450 Comments

The major issue is that there's no practical difference between dollars printed out of thin air and dollars printed digitally. The 'experts' can pretend that the digi dollar will stabilize the system, but that system is destined to crash exactly the same as this one is -- this is just another way to kick the can down the road.

Expand full comment

In fact most dollars today are created through nothing more than accounting entries at the Fed and fractional reserve financial institutions (namely banks). The existing state of affairs isn't going to save us from terminal inflationary resolution due to decades of monetary distortion. However concerns regarding privacy and personal choice due to imposition of CBDC's are absolutely valid.

Expand full comment

Totally agree, but the government basically has this ability today. Ask the truckers.

Expand full comment
author

this is a much more granular version.

today it's a blunt instrument. we lock your account.

this could be "well, you cannot travel/pay for planes/trains/gas"

you cannot buy guns.

you can only buy 2 pounds of meat a month.

etc, etc.

it's a whole nother level

Expand full comment

Can you imagine the government telling the current welfare generation they can only buy two pounds of meat a month?

A dozen cities would be burnt rubble overnight.

Expand full comment

Same for some of us who've worked and saved all along just so that I could eat as much meat as I wish.

Expand full comment

The prison system is overcrowded w criminals. They will need to make room for political prisoners. Before the crash, when they start releasing criminals in large numbers.... get out of town.

Expand full comment

Maybe they're ok w that. The government can no longer afford to pay fpr crumbling infrastructure. Let it burn.

Expand full comment

As much as I'd like to think that would happen; with enough media cooperation and spin, the welfare class could be convinced to go along with eating SoyBugPaste.

Expand full comment

I think a lot more than the welfare class would go along with it. About half the country at least will do whatever our benevolent rulers dictate.

Expand full comment

Who says they're the ones who'll be throttled?

Expand full comment

If they aren't, there's no threat.

Expand full comment

Nah. Not over meat. Now, ration their on-line game playing time and you've see all that...:-)

Expand full comment

The ones that weren’t already?

Expand full comment
Mar 23, 2023·edited Mar 23, 2023

Imagine the legion of comptrollers and the AI that could be put into use here. Say you've used up your egg-quota for the month but want to buy some for your mother next block over?

To ensure "flexibility", an AI/human system of arbitrators can be used to make allowances for that.

With absolutely no spying, yes?

Which would in under 20 years condition everyone growing up under such a system to think of it as normal and natural.

O'Brien's boot-face metaphore looms closer and closer.

Expand full comment

Sad how some people took that book as a warning; others took it as an ideal worth achieving.

Expand full comment
founding

Yeah, it'll get pretty granular when you're eating your neighbors digits for meat.

Expand full comment

Finger food!!!

Expand full comment
founding

try to find the ones that pick their nose...more protein

Expand full comment

The proof of concept project is already active in China and works well for the CPC.

Why would any self-respecting bimbocrat or Justin Trudeau want less?

What do you think the Social Credit Score of Substack authors, readers, and comment contributors will be? Do you remember negative numbers from Grade 11 ?

Expand full comment

Oh boy… I’m in SO MUCH TROUBLE! 😳💩💩💩

As are many of us… this is one of the best places to rant and rave! So many soapboxes… 🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️🤦🏽‍♀️ I’m sure it will be a long time before I get back to positive numbers for their idiotic credit score… probably never… 🤷🏽‍♀️

Expand full comment

My hubs is ignoring all this. Thinks I’m a crank. Maybe he will be able to get meat and eggs for me. I’ll steal some chickens. Hide them in the cat enclosure. Would a loud wind chime cover the clucking? Guess we gotta laugh while we make our own diabolical plans.

Expand full comment

Hahaha! Yeah, I'm not counting on mine being high. No BidenBucks for me. What a shame.

Expand full comment

3d Printer, small scale CNC before they ban them.

Expand full comment

Do you have a good recommendation for a small scale CNC?

Expand full comment

I don't know enough about the CNC's.

Expand full comment

I’ve read about “digital wallets” that would act as an intermediary, and provide anonymity, similar to a VPN. Do you think there’s any practicality with that option?

There must be a way to provide privacy.

Expand full comment

Whatever privacy those may provide, they will be able to know how much went in to the wallets and how much come out. They will also know where what is being sent. This is just ONE PIECE of the digital prison. IoT, FinTech, QR Code controlled access and the ton of personal data I must provide to use or get cash under certain circumstances are just the ones I am aware of. Certainly there are others.

Expand full comment

That's a normal cryptocurrency, they will make absolutely sure you do NOT have any privacy or control.

Expand full comment

Have your account confirmed by a Nigerian Prince?

Expand full comment

And consider PFRA (agricultural funding almost bank). When the feds really got going they started to enlist other areas of government to identify and weed out dissenters. If you can find the stories on line you would think someone got an old copy of a Stasi operational manual. And the civil servants just went along blindly - mostly without question. I don't think anyone has to puzzle about how the Germans allowed their govt to go completely off the rails. Canada has provided a small sampling of how easy that is.

Expand full comment

" I don't think anyone has to puzzle about how the Germans allowed their govt to go completely off the rails."

Nope, that mystery has been solved, in exactly the wrong way. :(

Expand full comment

Also true. However if we are forced to use CBDC's we will be controlled even more efficiently through automation.

Expand full comment

"Spend this money by April 1 or it disappears!"

Expand full comment

"Im sorry, your transfer of money to account ###### has been terminated. Holder of account ###### is registered as a source of misinformation. As such, holder may not receive transfers other than from approved sources. To learn how to become an approved source, please click on the link below."

Expand full comment

"The money has been forfeited per our terms of service."

Expand full comment

Yes. Kirsch should open his own SV bank. Bank of Mister Information Spreaders. Instead of "SEE, I told you Vax is bad" newsletters.

Expand full comment

Good one Rikard!

Expand full comment

Worst April fool's joke ever. Ugh

Expand full comment

And spend it on what we allow you to spend it on.

Expand full comment

Yup, pretty much a totalitarians wet dream.

Expand full comment

Yes, and they are closer to carrying it out than we know.

Expand full comment

Are they locked out of restrooms until they use their money in the approved manner?

Expand full comment

A lot of truth here Simulation Commander. However, while the system changes little, we can pull all or most of our cash out of banks, and keep enough in there to pay bills. What does that do to their system when smaller customers do this? It forces the system to remain as it is, but we control the funds, the actual cash ourselves. Does that mean they do not have our cash to play with anymore? Oh yeah.... Does that mean they are going to push digital banking and end cash even harder? Oh yeah. We Americans have to say to the government, no no no. You can do the banking digital system all you want, because if you hadn't already noticed, it has been this way for some time already. The American government will have a revolution on their hands regarding any attempt to force cash out of transactions completely. We Americans control this, not the banks and not the government. I am pulling my cash out and I will control my own cash and the banks and government with all their plans be damned. They will have to figure out another way to con Americans out of their money so they can "use it to enrich their coffers". We are not this stupid. Well, some of us are not. And we raise hell!!!

Expand full comment

Yep. If they're able to get cash out of circulation somehow, we're in serious trouble.

As it is, my rule of banks is the same as my rule of crypto: Only put in what you can afford to lose.

Expand full comment

Not much faith in America since 2020. Vast majority easily forfeited their freedom, bodily autonomy & totally complied w/ all of the insanity, in many cases going along to get along, or taking the jab for something as stupid as the ability to travel. Many will believe that ultimately, CBDC will be a real convenience until they realize too late that it isn’t. Just like many are realizing what they’ve done to themselves w/ the jab.

Expand full comment

Ah but don't you remember, covid is still in play. Remember at the very beginning of covid when their was a coin "shortage" and they were telling people that the virus was on the bills? I know of some yuppies who started to refuse cash after that. Yinz guys keep talking like we can avoid a fight, you ain't going to avoid the fight. How bad do you want "muh freedom"?

Expand full comment

I remember the coin shortage. And there are a growing number of shops & services that refuse cash now.

Expand full comment

Went to the university canteen the other day. The kids are all waving their phones around to pay for everything. Not a coin or note in sight. They are already there. The conditioning is set. Forget about telling the politicians or voting them out. Forget about revolution. People won't fight for something that they don't want or use, or think they need. The kids assuredly do not associate their phones and digital money with curtailment of freedom. Yet.

Expand full comment

My sons do ALL banking & other transactions online 😔

Me? I know I’m dating myself but I still get a physical paycheck (everyone else in the office does direct deposit), physically deposit it & I still write checks for bills & use cash for everything local. I fear all of that is soon to end

Expand full comment

Here in the "global south" not everyone has a cell phone, computer, or access to sufficient data, or even electricity. My hope is that it stays that way, as it could at least keep the digital overthrow at bay for a while. Worldwide, we will have to rekindle a system of barter, if it comes to it.

Expand full comment

Yepm that is the BIG issue. We have to fight that to the death. Take heed America. Stop being so damn compliant. Just say no. The time for pitchforks is the CASH issue and even the smallest mind can wrap around CASH.

Expand full comment

"Only put in what you can afford to lose."

Solid dating-advice too.

Expand full comment
founding

ask John Bobbitt that

Expand full comment

And Ryan one-ups me yet again!

Dammit man, didn't even think of that old horror-story!

🕹✂️🩹

Now I'm going to have real nightmares!

Expand full comment
founding

Lmao. Love it Rikard. Wish we could have a drink sometime and cut it up

Expand full comment
Comment deleted
Expand full comment

Canned beans and .223 will be the new cash.

Expand full comment

If I recall, that's what they did in India sometime in the last two years with 1000 rupee and 500 rupee notes. They declared them obsolete and people had a certain amount of time to get their "refund" by handing them over.

Expand full comment

Similar thing is happening in Nigeria at the moment. They decided to introduce new bank notes, with a drastically short time announced to phase out the old (a month and a half!), and also restricted the amount of new notes at the same time. One of the goals being to "promote a cashless economy". Needless to say, chaos has ensued.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/theconversation.com/amp/nigerias-central-bank-made-critical-mistakes-that-doomed-the-countrys-currency-redesign-201578

Expand full comment

This is not surprising. Thanks for the link and the info. I have a feeling we're in for a really rough ride.

Expand full comment

Well, when they ban physical cash.. a lot of people are going to go along. And if you don’t, you’ll risk being caught every time you try. It’s not gonna be that easy to avoid this. “Physical cash transactions are illegal as of 3/1/2024. Prison time for anyone caught doing it. Cash into the digidollar now or your cash becomes worthless.” Etc.

Expand full comment

And require a digital ID which will only be provided to those up-to-date on shots.

Expand full comment

That's a bingo! People being treated as cattle.

Expand full comment
Mar 24, 2023·edited Mar 24, 2023

Or chattel

Expand full comment

Did you see that recent court ruling somewhere in like South Carolina that ruled that fetus can be bought and sold like chattel? That’s what you made me think of

Expand full comment
founding

And just for good measure they'll make you wear a mask

Expand full comment

And eventually get a QR Code/Quantum Tattoo/microchip in your hand, wrist, or forehead.

Expand full comment

I’ll die first (and it might come to that, I’m fully aware)

Expand full comment
founding

Agree. There's no coming back.

Hill I would happily die on.

Expand full comment

I think this is exactly how it will be implemented. We saw how corporations and people listened to the gov and went right along with the vaccine mandates. Gov and corporations are joined at the hip. Many already no longer take cash for a transaction.

Expand full comment

Governments have outlawed the use of old currencies in the past. Why would the US not be able to the same? They do not need to take out of circulation; all they have to do is say it is no longer legal tender. Or, they can just do as they have been, keep “printing” more and more of it making your cash worth less and less. A few years ago, I looked into how much $10,000 in 1970 was worth in the years I checked, around 2017, it was something like $68,000. If there was something I wanted that cost $10,000 in 1970, I would have to $68,000 for in it 2017. With the “printing press” cranking out dollars like a sailor on shore liberty drinks beer these past few years, this is probably an even bigger problem.

Using certain non cash methods of payment requires ID and sometimes other documentation. What could they not put the same requirement on cash transactions? They do in Japan for some cash transactions. The US can do it too.

We need to fight this, not try hiding from it.

Expand full comment

When they suggest CBDC, counter with gold and silver. Constitution already states its the only real money in the united states ;)

Expand full comment

A constitution is nice (the US one is very nice even), but when the velvet glove comes off, it's just a piece of paper.

As Stalin is claimed to have quipped when criticised by the Vatican: "The Pope? How many armoured divisions does he have?"

At the end of the day, there's power and power rests always on the will and abilty to do violence to others until they comply.

A constitution isn't much use except as a rallying point, but without the will to power it is nothing.

Expand full comment

Exactly. Fredrick Douglass is reported to have said that there are three boxes that secure our liberty. The ballot box, the jury box and the cartridge box.

Expand full comment

So much for the ballot box and the jury box.

Expand full comment

Ok, and I do agree, but how to we put this into practice? We really have a short time to kill CBDCs.

Expand full comment

You'd have to start buy having a local meeting and proposing the idea and explaining why you're proposing the idea. Fan out the idea from that. The same method El Gato speaks of above can have a counter or be used against those who employ. Do the same thing, just offer a different alternative. Frame it as a local thing, we've been globalizing and putting control of our lives in people we'll never know for far to long. No that hard to frame, you explain that all our current troubles are due to Mega corporations and corrupt government. Shouldn't be a hard sell ;)

Expand full comment

I am the only person I know personally who does not believe in masks. I am also the only one among all these folks certified in respirators. They all think I am crazy for not wearing a mask. Yep, I see them open to this idea.

At any rate, how far have you gotten toward this goal? Time is shorter than we think.

Expand full comment

Catherine Austin Fitts on Del Bigtree tonight breaking down Cbdc , Fednow and the connections with the French riots. Excellent

Expand full comment

Thanks for this. I've listened to her a few times now. She's been sounding this alarm for a while (and I must admit that I was too pre-occupied with the Covid insanity to pay close enough attention).

Expand full comment

WTF? There's a HUGE difference!!

Absolute total control over every dollar you spend, controlling on what, when, how much, how often, how far from home etc.

Wake up, please!

Expand full comment

You are so right! CBDC is simply inflation (more devaluation of the currency). No rational person would transact in this currency (what Chinese supplier will accept Walmart's CBDC currency?). No rational person would save this - you'd just spend it the instant you could on whatever you could get & try to trade the stuff later as necessary.

Inflation is NOT rising price levels; it's falling currency value - this would accelerate that decline. Basically, US economy shuts down & US government collapses (because what soldier would accept this crap as pay?).

This is the end of world.

Expand full comment

This is what I've been wondering. I'm no economist, but if the fiscal cliff is approaching no matter what, then what is the actual solution? War? A New New Deal? I suppose Ukraine, Pharma Phinance, "climate" interventions have all been attempts at this, but it's not enough. There looks to be pain, tightening of belts and a looming second Great Depression, no matter what. Presumably the CBDC is intended to manage the looming restrictions in a more, um, controlling manner? But if the world is to avoid this, we need solutions. Fast. And a collective will to implement them, while simultaneously rejecting the Digital Dollar Dystopia, no matter what our wannabe overlords say. Can we do it?

Expand full comment

Of course we can Ann Glover. We already have the system in place in American government to stop them, we just have to implement it and never give in. We need all Americans to get behind stopping this. It begins by dismissing those in government that are pushing this agenda. That would be all Democrats and many Republicans. Find out which of your representatives are supporting this tyranny.

Expand full comment

I'm definitely rooting for you! We can't have the United States becoming the Surveillance States....

Expand full comment

Ann, yes, there is a new system and coming fast, I just hope it comes fast enough.

No we cannot rely on the American constitution. As I like to annoy people by saying, that either allows everything that has happened or it has failed to prevent everything that has happened. Pick your favorite?

It's not 100% ready for general adoption yet, but there is a system coming.... Q

Expand full comment

Here's holding thumbs that we will emerge from it soon. It's feeling like poverty by a thousand cuts!

Expand full comment

"A society that lives above its means is destined to live beneath its means." -- Ron Paul

Expand full comment

Two different things. Both bad, no doubt. The "printed out of thin air" devalues the currency and drives inflation. Interestingly, just the ability (even before it's done) is enough to devalue currency when government debt is exploding because to currency traders and credit sources, they see the "print more money" as inevitable. So this is very, very bad. But central bank digital currency is another kind of bad. Sure it has all the downsides of printing currency that isn't backed by any tangible asset. So you're spot on there. But it carries all kinds of additional badness. The digital currency is easier to control after it's issued. See the meme - it's not much of a stretch. Confiscation of your money is even easier.

Is it really that much more dangerous than the status quo? Once upon a time, when most folks relied mostly on cash, it was hard to just take it after it was printed. Today most people rely on electronic money or credit. You can't use cash on Amazon and increasingly in some PC places you can't even use cash for retail. We've gone from cards to "tap" and automatic transfers are the standard for paying bills. But with many different banks to choose from, there is at least the illusion of choice and pressure upon banks to appear to respect privacy. But is this reality? Well, it still takes convincing a federal judge for LE to get at your transaction records legally. Or a semi-competent 9th grader to get at it illegally. And convincing a federal judge isn't really hard, folks, so long as you can find one that supports the "goals" (aka politics). It takes not much more effort for a federal agency to seize your bank accounts. Three easy steps:

1. accuse you of a tax crime. This allows the IRS to freeze all your accounts;

2. people with no funds generally put up incompetent defenses

3. declare all assets "ill-gotten gains" and take it all

Step (3) gets all tangible assets too.

Federal regulators have tremendous power over banks. So while it may appear you have a choice, truth may be you don't. But collapsing all banks into a single, centrally controlled bank will "streamline" the process of controlling all transactions. It may be only incremental change, but it does look to be irreversible.

Expand full comment

Actually it's scarier than that, because a digital dollar that is wholly controlled by the fed would never crash without bloodshed. You would basically have to have people murdering each other to undo that level of control over society.

Expand full comment

If we allow such a thing then humanity will be enslaved forever.

How to fight back when your very act of buying some cardboard and sharpies identifies you as a potential protester, who can be insta-fined $50 and spending restricted by AI?

When the Chinese wanted to stop a protest they turned certain people's vaccine passport red and denied them entry to public transport. Imagine that level of control, but via ChatGPT and programable money?

Expand full comment

Well, there is one difference. If it gets cold, I can burn a billion dollars for heat! :)

file:///Y:/Backgrounds/Memes/Burning%20Money%20for%20Heat.jpg

Expand full comment
founding

But if I invest $2,000 in printed dollars to get $0, that's better than investing $3,000 in digital currency to get the same return....right?

Return on investment exchanged in Rubles.

Expand full comment

That might be the best suggestion in this whole discussion. $100,000 in Rubles, $100,000 in Rand, $100,000 in Bitcoin, $100,000 in Baht... and soon you will be talking real (survival) money. Multiply by 10 or 100 for big shooters, but the 100's will generally surf above our peasant considerations and will have their jets sorted out like Goldfinger's Rolls.

Expand full comment
Comment removed
Expand full comment

So Mr Commie Libor Soural. WTF!!! Nothing is inevitable. Death is not according to Jesus Christ. Taxes are not. If you do not know why, that is your problem. God does bring order out of chaos. Sometimes though people die during the process, which generally does not care about the individual lives on this planet. What to unpack here beyond that? Nada. Too esoteric for me...

Expand full comment

They are probably a fake bot.

Expand full comment

I pay in cash as much as possible. If my local chain grocer goes to electronic payments only, I’ll find an independent grocer that accepts greenbacks. Screw this Fedcoin; credit cards are bad enough.

Expand full comment

Yep. Cash or barter before digital slavery.

Expand full comment

Gov could mandate all business to take your ID with each purchase (George Gammon explained this). Paying in cash doesn't solve the surveillance/privacy issue.

Expand full comment

Yes, exactly. I have had to do so for certain cash transactions in Japan. For as little as $40.00, forty dollars.

Expand full comment
Comment deleted
Expand full comment

Don't be so sure. Access to the internet can be controlled through digital ID and a social credit score system. Internet access is not guaranteed at least not until some other version is developed that isn't dependent on an ISP (a for profit company that can be gov mandated).

Expand full comment

Boy is this so true. Try to buy software and hardware for English OS computers from Japan. If any of the following, ISP, Credit card billing address or shipping address and probably others, are in Japan, the transaction is cancelled. Some songs purchased over iTunes in the States won’t play in Japan.

Expand full comment
Comment deleted
Expand full comment

When you can teach me how I can put gas in my tank here in Japan and food on my table with it, without the transaction being reported to the US, I’ll be a believer.

Expand full comment
Comment deleted
Expand full comment

Thanks for the links. They are much appreciated.

Expand full comment

They control the gates in and out of bitcoin.

Expand full comment
Comment deleted
Expand full comment

Sure they can. First, there is no one near me, probably in the entire country, who accepts bit coin for anything. i first would have to exchange for cash or some kind of other traceable but digital currency. Then, if the proper conditions are not met, such as a high enough ESG score, no chicken.

Expand full comment
Comment deleted
Expand full comment
RemovedMar 24, 2023·edited Mar 24, 2023
Comment removed
Expand full comment

One thing that has been a major hang up for me with precious metals and stones, how to you use them to buy food. “Hey Mr. Green Groceer/farmer, I have right hear a Diamond/Gold coin worth $XXXX, see, I have a certificates that verifies it’s value. Can you sell me this amount of food?” Somehow, it does not seem likely to me that the farmer will sell to me.

Expand full comment
Mar 24, 2023·edited Mar 24, 2023

Use silver to buy stuff and HOLD Gold to preserve wealth.

Expand full comment
founding

Very good advice

Expand full comment

Not legal tender here. I would have to go to a broker, which are require to gather and send to the US all the info on me that the Post Office, Money wiring services and banks here are required to do. Same with diamonds. I can not even sell off stuff online without the sales being reported to the US, including all the info on the buyer too. We are all under suspicion of being money launderers and all transactions involving a US person are automatically shared with the US under FATCA and possibly the OECD’s CRS, if no US person is involved, just under the OECD’s CRS. It is already set up and in operation, though not completely as designed yet.

Expand full comment

The point of precious metals is that they preserve your wealth; they're not as easy to take away from you as cash in a bank.

Eventually you have to convert them to some form of gov currency to easily make purchases but I don't think barter will be out of the question.

Expand full comment

I have no wealth to preserve but I do have bills that must be paid. I am also unsure why or how they are harder to take away from you. FDR outlawed private ownership of gold. Yes, many did keep what they had, but they could not use it until that was repealed. It happened once, it can surely happen again. People are taking off with entire ATMs, they can easily take off with your gold even if it is in a safe.

But even if you have it gold, when you convert it to gov currency, they have you. They’ll just ask for all sorts of Identifying info and paper work. If I needed approval to cash an International Postal Money Order for $40 (forty) you can bet they can make similar and most likely worse required to convert gold to whatever currency they offer you.

These people are decades ahead of us on this.

Expand full comment
Comment removed
Expand full comment
Comment deleted
Expand full comment
Comment removed
Expand full comment

They do not need a working CBDC. All they need is for those of us who will not or can not partake of it to die of starvation or zero access to medical care or freeze to death because you can’t pay you energy bill.

Expand full comment

Exactly. They don't need it to be successful or even work correctly, they just need it to be there.

Expand full comment

Hoard your cash. You’re gonna need it.

Expand full comment

Can easily make it unusable.

Expand full comment

Yes, longer term it will be an issue.

Expand full comment

I am of the belief we do not have much longer. I have already run across QR CODE ONLY restrooms and obtaining the QR Code required making a qualifying per chase from a qualified merchant. This comes after years of having every transaction through my local bank accounts in Japan being reported to the US due to US law and having to obtain permission from the main post office in Tokyo to cash a $40 international postal money order from my parents for my kid’s birthday and we do not even live in Tokyo.

It is much later than we think.

Expand full comment

ME, too..... but this will still affect us if we have money in the banks.....how will we get our cash out if they will be monitoring it....

Expand full comment

buy goods ahead of time. they will only get more expensive.

Expand full comment

That's what I'm doing to the extent possible.

I'd say try to think about anything that would bring down your 'social credit score' and stock up on that.

Expand full comment

Right....but where do we keep our money in the meantime.....when they go all in to CBDC.....

Expand full comment

Small Local Banks or Credit Unions. There could be some safety in Big Banks, as they too big to blow up. It's hard to know exactly what will be seized and when.

Expand full comment

U.S. credit unions association says CBDCs are not worth the costs

https://finbold.com/u-s-credit-unions-association-says-cbdcs-are-not-worth-the-costs/

BUT they also may not have a choice at some point

Expand full comment

Good to know.... i will contact here, as well....

Expand full comment
Comment removed
Expand full comment

Well, in Canada, the credit unions apparently were all in with freezing of bank accounts.....

Expand full comment

I think eventually every financial institution will be forced to go CBDC including credit unions. Canadian here: I think the big banks will be first so perhaps credit union buys some time.

A friend has transferred trading activity to a non bank affiliated brokerage, she's opted forQuestrade. I don't know how good/bad they are.

I've been buying some hard assets (things you can touch and hold). It doesn't completely solve the problem but at least helps to keep what's yours as yours, at least for a while longer...

Also stock up on food and supplies especially non perishables and keep your freezer stocked up.

Expand full comment

This is a discussion of "timing the market." Most of us don't manage that well against professional traders, and by current example most of the banksters and traders don't either.

Expand full comment
Comment removed
Expand full comment

That and the skills most no longer have to use, maintain and mend those tools.

Expand full comment

Me too, but what I'd really like is metal silver coins once again. Everything other than silver metal should be stamped "DEBT, NOT MONEY, MAY DEFAULT AT ANY TIME"

Expand full comment

"What If" cash is no longer in circulation?

Expand full comment

We just start using the old US silver coins with each other once again.

There are plenty of them out there.

Expand full comment

Right but what about big purchases and freedom to use the money you earned....this is not ok.....

Expand full comment

We need to step outside their control and build our own parallel systems, every day.

You can start now by using cash for everything, avoiding banks and credit cards as much as possible every day.

And start accumulating silver coins.

Expand full comment

I understand but what about investments, etc...it's not practical....is this the only way to fight this..... this is why people will give in to the CBDC because it's complicated and not realistic ...... stores will not accept cash, gas stations, etc...how will you pay for things..... who will accept silver coins?

Expand full comment

You have to start somewhere, or just give up and be a slave forever.

People recognize silver, especially old US silver coins.

Start by using cash everywhere you can right now.

Expand full comment

Exactly......

Expand full comment

Until they are no longer allowed to accept cash. Then what? Or they require a photo copy of your DL and your SSN# for cash payments. Then what?

Expand full comment

We can use old US silver coins with each other.

There are only a few things we'd really be dependent on them for. Mostly, we can simply refuse to use their fake money.

Expand full comment

How would you pay your taxes when your income is in a currency they do not accept? Where would you exchange it?

Expand full comment

Right, for taxes, we're fucked by the bankers/government until the revolution and the hangings of the bankers.

But in dealing with each other, we can use silver.

Expand full comment

Castro Jr already tested it against the truckers. The same people lining up for boosters will be lining up for CBDCs.

Expand full comment

Hard to believe that was over a year ago.......

https://simulationcommander.substack.com/p/for-a-glimpse-of-the-future-look

Think back over the last, say, 20 years. Did you protest against the Iraq war? How about protesting at Occupy Wall Street? Were you a member of the Tea Party? A member of #TheResistance? Did you disagree with the government’s covid response? It’s nearly certain that everybody with a political pulse has crossed the government at one time or another. How comfortable are you with the idea that the person you’re protesting against can shut off your bank account?

Because now, it seems, those perfectly legal actions at least have the potential to come with harsh monetary consequences, as well as the ensuing chaos caused by financial ruin. And this is happening all without a single shred of oversight or due process. It’s just some asshole in an expensive suit giving a list of ‘subversives’ to another asshole in an expensive suit. The no-fly list but with the very real potential to ruin your life.

Expand full comment

Not only financial ruin, we now have political prisoners in both Canada and the US.

Expand full comment

The play is now clear. Insert a few agent provocateurs, have the media lie about literally everything and have your daughter's best friend's third uncle who happens to be the judge over you declare everything is fine.

Expand full comment

See Tamara Lich.

A legal protest and the cost of defending yourself will ruin most citizens.

Donald Trump's ongoing persecution in New York is a prime example of the power of the state in abusing citizens, and also an example of the best defence, ie be a billionaire, a possibility unfortunately unavailable to most of us.

Expand full comment

Exactly. And as you say, it is already happening.

Expand full comment

Yuri, please quickly invent the un-demoralizer™.

Expand full comment
founding

excuse me mr. peter. it's ummm....almost as if you were ready for this conversation?...;]]

Expand full comment

Unfortunately, a huge percentage of the population.

Expand full comment

B-I-N-G-O, bad cat. They are employing the same strategy they used to coerce compliance with COVID tyranny: manufactured crisis for the old Problem-Reaction-Solution trick. And CBDC/digital ID was the ultimate end game all along.

#MistakesWereNOTMade, once again. And anyone who hasn't watched Tess Lawrie's knee-buckling performance of my poem should immediately spend 4 minutes doing so. I guarantee you won't regret it and will want to share it with everyone on the planet ASAP:

• “Mistakes Were NOT Made: An Anthem for Justice (Video)” (https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/mistakes-were-not-made-an-anthem-57a)

Expand full comment

Mike Yeadon said in another post somewheres, he had a 0% conversion rate on red-pilling scientists with adequate data. What is your conversion rate?

Expand full comment

Mike Yeadon is extraordinarily humble to a fault, and I’ve no doubt that percentage is a dramatic underestimation.

None of us can possibly know what our conversion rate is as it’s not like we send out a survey to every person who has encountered our work to gauge it ;-)

All I can know is what people share with me, one example being Ryan Gardner, who once told me he red-pilled a friend’s father in an hour using one of my posts, writing:

“Your efforts are not in vain. I won a friend’s father over today because of your posting. He was going to go get his 2nd booster tomorrow. He canceled. I also wanted to encourage you because myself and many others learn from you.…

“He gave me an hour and I went through your email exchange. BTW: This gentleman is brilliant. One of the smartest people I know. Once I left he said, something along the lines of; I can’t believe I fell for this, tell that gal (don’t take offense - he’s an older Boomer) she got smarts and is one heckuva fighter. He was moved by your message. I’m hoping he talks his wife out of her 4th.” (https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/dialogue-with-a-curious-injectee-928/comment/7893550)

When I checked in recently and asked if he was able to wake up his wife, here’s what he had to report:

“Yes! They are both on ‘our’ side. They managed to make sure through much dialogue (and some grief) to prevent their 9 grandchildren from taking the poison.” (https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/letter-to-a-mainstream-straddler/comment/12996932 )

Ryan also said in the latter thread:

“I can also tell you that your work, Gatos, Igor’s and Sages has had a MAJOR impact on preventing my two-shot-and-done friends/family from taking boosters. I can never repay the four of you!”

So el gato deserves some kudos, too.

Expand full comment

Good reply MAA. I read that comment, thanks for the refresher. I'm getting close to 1/10 in 1 year of trying. Like you, I won't stop.

Expand full comment

Thanks, Peter. In my Dissident Dialogue interview with Meredith Miller (https://margaretannaalice.substack.com/p/dissident-dialogues-meredith-miller – currently underway so being published one Q&A at a time for my paid subs and will be available to the public once completed), she explained that it is nearly impossible to wake someone up who isn’t ready, no matter how hard we try. They have to be willing to open their eyes, and usually that comes as a result of disruptive moment of truth—often a tragedy (think of an addict hitting rock bottom).

BUT once they do wake up, she said Substacks like mine are essential as they will be voracious for truth and they will also want/need to corroborate their intuition to avoid falling back into what she calls a psychoneurospiritual state of captivity.

Expand full comment

I agree with you MAA, hope you don't mind the abbreviation.

I try to be subtle in conversions, I think I've reached a few, better than none.

St. Mother Theresa of Calcutta was once asked if she didn't feel overwhelmed trying to help the poor when there were so many. Her answer was something like 'if you help 1 person, that's important'.

Expand full comment

I don’t mind at all—many people call me MAA :-)

A few is impressive, especially when they don’t want to be reached!

I agree regarding helping one person. That person can in turn help another, and on and on and on. Like Ryan (who really deserves 99% of the credit as his friend’s father would probably still be asleep if he hadn’t taken the time to talk with him)—the one person he helped went on to wake up his wife, and they then saved the lives of their nine grandchildren, who in turn may help others ad infinitum.

Expand full comment

You can lead a horse to water but not force it to drink. However, that does not absolve the owner of the responsibility to lead his horse to water.

Expand full comment

I have red-pilled three people. Unfortunately, they were three jabs in at the time.

Expand full comment

LOL. Scientists.

My husband is an R & D chemist at a manufacturing firm. Not medical. He has co-workers from 71 to 26; the younger ones all have either a masters or a PhD.

They are ALL vaxxed. ALL OF THEM. He's tried talking to some of them, and he just gets blank stares. 0% conversion rate.

Expand full comment

I’m a physician assistant. Biochemistry background. I’ve talked to everyone i work with and printed out study after study. 0% conversion rate as well. Have convinced my grandparents and entire family though (0% conversion rate with the in laws though)

Expand full comment

How could all these Boomers who said not to trust anyone over thirty now be such sheep???

Expand full comment

Our nephew was killed by the vaxx at age 38. His parents (and he) live in a rural area, and he got involved with drugs. His parents still believe that it was the drugs that killed him.

Fast forward a year. Nephews father (BIL) is vaxx injured after a booster. Doctor admits it. Shingles then neuropathy. His wife (my husband's sister) was still considering getting boosters but has not done so because her doctor said there was no need.

These are people in their early 70s. They dropped out and moved onto a farm. Former hippies. Yet they are now some of the biggest conformists I know-- "Orange Man Bad," "MSNBC good," and of course, "Putin is the antichrist." I don't understand it, outside of "utter and complete tv brainwashing."

Expand full comment

It’s a puzzle! So sorry about your nephew.

Expand full comment

Thank you so very much Ann K.

Expand full comment

This might be a synergy of things, one being cognitive style. My dad was an R and D guy and a U.S. inventor, and once when he was working on growing gallium arsenide crystals, and I was young and environmentalist, and aware of the groundwater contamination in Silicon Valley, Superfund sites, I asked him, this brilliant inventive man, what happened to his gallium arsenide waster. He said "a truck comes and gets it". I think it might be also that red-pilling depends a lot on how much trust and faith the person had in government, the medical system, journalism, prior to covid. I've red pilled my friend on boosters, but only because he hated big pharma to begin with, and he still skates along blue pilled on everything else. I have a deep suspicion, just through inference, that there is very very sophisticated narcissistically aggrandizing counter propaganda being pushed through liberal outlets as he accused me of going down a rabbit hole, implying sort of that he worships god in god's way, and I worship god in my way. So there's cognitive style, awareness, and the theological dimension of politics, i.e. cults, these days. OR, another hypothesis I have is that they all are convinced depopulation is necessary, are unable to think about that consciously, and that a corollary to that is "but they wouldn't take ME out or injure me" as I'm not depopulation-worthy. That might explain why they won't read anything you give them.

Expand full comment

Same here in academia.

Expand full comment

I wonder if anybody is converted with being confronted with data… It seems like the people who are converted are the people who go looking for information. People who actually want to know what is true…

Expand full comment

I don't talk to anybody about data anymore unless they have first shown that they are interested in knowing.... otherwise you're just beating your head against a brick wall. Tossing pearls before swine. A lot of people will not know until it's too late, and then they will wonder WHY nobody told them.

Expand full comment

One reason that you can't convince many using data is that we have a population that is functionally innumerate. How many know enough calculus to understand that "two weeks to flatten the curve" does not change the area under the curve?

The true believers need a personal or very close friend or family member damaged to be open to the conversation.

Interestingly, the real working people (eg the Canadian truckers) see through the lies quite reliably, lacking proper indoctrination in the supremacy of experts. Personally, this has been observable from 5 decades ago, when I was doing real work in the summer between university sessions. The summer student is tolerated, but no respect is shown until competence is demonstrated, possibly by the 31st of August if adequate progress has occurred.

Expand full comment

lol last sentence.

Expand full comment

I grew up with a mother who made consistently bad decisions and could never link those to the predictable and consistent bad outcomes… When you tried to warn her in advance (because even a child could see this was going to go badly), you were scorned or ridiculed... after the bad outcome she would cry and say "why didn't anybody tell me?"

This isn't my first rodeo 😜

Expand full comment

😀 I like it!

Expand full comment

I can get peeps to agree that Outcomes > Beliefs .. but I'm willing to concede i'm wrong.

Expand full comment

I’m trained in biochemical engineering and worked in the pharmaceutical industry. My sister is a professor at a university. I would tell her my understanding of the Covid situation and she would tell me what her public health colleagues at the university were telling her. Needless to say, we did not see eye to eye. A couple of weeks ago, we were talking and she said, “you may find this interesting seeing as you are anti-vax.” I’m not actually anti-vax. I am just a realist about the pharmaceutical industry. But she then proceeded to lay out a pure red pill story about a breast cancer scare caused by enlarged lymph nodes due to what her doctor said was too ably caused by a reaction to the vax. Her doctor also told her that she had as seeing all kinds of issues and would not recommend that any woman interested in child bearing get vaccinated.

The moral to the story is that our rantings about the data showing the public health catastrophe may get ignored, but reality itself has a way of changing people’s minds.

Expand full comment

I used to say I'm not anti-vaxx. In the past, I thought that people like Suzanne Sommers (remember her?) and RFK were on the fringe, and that the medical industry would not hurt us.

In '21, our 38 year old nephew died from the C0VID vaxx. Our nephew's father is C0VID vaxx injured. Our 5 year old grandson (unvaxxed) is autistic; we suspect it's because of the childhood vaxx schedule.

I'm pretty much anti-vaxx now.

Expand full comment

As somebody who has worked in the pharmaceutical industry and still interacts with hospital and public health staff, I am under no illusion that the medical industry is particularly concerned about actually keeping people healthy. That’s why I say I’m not anti-vax. I think the entire industry corrupt. The vaccine is just another profit center for the industry.

Expand full comment
Mar 23, 2023·edited Mar 23, 2023

But Bitcoin is the lord and saviour from this, surely. All the smart people who know lots and lots of jargon says so.

Funny. Bitcoin has been around how many years now, and the enthusiasts still don't grasp that Bitcoin was and is used as a beta-test version of digital currency under state/corporate control.

From a historical perspective, this is the same thing that happened when states who allowed (read: had at some point in time been forced to) private minting of coinage withdrew that privilege, sometimes forcefully.

Wonder if they'll nullify accounts and then put the same amount into everyone's to give every US citizen equity and a level starting position? Could easily be combined with a system where you upon becoming a legal adult get access to a sort-of starting fund that's been held for you (i.e. not activated) until then. Obviously with loop-holes for the 1%-ers, such as certain investments, assets et c not counting towards this "citizen's credit system".

We had a saying here, back in the day:

"You can't vote the bankers out of office".

But hey hey, is much different from communism, yes?

Expand full comment

Martin Armstrong says bitcoin was developed by the CIA as a proto CBDC.

Expand full comment

To be clear, if I'm wrong and Bitcoin etc actually are functional and honest ways to escape all of this, I'll be happy!

That's the credo of the pragmatic pessimist: I'm happy to be wrong.

Expand full comment

I am also afraid of this, too many people are offering Bitcoin as an easy escape, and this make me suspicious.

On the other end history teaches us neither Gold Is.

Physical properties looks the safer refuge, but they are coming already for It.

Here in EU in the name of "green washing" are already making most of homes soon illegal, next step will be seize land.

Expand full comment
Comment deleted
Expand full comment
Mar 24, 2023·edited Mar 24, 2023

Even bitcoin is only useful if you can buy things with it. The people (or companies) you buy things from, unlike bitcoin, and the things you want to buy, also unlike bitcoin are real, physical entities.

Such entities are easily put under the control of the Powers That Be. And they certainly will do so, if that is what must be done to maintain their Power.

Bitcoin, along with precious metals, can be used to try to preserve wealth, perhaps grow it, and as a possible means of exchange. But once everyone is under [their] control, other than trying to create and defend a Gulch somewhere without Galt's magical invisibility system, there are really no options.

So the only real option is to defend freedom and sovereignty -- of both nations and individuals. That is a political ploy and is possible, before things get too bad. And it is even possible to undo things like CBDCs. Not easy, might require kinetic action and certainly will involve political action. But all is never lost.

Expand full comment
Comment deleted
Expand full comment

[They] let you buy things with it today. And don't get me wrong, I like BTC for many of the reasons you mention. But you can only buy things with it, because the counterparty accepts it.

The moment [they] decide to end this, they will. 'Only CBDC accepted.' Any physical entity in their juris