and they had to report it to the IRS.
Yeah I’m really on their watch lists
I left my cash in the washing machine and after a couple of minutes in the dryer, out came the steam iron and when I was done, the bills looked like they came out of a laundry steam press. The bills are made out of cloth so they don;t fall apart. We were doing hand counts from ATM cassetts once and the guy I was with finds a 10 dollar bill in the 20 dollar cassette so whoever used that dispenser down the line would have been SOL. the method of counting without the machine counter is called a fine count.
You deal with Phil Monkress or All-Points Logistics, chances are you will wind up cashless.
I guess I’d better go withdraw some cash to buy a case of 5.56mm and a case of 9mm. On the other hand, say what you will, my wife will never go back to a regular checkout at Sam’s…
Don’t forget a case of Shiner. Gotta support Texas!
The mudda-fuckin’ U.S. Federal Government perennially has multiple BILLIONS of our tax dollars going unaccounted for BUT WAIT, they want to monitor EVERY PURCHASE you make that’s over $600, yeah, Something smells VERY fishy and we’re a long way from Denmark!!!
Our ancestors would have been shooting by now.