We should do away with money. There should be only credit/debit cards. This way all transactions can be monitored. It will help with tax fraud, theft, and robbery.
I am sure people will object on the basis that this is an invasion of our privacy. However, if they have nothing to hide then they have nothing to worry about.
It will allow the government to track people who they suspect of having ill intentions to America. Think of it, when all transactions are tracked it will be very hard for a terrorist to operate in our country. I am sure there will still be a black-market, but as it becomes impossible to launder money this market will dry up.
Also we need to have monitoring devices in every home, apartment, office, restaurant, etc. Sure this sounds like a Big Brother type of invasion of privacy, but is that really so bad. From what I can remember of that book the only really bad thing about that society was it was poor and lacked entertainment. People will be perfectly happy to monitored nonstop if they can have nice stuff and be entertained. Think of all the money that will be available after we end crime.
I could not tell if your post is tongue in cheek or not, but I have to disagree that this would end crime.
People could still launder money. If there was no cash, private parties would still have to be able to pay eachother for goods and services. So, there would have to be a mechanism for doing so, and illegitimate purchases and transactions would be disguised as everyday reimbursements etc.
Heck! It might even make it easier to launder money with this kind of system!
The end of crime? I don’t think it would stop people from sodomy in the states that still construe it as illegal. I don’t think it’d stop people from going 2 miles over the speed limit. It wouldn’t stop republicans from being elected by the US supreme court either.
And why, exactly, would I want anyone to monitor, particularly the government, the tens of thousands of dollars I give to strippers each year?
I’m being facetious, but the point is real. There are many, many things that people do with their money that are legal but embarrassing. Your concept represents a massive invasion of civil liberties.
And what happens when people outsource their credit-debit cards to Secret Swiss Bank Accounts? Not only can you not trace transactions, you can’t tax them. Exit govt.
People only talk of civil liberties, when they do something wrong these days. We have long past the days when the government was a destructive force to any true American.
One other point, as for the book Big Brother (or as George Orwell affectionately called it, 1984), there were other problems such as disinformation being constantly be distributed to keep the war machine going.
And how, exactly, do you intend for the government to monitor billions of transactions in the US alone every year? Not to menton the increased dangers of hacking and cracking.
You’re forgetting the massive cost of installing credit-card machines in all buisnesses. I used to work at a tiny mom-and-pop convenience store, and we were instructed not to allow customers to charge purchases under $10, because the credit card companies charged a certain ammount per transaction regardless of the dollar amount. Charging a small purchase would eat up the profits in transaction charges.
Buisnesses would have to raise prices to keep their profits if every purchase was a charge.
Also, validating the card, and signing the reciept would add time to every transaction. Maybe just a few seconds, but in a high-volume business, this could really add up.
Also, where WOULD the strippers wear the card swipers?
People do all kinds of things with their money which is legal but they would like to keep private. It is their right to do so.
Theft and robbery will occur but people will be stealing things and cards rather then cash. Have you ever had your credit or debt card stolen and then used? Lots of people have.
Hi :)pal
“Nothing to hide, Nothing to worry about” is one of the stupid reasons for allowing are privacy to be taken away.
Some crime might be stopped with would save some money, but the cost of monitoring all transactions would more then out way any money saved.
Oh will you stop the Eurasia bashing already.
It’s getting soooooo stale.
They’re the Good Guys, double plus good.
Stop believeing that silly propaganda of yours.
You never won that big battle last month, for that matter.
No, actually, this is specifically and exactly a Big Brother type of invasion of privacy, precisely as describe in the book.
I think the main character would have been happy to have a little less monitoring if it meant Big Brother never would have known to strap a cage to his head and drop a rat into it, but maybe that’s just me.
