Digital Monopoly – Government says, “Do NOT Pass Go. Do NOT Collect $200″
By Charles Rein
In the movie, Jerry Mcguire, a big league sports agent must follow the order to shout “SHOW ME DA MONEY!!” over the phone in order to keep his only client, Rod Tidwell, an outstanding African-American football player on as Jerry’s client.
This $$ line shouted out by actor Tom Cruise popped into my head faster than a pleasantly plump man ignoring the line and cutting in front of you, at the carving station, inside Hometown Buffet!
While listening to ‘Constitution Radio’ call in radio show (hosted by Douglas V. Gibbs, including co-hosts Allen Myers; Dennis Jackson on 14.90 KMET) one topic grabbed my attention was “digital currency.”
Possible privacy issues with digital currency were raised by Alan Myers- Federal government overreach as well as the 1859 Carrington event-Google it! Transforming from physical money to computer stored digital dollars made me think, “Yikes!” That’s almost as frightening as a killer with a hockey mask named Jason, carrying a butcher knife and wearing an employee nametag stating, “Hi. I’m with the IRS.”
The channel PBS, while not exactly a bastion of conservative thought (I’m being facetious) had an article with a headline: Why the U.S. is eyeing a digital dollar | PBS NewsHour
These efforts followed the introduction of the eCash Act in March by Rep. Stephen Lynch, D-Mass. The bill was co-sponsored by three other Democratic lawmakers but not passed by either chamber and would call on the Treasury Department to take steps toward implementing a digital currency minted by our government. A tad more on Rep Lynch courtesy of Wikipedia:
In 1977 Rep Lynch was arrested for smoking marijuana at a Willie Nelson concert…In 1979 he was arrested for assault/battery of six Iranian students at an anti-American protest in Boston, a charge that was later dropped. Around this time, he developed “a problem with alcohol.”
Now do we really want a dope smoking, alcoholic, country music, loving Democrat who’s been arrested twice (once for assault and battery) to roll out our first digital dollar? We’d REALLY trust HIM?
I’m purposely referring to liberal sites because I could easily find a more conservative site saying the government’s gonna steal away all your money.
Another left leaning news magazine, Newsweek, highlighted Canadian government reactions in regards to members of the self-styled Freedom Convoy which blockaded various U.S.-Canadian border crossings.
These reactions by the Canadian government were seen by many of my conservative friends as fearful and dangerously misguided.
On Feb 17th, 2002 deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said in a press conference that Canadian financial institutions had started “freezing accounts and canceling credit cards in accordance with the emergencies act.”
The Emergency Act allowed the Canadian government to “expand the country’s money laundering and terrorist financing laws to sites like Givesendgo, which were then required to register with the nation’s financial intelligence agency and to report large and suspicious transactions…”
Think you’re safe because, “I’m not a terrorist.” Well, think again. In addition, under the broadened federal powers, Canada’s financial institutions had been “prohibited from providing any financial or related services to people who were directly or indirectly involved in the anti covid mandate protest across the nation.”
https://www.newsweek.com/banks-have-begun-freezing-accounts-linked-trucker-protest-1680649
It’s true, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau ended his use of the Emergencies Act, 10 days after he invoked it. Yet it’s still of great concern to those who saw the act as governmental overreach.
Finally let’s look into a more conservative sounding site, which asks: Would a US digital dollar let the government track you? | Computerworld
Avivah Litan, a vice president and distinguished analyst at research firm Gartner, said while there are solid methods to protect privacy for digital cash transactions, such as zero-knowledge proof technology (ZKP), they still rely on the central bank’s good faith…”
“So, the bottom line is that auditor function, which is controlled by the Central Bank, can theoretically change the privacy settings on an individual account at any time. And that’s the bottom line pretty much for any centrally-controlled digital currency, whether it’s ECASH or any other CBDC. In the end, you still have to trust your government to respect your privacy,” Litan said. “That’s a tall order.”
This is a timely topic because it touches what’s most important -OUR hard earned moolah. I don’t consider myself an alarmist, but if even the liberal media outlets have concerns with this topic, I urge you to look deeper into this topic for yourself.
If you can envision a government with their large digital hands in your pockets, it’s not too difficult to imagine a step further – a totalitarian society where no one is really free. Nearly 40 years after George Orwell’s dystopian future was envisioned in the book, ’1984′ though actually published in June of 1949, Orwell’s reality often seems closer than ever. Perhaps it’s time to re-read his book about an all-seeing leader called “Big Brother,” which has since become a universal symbol for intrusive government and oppressive bureaucracy.
I also encourage you to watch this short film, along those same Iines, in the privacy of your bathroom. Why this specific room? Watch and see.
“A man lives in a society where citizens police each other with their mobile phones. | Utopia”
I leave you with a quote from Bruce Schneier. Schneier is author of ‘The Hacker’s Mind, How the Powerful Bend Society’s Rules and How to Bend Them Back’ and he uttered this prophetic warning:
“It is poor civic hygiene to install technologies that could someday facilitate a police state.”
