I don' want this to turn into a conspiracy thread, there is a real effort to reduce the amount of cash in circulation for control purposes and there is a real marketing effort to make buying and selling more convenient by using digital devices. They are two separate things, both cash and digital/ cell phone/ debit or credit card / electronic online transfers have legitimate advantages and obvious and hidden disadvantages, for the buyer , for the seller, and for governments.
Most people imho don't really think about it a whole lot.. most folks just go with the convenience and don't question it, a lot of folks don't even carry cash anymore.. many stores , if the power goes out, or the internet goes down, just close instead of staying open and taking cash for goods. When I shop on Amazon or some other online stores when I check out I get a little box asking me if I want to share the fact I bought my favorite and hard to find cream rinse for my hair with all my friends on facebook , and I am not even on facebook .. I'm old fashioned.. I send formal hand written notes to all my friends when I buy cream rinse, like we all did back in a more gentile time before the internet and data mining. Back then only the post office monetized my shopping habits by selling me stamps to send all my formal handwritten notices to my friends bragging about my latest purchases of breakfast cereal and toilet paper. I used to use a 10 star rating system to express my joy and satisfaction at my latest toothbrush.. but alas, now I am restricted to a mere 5 star rating system that cannot possibly full express the nuances of my happiness or displeasure ( and what does it tell a child today, when a Teacher merely gives one gold star for the child's best effort? kids know what a one star rating means ).
Anyway I digress, Negative interest rates to make it cheaper for governments to borrow gadzillions of dollars affordably.
Over night changing the currency http://money.cnn.com/2016/11/18/news/india/india-cash-ban-explainer/ http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-07-08/how-cash-crisis-greece-affecting-ordinary-people
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenisation_and_Economic_Empowerment_Act https://www.theindependent.co.zw/2016/06/17/alternative-solutions-liquidity-cash-crisis/
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...ially-removes-local-currency-from-circulation
https://zimnews.net/zimbabwe-money-crises-starts/
here in the US https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_denominations_of_United_States_currency
http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-plot-to-kill-the-100-bill-1455667926
http://www.wsj.com/articles/end-the-100-bill-uncle-sam-says-no-1466155982 for the time being, however the EU will stop issuing the 500 euro note in 2018 .. so this does as some traction ..
you could wake up one morning and find you have a deadline to turn in your $100 bills for smaller denominations. Already some stores and businesses have stopped taking cash altogether http://theconversation.com/if-cash-is-king-how-can-stores-refuse-to-take-your-dollars-63516
Like gun control, cash control isn't about controlling cash. it isn't impossible for it to happen here http://www.friesian.com/notes.htm In fact we have changed our currency 6 times , some with mandatory turn in and exchange dates after which they were no longer legal currency.
Technically our paper money is good for all debts public and private.. but as I pointed out, some businesses just don't take them any more.
Keeping a stash of cash at home under the mattress is not risk free from currency change.
Most people imho don't really think about it a whole lot.. most folks just go with the convenience and don't question it, a lot of folks don't even carry cash anymore.. many stores , if the power goes out, or the internet goes down, just close instead of staying open and taking cash for goods. When I shop on Amazon or some other online stores when I check out I get a little box asking me if I want to share the fact I bought my favorite and hard to find cream rinse for my hair with all my friends on facebook , and I am not even on facebook .. I'm old fashioned.. I send formal hand written notes to all my friends when I buy cream rinse, like we all did back in a more gentile time before the internet and data mining. Back then only the post office monetized my shopping habits by selling me stamps to send all my formal handwritten notices to my friends bragging about my latest purchases of breakfast cereal and toilet paper. I used to use a 10 star rating system to express my joy and satisfaction at my latest toothbrush.. but alas, now I am restricted to a mere 5 star rating system that cannot possibly full express the nuances of my happiness or displeasure ( and what does it tell a child today, when a Teacher merely gives one gold star for the child's best effort? kids know what a one star rating means ).
Anyway I digress, Negative interest rates to make it cheaper for governments to borrow gadzillions of dollars affordably.
Over night changing the currency http://money.cnn.com/2016/11/18/news/india/india-cash-ban-explainer/ http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-07-08/how-cash-crisis-greece-affecting-ordinary-people
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenisation_and_Economic_Empowerment_Act https://www.theindependent.co.zw/2016/06/17/alternative-solutions-liquidity-cash-crisis/
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...ially-removes-local-currency-from-circulation
https://zimnews.net/zimbabwe-money-crises-starts/
here in the US https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Large_denominations_of_United_States_currency
http://www.wsj.com/articles/the-plot-to-kill-the-100-bill-1455667926
http://www.wsj.com/articles/end-the-100-bill-uncle-sam-says-no-1466155982 for the time being, however the EU will stop issuing the 500 euro note in 2018 .. so this does as some traction ..
you could wake up one morning and find you have a deadline to turn in your $100 bills for smaller denominations. Already some stores and businesses have stopped taking cash altogether http://theconversation.com/if-cash-is-king-how-can-stores-refuse-to-take-your-dollars-63516
Like gun control, cash control isn't about controlling cash. it isn't impossible for it to happen here http://www.friesian.com/notes.htm In fact we have changed our currency 6 times , some with mandatory turn in and exchange dates after which they were no longer legal currency.
Technically our paper money is good for all debts public and private.. but as I pointed out, some businesses just don't take them any more.
Keeping a stash of cash at home under the mattress is not risk free from currency change.