Do away with cash. The public demand it. *Updated*

Leg-Iron did a recent post on the banning of cash sales for second hand goods dealers in Louisiana.

He talks of a dystopian society he is writing about where nobody has any real money. All transactions are conducted electronically via a tiny implant under the skin. Tax is deducted at source each time a transaction occurs and no one can avoid paying it.

He poses the question, "How would this be made possible?"

How to make this happen? First you ban cash. Then cheques (I know, they started with the wrong one here) so everything is done via a credit card. These already have chips, and already can be integrated into phones. It's only a tiny step to integrate them into your implanted ID chip and just look how convenient it is. You can't lose it, you can't go right round the supermarket and then find you've left your card at home, and it can't be stolen. Perfect. People will fight each other to be the first to get this.

He's right, people will be fighting each other to be the first, and the cash ban on second hand goods in Louisiana is proof positive that TPTB want to ban cash and the public will go along with it.

I also blogged on this subject a while back.

There is nothing modern governments want more than a cashless society.
Cash is the last remaining "bearer bond". If you remove cash from the equation you are only left with electronic means of money transfers and payments.
Electronic payments can be easily tracked and easily taxed where applicable.

I too suggested the public would be all for it. The Government would use a typical smokescreen such as drugs or money laundering before suggesting a move away from cash. The sheep would begin bleating that cash is evil and must be done away with to protect them.

So both myself and Leg-Iron are in agreement. The Government don't like cash and the public will screech for it's abandonment as soon as a suitable smokescreen is created.

We were both wrong.

The public have started demanding the removal of cash before the Government have even come up with a smokescreen. The public have banded together and created their own.

Cashless Scrap Metal Trade - Amendment to Scrap Metal Merchants Act 1964
Responsible department: Home Office
Due to a significant rise in value, metal has become a much sought after commodity. This increased demand has resulted in a sharp rise in metal theft nationally. Metal fencing, gates, manhole covers and other metallic items are stolen on a regular basis. Property is raided for lead, copper and cabling. War memorials and statues have been taken. Overhead power lines are stolen at serious risk to personal safety with huge costs for replacement and major inconvenience to the public. Historically the scrap metal trade has been a cash in hand industry. This creates difficulties as there is no audit trail, making identification of individuals who may be trading stolen metal or who may be committing tax or benefits fraud, a difficult proposition. An amendment to the Scrap Metal Merchants Act 1964 to prohibit cash transactions would make payment by cheque or directly into a bank account mandatory and would be a significant component in reducing metal theft.

More than eighteen thousand people have signed this petition.

We don't even need a Government to oppress us any longer. We are quite capable of doing it to ourselves.

*Update*

The Lancashire Telegraph is running a story on scrap metal theft:

METAL thefts in the county have rocketed to £1million in the first six months of the year.
Police now fear that organised crime gangs could latch on to the ‘lucrative’ trend as their next source of major income.
And officers are gathering intelligence on scrapyards that help process the stolen metal, as well as gangs who bypass dealers with drop-off points for it to be ferried abroad.

The very first comment on the story is:

burner says...
9:13am Fri 28 Oct 11

No need for fancy policing. The solution is obvious and dead easy . . . . . make ALL payments electronic, no cash, then there will be a trace for every deal. No escape for those who weigh in - soon sort out honest from dishonest.

I assume by ALL payments he only means within the scrap metal trade and he isn't talking about doing away with cash altogether.

He is talking about the first step onto the slippery slope though, even if he doesn't know it.

Let the denormalisation of cash begin.