It is becoming increasingly apparent that the future is intended to be cashless. Governments hate the freedom and anonymity that cash provides the populace. Cash enables the formation of black economies. It allows individuals to transact as independent equals. I can lean over my fence and pay a neighbour $10 cash for some of the vegetables growing in his garden. No tax is paid on that exchange. He’s happy, I’m happy, but the government is not. It wants a piece of the action. Does the gardener have a permit, a licence, a business bank account, a trading name? Is he registered for goods and services tax, does he have insurance in case his carrots are tainted? The government demands a slice at every juncture.
Since the pandemic took hold, the number of retailers accepting legal tender as payment has plummeted. Banknotes have become viewed as tainted, although there is no evidence of a single viral transmission due to their contamination. A global anti-cash agenda is being implemented. We are being dragged toward a future without banknotes.
Central, monitored transactions are intended to be the norm. This provides the possibility of complete financial control. Power will become further concentrated in the hands of an unaccountable few. Banking algorithms will theoretically have the ability to ruin anyone deemed ‘undesirable’. This may be individuals warning of the dangers of banking algorithms. It could be those not aligned with a particular social cause or political administration. It might be those thought to be criminals. The list is ominously endless. The act of speaking out on a contentious issue might have your name added to a list. Sorry sir, your account is frozen, you will not be able to pay for that bottle of milk.
As fiat currencies decline in value, due to the unprecedented volume of money being printed by central banks, investors are fleeing toward hard assets such as gold and silver. Cryptocurrencies are also enjoying mid-year bull runs. Speculators are looking to protect their wealth from the ravages of anticipated inflation. They are also protecting their freedom. Gold confiscation has historically occurred, but door-to-door bullion raids are slow and cumbersome compared to the ability to remove an individual’s wealth via a central computer.
The tide of history may be against us, but for now, we should pay with cash whenever possible. Insist on it. Walk out of retailers that do not accept the folding stuff. Buy some physical gold or silver too. Hide it someplace safe.
At a time when our freedoms are being systematically eroded, sliding a crisp banknote across a retail counter is a tiny, but vital act of defiance.
We are born to be free.