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The Cashless Society is Almost Here – And With Some Very Sinister Implications

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March 27, 2024, 12:55:24 pm Mark says: Shocked Shocked Shocked Shocked  When Hamas spokesman Abu Ubaida began a speech marking the 100th day of the war in Gaza, one confounding yet eye-opening proclamation escaped the headlines. Listing the motives for the Palestinian militant group's Oct. 7 massacre in Israel, he accused Jews of "bringing red cows" to the Holy Land.
December 31, 2022, 10:08:58 am NilsFor1611 says: blessings
August 08, 2018, 02:38:10 am suzytr says: Hello, any good churches in the Sacto, CA area, also looking in Reno NV, thanks in advance and God Bless you Smiley
January 29, 2018, 01:21:57 am Christian40 says: It will be interesting to see what happens this year Israel being 70 years as a modern nation may 14 2018
October 17, 2017, 01:25:20 am Christian40 says: It is good to type Mark is here again!  Smiley
October 16, 2017, 03:28:18 am Christian40 says: anyone else thinking that time is accelerating now? it seems im doing days in shorter time now is time being affected in some way?
September 24, 2017, 10:45:16 pm Psalm 51:17 says: The specific rule pertaining to the national anthem is found on pages A62-63 of the league rulebook. It states: “The National Anthem must be played prior to every NFL game, and all players must be on the sideline for the National Anthem. “During the National Anthem, players on the field and bench area should stand at attention, face the flag, hold helmets in their left hand, and refrain from talking. The home team should ensure that the American flag is in good condition. It should be pointed out to players and coaches that we continue to be judged by the public in this area of respect for the flag and our country. Failure to be on the field by the start of the National Anthem may result in discipline, such as fines, suspensions, and/or the forfeiture of draft choice(s) for violations of the above, including first offenses.”
September 20, 2017, 04:32:32 am Christian40 says: "The most popular Hepatitis B vaccine is nothing short of a witch’s brew including aluminum, formaldehyde, yeast, amino acids, and soy. Aluminum is a known neurotoxin that destroys cellular metabolism and function. Hundreds of studies link to the ravaging effects of aluminum. The other proteins and formaldehyde serve to activate the immune system and open up the blood-brain barrier. This is NOT a good thing."
http://www.naturalnews.com/2017-08-11-new-fda-approved-hepatitis-b-vaccine-found-to-increase-heart-attack-risk-by-700.html
September 19, 2017, 03:59:21 am Christian40 says: bbc international did a video about there street preaching they are good witnesses
September 14, 2017, 08:06:04 am Psalm 51:17 says: bro Mark Hunter on YT has some good, edifying stuff too.
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Author Topic: The Cashless Society is Almost Here – And With Some Very Sinister Implications  (Read 9211 times)
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« Reply #60 on: February 20, 2018, 12:45:03 am »

Revealed: Cash eclipsed as Britain turns to digital payments

Notes and coins set to fall to just 21% of sales by 2026, raising questions for those who rely on the cash economy

Britain will move beyond “peak cash” this year, according to data gathered by the Guardian that suggests notes and coins are rapidly being supplanted as the favoured payment method, particularly in cities.

Debit cards are set to overtake cash as the most frequently used payment method in the UK later this year, according to UK Finance, which represents leading finance and banking firms.

The volume of cash removed from cash machines (ATMs) is falling fast, while other data shows customers are eschewing cash for cards – even for small purchases such as a coffee or a beer.

In 2006, 62% of all payments in the UK were made using cash; in 2016 the proportion had fallen to 40%. By 2026, it is predicted cash will be used for just 21%, according to figures from UK Finance.

ATM data show that in 2016, there were 2.7bn withdrawals from the country’s 70,000 cash machines – the lowest number of transactions since 2010. The total amount of money withdrawn at ATMs has fallen steeply in the last few years; in 2016, people withdrew more than £6bn less than they did in 2015.

Bank of England figures meanwhile show that while the volume of cash in the economy typically increases every year, it is now doing so at the slowest rate since 1972.

In the developed world, Sweden and Canada are at the vanguard of the recent move away from cash, as debit cards, credit cards, phone payment methods and apps and online transfers predominate.

rest: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2018/feb/19/peak-cash-over-uk-rise-of-debit-cards-unbanked-contactless-payments
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« Reply #61 on: April 16, 2018, 06:47:07 pm »

More restaurants go cashless, accept only cards and other forms of payment

If you’re craving the Serrano Grilled Shrimp Bowl at the Tender Greens salad chain, don’t bother bringing cash. Tender Greens, with28 restaurants on the East and West coasts, is one of a growing number of eateries that are either shunning cash and only accepting credit and debit cards and contactless payment systems, like Apple Pay, or experimenting with the strategy.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2018/04/15/cashless-restaurants-like-tenders-greens-rising-numberat-growing-number-restaurants-cash-no-longer-m/319618002/
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« Reply #62 on: May 01, 2018, 01:31:57 am »

Sweden reveals why a “cashless” society may not be such a good idea after all – NaturalNews.com

 Is it possible for a society to function properly without the use of any cash? Sweden could have the answer to this question and more, as the country has had a good run of using digital payment systems so far, and many Swedish establishments have helped cashless payment methods almost become status quo.

In a cashless society, consumers will no longer need to carry physical notes or coins. Instead, they will rely on cards or electronic devices to issue payments for any goods or services that they avail. In Sweden, a system that is based around the usage of such items has worked great so far. But a growing number of citizens are beginning to fear for the worst in the future, thinking that going completely cashless leaves them open to some pretty scary potential scenarios.

Only recently, Stefan Ingves, the current head of the Swedish central bank Riksbank, issued a statement warning the country that it could soon be faced with a situation where private sector banks have taken complete control over the national payment system. In his view, it’s something that’s not really desirable. Therefore, he called for new laws that would help to secure public control over any payment system, mainly because a working payments system is a “collective good” that benefits the general public as a whole. YES! Because the governments of the world will do such a much better moral job of it right?  Cheesy

According to Ingves, the citizens have every right to not let control of payment systems go to private institutions, much less those that are financially interested, especially for certain things like public works and national defense. “Most citizens would feel uncomfortable to surrender these social functions to private companies,” he said. “It should be obvious that Sweden’s preparedness would be weakened if, in a serious crisis of war, we had not decided in advanced how households and companies would pay for fuel, supplies and other necessities.”

Now based on online reports, these remarks have helped to bring cashless society concerns mainstream in Sweden. In particular, a group called Kontantupproret, or Cash Rebellion, has come into prominence. Its leader, former national police commissioner Björn Eriksson, said that the central bank governor’s statements have helped swing things around for the group, which used to get dismissed as the voice of the technologically illiterate and those who were unwilling to “get with the times.”

In Eriksson’s view, a national cashless payment system could be used as a point of attack that would essentially cripple the nation. “When you have a fully digital system you have no weapon to defend yourself if someone turns it off,” he said. “If Putin invades Gotland [Sweden’s largest island] it will be enough for him to turn off the payments system. No other country would even think about taking these sorts of risks, they would demand some sort of analogue system.”

On a separate note, a recent opinion poll also revealed that a large number of Swedes still prefer to use cash over digital payments systems. The results of the survey showed that seven out of 10, or almost 70 percent, of all respondents wanted to keep the option to use cash. Meanwhile, about 25 percent of them want to go ahead and dive right into being a cashless society.

For now, Sweden sees the need to cater to both groups of people, but if the push toward becoming a cashless society picks up speed and succeeds in converting the country completely, they could be in for a rude awakening, considering all of the threats possible.

Read more about possible threats to the world economy at Risk.news.

https://www.naturalnews.com/2018-04-29-sweden-reveals-why-a-cashless-society-may-not-be-such-a-good-idea.html
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« Reply #63 on: July 10, 2018, 08:36:18 pm »

Backlash building to cashless movement

Aaron Bateman pulled out a few $20 bills to pay for a taco lunch in the nation's capital. To his surprise, his money was no good in the city where money is printed.

Surfside, a popular 24-hour Mexican eatery, doesn't take cash. No cash means no register for robbers to empty out, no bills for workers to slip into their pockets and no change counting holding up lines.

The global cashless movement has reached Washington, where a growing number of fast-casual and other establishments are saying no to greenbacks in favor of plastic and mobile payments. Sweetgreen, the national salad chain, went cashless in most of its locations last year. Other cashless spots include a frozen yogurt shop downtown, a posh wine bar and a beer store. Soon, they may be breaking the law.

Critics of no-cash policies say they shut out the one in 10 city residents who don't have bank accounts and undocumented immigrants who can't easily sign up for cards. Some people also pay in cash so they can better track their spending or to avoid having their card information stolen.

Heeding these concerns, several lawmakers have introduced a bill to require retailers to accept cash.

"By denying the ability to use cash as a payment, businesses are effectively telling lower income and younger patrons that they are not welcome," said Council member David Grosso.

His bill is among the pockets of resistance forming against the cashless trend, which has taken hold in countries such as Sweden and India where mobile payments are gaining popularity.

Similar legislation was unsuccessfully introduced in Chicago last year. Massachusetts has an obscure 1978 pro-cash law on the books, but the state retailers association say it doesn't seem to be enforced and state officials haven't offered guidance.

Companies going card-only say it makes good business sense.

Washington restaurateur Bo Blair, whose company Georgetown Events operates eight fast casual and three sit-down restaurants in the city, decided to experiment going cashless when opening Surfside in 2015.

Usually, cost-conscious small businesses operate cash-only to avoid card processing fees.

But cash also has hidden costs, Blair said: armored vehicles taking money to banks. An extra hour for workers to close out the register. Employees swiping money from the till. And some of their places had been robbed.

"Not having to worry about employees stealing or getting robbed is a huge lift off our minds," said Blair.

Few Surfside customers complained and long lunch lines moved quickly, so Georgetown Events stopped taking cash at its seven other fast-casual spots, including the Jetties' sandwich shop, where about 80 percent of customers were already paying with their cards. They didn't make the shift at full-service restaurants where bartenders and servers like taking their cash tips home at the end of a shift.

Bateman, who tried to pay in cash at Surfside, said he was lucky his girlfriend brought her debit card with her so they could pay. The 22-year-old cook, who was on vacation from Norfolk, likes paying in cash so he doesn't have to constantly check his bank account to avoid overdrafts.

"You have your money in your hand and know what you can do with it," Bateman said. "It's a little bit better money management unless you are on top of your account like every five minutes."

After placing his order at Surfside, Richard Selgado said he prefers paying with his debit card.

"Some places, you don't know your surroundings. I've been in situations where I dropped money, and people pick it up and don't tell you," said Selgado. "I wish a lot of places are like this."

Sweetgreen, with a dozen locations in Washington and scores more in Maryland, Virginia, New York, California, Pennsylvania, Illinois and Massachusetts, is perhaps the most high-profile business to go cashless. The company has declined requests for comment on the bill that would force them to accept cash, but officials previously said going cashless helped process as many as 15 percent more sales an hour and led to more people paying with the company's app.

"We believe digital payments are the future, and we want to help lead that charge, not lag behind," Sweetgreen founders wrote in a 2016 Medium post announcing the cashless switch.

Other restaurateurs say refusing to take cash is disrespectful to their customers.

"Not everybody is able to buy a smart phone. Not everybody is in a position where they can get a credit card. Not everybody is even in a position where they have a stable bank account to be able to use the debit card. But they are hungry too, and have $10 in their pockets and they would like to spend their legal American form of tender, known as cash, with you," said Amsterdam Falafelshop Owner Arianne Bennett in an email. "As society and technology evolves, we must ask ourselves always, not just 'can we'? But 'should we'?"

An Amsterdam Falafelshop franchise in the Boston area went cashless in 2016, but corporate intervened a month in. Instead, the franchise put up signs on their counter advising 'While we prefer digital methods of payment, we will of course accept your cash.'

Cava Grill, a fast-growing Mediterranean chain, has debuted a number of cashless options including pre-ordering online and paying in-store with an app. But the company's leadership says the costs of continuing to take cash is worth it to avoid frustrated customers.

"Whether it's for underbanked reasons, for privacy reasons or for budgetary tracking reasons, we want to accommodate them," said Cava chief executive Brett Schulman.

The decision to go cashless also has broader implications in the global battle between the credit card and ATM industries.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, VISA has been a major booster of the cashless movement. The credit card company in March awarded 50 businesses $10,000 each for rejecting cash payments and has released reports touting the benefits of a cashless society.

The International Currency Association launched a "Cash Matters" initiative last year to push back against cashless policies, mostly in Europe. They are also supported by the ATM Industry Association, which declared the bill before the D.C. Council "a historic development in the nation's capital in the long war against cash waged by the card brands."

"When card brands diminish human choice in the payments sector, they corrode a part of freedom itself in the wider economy," said Mike Lee, the ATM group's chief executive.

Advocates for poor people and immigrants say keeping cash as an option is essential for people without bank accounts.

Nationwide, 7 percent of households had no checkings or savings accounts in 2015, according to the most recent federal survey. It was more than twice as high for black people and Latinos.

The most common reason for not having a bank account is the fees imposed on customers who can't meet a minimum balance or other requirements. Some don't trust financial institutions, and others don't have a choice.

Leonard Edwards, 58, said he lost access to his bank account when he couldn't work anymore because of arthritis, and he fell behind on child support payments. Instead, he pays high fees to cash checks and use temporary debit cards. He does not go out to eat much, but when he does, he pays cash and is surprised some restaurants wouldn't take his money.

"It's just a way to keep low-income and poor people out," said Edwards. "We don't have credit cards or money in the bank just sitting around. It's just another hurdle for poor people to maneuver around in the system we live in."

About 11 percent of Washington residents did not have bank accounts in 2015 and another quarter were considered underbanked - meaning they use services such as payday loans, check cashing or pawn shops for money.

Some advocates for the "unbanked" says the focus should be on giving them more payment options. A partnership between D.C. government and financial groups called Bank On D.C. has helped open 11,000 accounts since 2010, said Tanya Bryant, a spokeswoman for the city's financial regulating agency.

"If someone is buying a salad or something, and it's $6, and they need to swipe instead of using cash, the real underlying issue is they don't have a bank account with debit card functionality," said David Rothstein of Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund, which works with Bank on D.C. and others to provide low-cost checkings accounts. "That's where the real problem is. It's less about the use of cash, and it's more about financial inclusion."

https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Backlash-building-to-cashless-movement-13060811.php
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« Reply #64 on: May 31, 2020, 09:59:13 pm »

In a pandemic, no one wants to touch it. Why cash has become the new Typhoid Mary

“This note is legal tender for all debts, public and private.” That’s what it says right under “Federal Reserve Note” and “The United States of America.”

But legal tender won’t be accepted to play at one of the city of Los Angeles’ dozen public golf courses. Or for the $15 charge to enter the Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Gardens in Arcadia. More than 30 Armstrong Garden Centers around California also ask for “touchless” payment options, as does the Beehive clothing boutique in Manhattan Beach and the Munch Company sandwich shop in South Pasadena.

The Almighty Dollar has lost some of its might in the time of COVID-19. While most struggling businesses will take payment in any form to make ends meet during the economic downtown, a minority reject cash, fearing that it could be a transmission vehicle for the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Some experts predict that the pandemic will accelerate a steady flight by American consumers away from dollars and cents.

“This crisis is clearly pushing us even farther away from using cash in our everyday legal transactions,” said Kenneth Rogoff, a Harvard University economics professor and author of “The Curse of Cash.” “And it’s for obvious reasons. No one wants to touch something you or someone else just touched. That’s not going to change any time soon.”

Dollars remain in record circulation around the world, in part as a perceived safe haven for investors and, not infrequently according to Rogoff, as the preferred vehicle for money launderers and tax evaders. But on Main Street, the use of greenbacks makes some retailers and customers flinch, and contrary to popular belief, there is no federal law that requires businesses to accept cash and coins, according to the Federal Reserve’s website.

Noshi Sushi in Koreatown, a cash-only business for decades, has begun taking ATM and credit cards and now completes nearly half its transactions with plastic, said manager Jacky Gomez.

At a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf in Manhattan Beach, cashier Jennai Dreger notices how cash often comes scribbled with notations. “People put down their phone numbers and I see the area codes are from all over the place,” said Dreger. “And, I’m like, ‘OK, this money has been everywhere.’”

She much prefers the no-touch transactions when customers use the coffee chain’s mobile phone app. “I don’t have to touch their money. I don’t have to touch their card. I don’t have to touch anything. The only contact is between the scanner and their phone,” Dreger said. “And I am like, ‘Yes!’”

Sinnaca Bell of South Los Angeles delivers food for Postmates. He has noticed even before the COVID-19 crisis how cash would be stained, sometimes with what looked like blood. “If you have Venmo, or anything like that, you use it,” said Bell, 41. “Most people don’t really want to deal with cash.”

There has not been specific research on the danger of the coronavirus being transmitted via cash. A National Institutes of Health study found that SARS-CoV-2 remained infectious on cardboard for up to 24 hours. But germs picked up from surfaces can be eliminated by thorough hand washing. The primary means of transmission remains through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

That doesn’t make cash any less creepy to many of the consumers and workers who handle bills, with no way of knowing who has touched them before.

Kay Nam, owner of Current Events newsstand in Manhattan Beach, said she serves customers every day who leave cash and coins rather than take the money, and potential germs, with them.

“With the virus, some people don’t want to touch money at all,” said Nam, whose family has owned the business for 22 years. Some loyal customers also want to leave their change to help support a local business, including one regular who pays $20 for his $2.50 newspaper. Says Nam: “There are a lot of good people out there.”

Good intentions don’t equal safety, though, and most cashiers said they wash their hands routinely, sometimes after every transaction. Or they apply regular shots of hand sanitizer.

At El Tarasco, a Mexican food joint in Venice, cashier Maricela Moreno goes a step further. She takes each new bill offered to her and sprays it down with alcohol. She leaves the dead presidents lying atop a paper towel until they have dried, before returning them to the cash drawer.

Moreno laughs a bit at her money laundering (the literal and legal kind, that is) but adds: “Why not? Just to be safe.”

A shift to other forms of payment has been encouraged by government agencies, such as the California Department of Public Health, which suggests the use of debit and credit cards. Reopening plans for multiple counties also recommend “contactless” payment systems.

The retreat of cash comes with an advance of electronic payment systems like Square, created by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey and PayPal, also the parent of Venmo.

PayPal added an average of 250,000 new accounts a day through April and now has 325 million active accounts worldwide, up from 277 million accounts a year ago. More than half of its accounts are in the United States.

“I think what’s happened with the pandemic is it’s taken a three- to five-year time frame that it would have taken for digital payments to hit a tipping point and fast-forwarded it to reach that tipping point, literally within months,” PayPal CEO Daniel Schulman said in an interview.

While some older consumers had clung to cash, the digital pay platform now sees the 50-plus age group as its fastest-growing demographic. “Before it used to be cash or checks. Now they are going to a payment platform to send money to the grandkids,” Schulman said.

Some businesses prefer cash to reduce charges from bank card companies. They also don’t suffer a tremendous penalty for holding the money outside of banks, for a time, because low interest rates would generate almost no growth. But there are hidden costs, like the higher rates of insurance paid by companies that carry lots of currency.

Much of the demand for cash in the United States comes from businesses that also save by underreporting their income and thus illegally reducing their taxes, said Harvard’s Rogoff. His 2016 book concluded that about 15% of individual federal taxes are never paid, even after audits, amounting to a $500 million-a-year loss for the U.S. treasury.

While many hail the shift to a cashless economy, others say that it raises equity concerns, because the poorest Americans have no access to digital alternatives. Much of the world, led by Scandinavia and Japan, has moved to assure virtually their entire populations have access to online payments. China introduced a digital currency this spring in four cities, paving the way to its becoming perhaps the world’s first cashless society.

But a survey by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation found that roughly 6% of the U.S. population, about 14.1 million adults, doesn’t have a checking or savings account, and thus can’t access funds online. That gap will have to be closed if America is ever to come closer to a cashless future.

Acknowledging the “bankless” community, San Francisco last year passed a measure requiring all businesses to keep taking cash. The policy remains in place, despite the pandemic.

For now, many businesses just want to reassure customers that their transactions won’t come freighted with a load of microscopic intruders.

“We don’t know when it will be time to take cash again,” said John Chen, owner of the Munch Company. “For right now, we just avoid contact. It’s a good thing for everyone. We keep everyone safe and happy.”

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/in-a-pandemic-no-one-wants-to-touch-it-why-cash-has-become-the-new-typhoid-mary/ar-BB14JKPr
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« Reply #65 on: April 13, 2022, 08:57:04 pm »

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