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I went to a Farmers Market last week. Which, aside from being a wonderfully enjoyable local experience was also fantastic because I only used cash, even though many of the merchants took cards. It was so awesome! I was like, "Suck this, Feds!"
Yes, but it can't be tracked. Better to get out of the monetary system entirely, absolutely, but that's a bigger challenge. I see this as a step in the right direction.
For sure, cash has some good properties and use cases that evolved over a very long time.
My point is that both are centrally controlled by the exact same institutions. Also, sticking to cash is no step in any direction, at best it maintains the status quo.
The world is moving online, I cannot give Substack cash to pay you, for example. We desperately need digital money that we can trust, we don't have that yet.
Hitting the brakes while an acceptable digital solution emerges might be the right action, I am not arguing with that, but we should not lose track of what we are actually doing.
There was a local currency where I live. It was somewhat popular for a while but then it faded away. These local currencies are pegged to the national currency, somewhat like stable coins. So they aren't really a separate currency.
Maybe truly independent local currencies are part of the answer, we could have both cash and digital for the same currency.
Oh, mary-lou, you are so right! But what I think is funny is how the banks' right hands don't follow what their left hands are doing. E.g., raise the processor's fee on plastic so then businesses only want cash or checks, which the other hand is trying to do away with. I had another example but it escapes me at the moment of banks engaging in oppositional actions.
I remembered! Hear about the stores that are only going to have self-checkout? I don't think that's going anywhere as they're now rethinking -- 10 minutes later -- self-checkout as it's the source of a lot of theft. I think some of the theft is due to the annoyance of self-checkout!
absolutely! self-checkout does lead to 'creative paying' (aka petty theft at the check-out counter), so for now it seems the naughty ones among us (nudgenudge, winkwink) can still make creative non-payments. but that'll end once the heads of businesses learn how to address the problem.
seeing banks engaging in oppositional actions is great fun (if you ask me). I suppose it has to do with the extreme levels of compartmentalisation that Big Anything uses to structure their organisation.
Amen! If there's only one thing you can buy with cash, like eggs from a farmer - do at least that. It helps us all so much! Plus it's a guarantee that these eggs won't be subject to as much govt oversight. Pastured chicken eggs are loaded with DHA, which regenerates our brain when we sleep:
Thanks Anne. As I often do ... I shared your post to a few 'private' Facebook groups yesterday. In my best "Spock" impression ... May you live long and prosper!
Thanks for the suggestion, Jenny! I'll have to check to see how it would look good on a t-shirt. I was also thinking of putting the boy with the piggy bank on a mug with "KEEP CASH ALIVE."
I was in Chicago recently, in the city to cheer a family member running the marathon. Went in to a Jimmy John’s to grab a quick lunch. Went right back out when they wouldn’t take cash.
My adult kids (ages 25-29) think I’m nuts, but I don’t care.
Not only should we protect cash, we should bring back silver coins by WEIGHT and not by bullshit "dollars".
The British Pound used to mean a pound of pure silver. Silver worked well as money for thousands of years. The very name of money in many languages is the word for silver, as in French "argent".
The powers that be hate silver because they can't just print more of it. Silver protects you from them! They don't want you protected, with inflation-proof savings in real silver metal. They want you weak and obedient to their printing press.
Absolutely, always... cash has cachet! For my pop-up jewelry store I always encourage people to pay with cash and of course always slip in a conversation about the dangers of TBTWB trying to eliminate cash whilst I’m at it 😉
Definitely. even though cash is printed by the same criminals, it is far better than anything digital. we will need to make our own cash and yes I know many are doing that. the issue is with what backs the cash or what are the guarantees?
At any time your tendered cash is refused, you can take the goods that were proffered and leave. This because the commerce system is all about contracts. when goods are offered (for sale) the 'fair consideration' part of the contract is satisfied when your offer legal tender. If the merchant refuses that offered contract completion, he/she is in breach of the commercial code, or Law Merchant.
Where we live small businesses charge an extra 3-4% for using a card. Larger purchases we can write a check for. We try and use cash most of the time, and always leave tips in cash.
My only problem is that my credit union gives me $9.00 a month for using my CU debit card. I plan on going to the next annual meeting and inquiring about tracking. (It's a real CU and not a bank masquerading as a CU.)
A debit card is as close to using cash as you can get, and it's possible that they aren't tracked. I hope that's the case because credit unions are great and so is getting nine bucks a month!
Interesting backstory: The CU I am a member of began as a CU for workers at what used to be the Chinet plant in Waterville, Maine (now it's Hutamaki), then they opened a branch in Belfast for poultry plant workers. It's definitely a working-class CU whereas the CU I used to be a member of is clearly trying to appeal to the trust funders and well-heeled retirees, and their offices are very fancy, filled with screens for some unfathomable reason.
People I've spoken with in Europe often do not seem to have access to CUs. I somehow cannot picture CUs closing people's accounts because of their political speech.
I went to a Farmers Market last week. Which, aside from being a wonderfully enjoyable local experience was also fantastic because I only used cash, even though many of the merchants took cards. It was so awesome! I was like, "Suck this, Feds!"
That cash is printed and enforced to be accepted by the very same Feds.
Yes, but it can't be tracked. Better to get out of the monetary system entirely, absolutely, but that's a bigger challenge. I see this as a step in the right direction.
For sure, cash has some good properties and use cases that evolved over a very long time.
My point is that both are centrally controlled by the exact same institutions. Also, sticking to cash is no step in any direction, at best it maintains the status quo.
The world is moving online, I cannot give Substack cash to pay you, for example. We desperately need digital money that we can trust, we don't have that yet.
Hitting the brakes while an acceptable digital solution emerges might be the right action, I am not arguing with that, but we should not lose track of what we are actually doing.
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/55414/7-cities-have-their-own-currencies
There was a local currency where I live. It was somewhat popular for a while but then it faded away. These local currencies are pegged to the national currency, somewhat like stable coins. So they aren't really a separate currency.
Maybe truly independent local currencies are part of the answer, we could have both cash and digital for the same currency.
true. but petty tyrants don't like us using cash, which makes it one tiny (yet strangely satisfying) reason to do.
Oh, mary-lou, you are so right! But what I think is funny is how the banks' right hands don't follow what their left hands are doing. E.g., raise the processor's fee on plastic so then businesses only want cash or checks, which the other hand is trying to do away with. I had another example but it escapes me at the moment of banks engaging in oppositional actions.
I remembered! Hear about the stores that are only going to have self-checkout? I don't think that's going anywhere as they're now rethinking -- 10 minutes later -- self-checkout as it's the source of a lot of theft. I think some of the theft is due to the annoyance of self-checkout!
absolutely! self-checkout does lead to 'creative paying' (aka petty theft at the check-out counter), so for now it seems the naughty ones among us (nudgenudge, winkwink) can still make creative non-payments. but that'll end once the heads of businesses learn how to address the problem.
seeing banks engaging in oppositional actions is great fun (if you ask me). I suppose it has to do with the extreme levels of compartmentalisation that Big Anything uses to structure their organisation.
Amen! If there's only one thing you can buy with cash, like eggs from a farmer - do at least that. It helps us all so much! Plus it's a guarantee that these eggs won't be subject to as much govt oversight. Pastured chicken eggs are loaded with DHA, which regenerates our brain when we sleep:
https://romanshapoval.substack.com/p/the-best-brainfood
I always pay cash at the Farmer's Market, and I agree, it makes the experience more enjoyable.
You can only by marijuana in killafornia with cash, legally. Because the feds consider it a drug....
Did I misspell buy, oh God I haven't even burned anything yet today.
Woopsie Betsy ross
LOL. Best belly laugh of the day.
Glad to hear this, Steve!
Thanks Anne. As I often do ... I shared your post to a few 'private' Facebook groups yesterday. In my best "Spock" impression ... May you live long and prosper!
Ditto, Grasshopper, in Maine. You must use cash.
This would be wonderful on a t-shirt!
Thanks for the suggestion, Jenny! I'll have to check to see how it would look good on a t-shirt. I was also thinking of putting the boy with the piggy bank on a mug with "KEEP CASH ALIVE."
I was in Chicago recently, in the city to cheer a family member running the marathon. Went in to a Jimmy John’s to grab a quick lunch. Went right back out when they wouldn’t take cash.
My adult kids (ages 25-29) think I’m nuts, but I don’t care.
I do the same, MOMinator!
Thank god this has not happened in my area of Maine yet. I think most people would just walk out.
Saw this just now after having breakfast in a diner where we paid with cash!
YAY!!!
Yes.
Beautifully illustrated in all senses of "illustrate".
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/illustrate
Thank you for this sentiment, and the link, Dosamuno!
Yes , freedom from using devices . Thanks for the reminder Anne with your fun yet expressive cartoon .
Thank you, Leticia!
Great one today! Be sure to pay with cash.
Thank you, Bandit! Needless to say, I totally agree.
I'm using it for everything locally these days.
Same here! I wonder how many people are doing this these days as a way to resist enforcement of CBDCs!
Lots, I hope!
Not only should we protect cash, we should bring back silver coins by WEIGHT and not by bullshit "dollars".
The British Pound used to mean a pound of pure silver. Silver worked well as money for thousands of years. The very name of money in many languages is the word for silver, as in French "argent".
The powers that be hate silver because they can't just print more of it. Silver protects you from them! They don't want you protected, with inflation-proof savings in real silver metal. They want you weak and obedient to their printing press.
https://patrick.net/post/1378593/2023-02-20-we-should-all-just-use-silver
Thanks for this suggestion, and the link, Patrick! Makes good sense to me!
Yes, at this age I'm beginning to understand people's anger at currency not being backed by an actual commodity.
Absolutely, always... cash has cachet! For my pop-up jewelry store I always encourage people to pay with cash and of course always slip in a conversation about the dangers of TBTWB trying to eliminate cash whilst I’m at it 😉
Definitely. even though cash is printed by the same criminals, it is far better than anything digital. we will need to make our own cash and yes I know many are doing that. the issue is with what backs the cash or what are the guarantees?
At any time your tendered cash is refused, you can take the goods that were proffered and leave. This because the commerce system is all about contracts. when goods are offered (for sale) the 'fair consideration' part of the contract is satisfied when your offer legal tender. If the merchant refuses that offered contract completion, he/she is in breach of the commercial code, or Law Merchant.
Where we live small businesses charge an extra 3-4% for using a card. Larger purchases we can write a check for. We try and use cash most of the time, and always leave tips in cash.
My only problem is that my credit union gives me $9.00 a month for using my CU debit card. I plan on going to the next annual meeting and inquiring about tracking. (It's a real CU and not a bank masquerading as a CU.)
A debit card is as close to using cash as you can get, and it's possible that they aren't tracked. I hope that's the case because credit unions are great and so is getting nine bucks a month!
Interesting backstory: The CU I am a member of began as a CU for workers at what used to be the Chinet plant in Waterville, Maine (now it's Hutamaki), then they opened a branch in Belfast for poultry plant workers. It's definitely a working-class CU whereas the CU I used to be a member of is clearly trying to appeal to the trust funders and well-heeled retirees, and their offices are very fancy, filled with screens for some unfathomable reason.
People I've spoken with in Europe often do not seem to have access to CUs. I somehow cannot picture CUs closing people's accounts because of their political speech.
Thanks, Anne. I'm doing similar stuff, though I'm a writer... Sonnet about CBDBs: https://clownworldshakespeare.substack.com/p/sonnet-mind-your-poor-ears-its-but
Not much of an artist, but I'm trying:
https://clownworldshakespeare.substack.com/p/everything-old-is-nft-again
Keep up the good work. I'll be back...