Voices for Freedom
Recently Westpac New Zealand had a technical issue Which resulted in some Mastercard credit and debit card payments not being processed correctly.
This is another example of why we don’t want to live in a cashless society.
We all know that tech issues happen as well as power outages and in an emergency you want to be able to make urgent purchases with cash.
This is why we at Voices For Freedom are currently running a campaign dedicated to the importance of cash.
Did you notice?
- The slow creep of cashlessness?
- Cafes or other businesses not accepting cash as payment for goods or services?
- The inability to hop on a bus and pay the fare with coins?
- Some libraries not accepting larger denomination notes due to a reduction in bank branches in the area?
- A general push towards tapping and swiping cards and phones instead of carrying coins and notes?
- Discussion surrounding the potential ‘health hazards’ of using cash?
All for our ‘convenience’ and ‘safety’?
Why Worry?
What’s the big deal?
While it may seem easier to leave the wallet at home and pop your card in your pocket, there are some serious downsides to participating in the incremental death of cash.
The authorities will always frame solutions to real or manufactured problems in a positive light. However, we must ensure open and transparent discussions of any policies regarding implementing alternatives to cash, including the risks, benefits, and the potential trajectory toward a totalitarian system of government.
Removing our ability to earn, save, and use cash places us all at risk of government overreach.
Imagine…
A system where your ‘money’ only exists online
What happens when:
- there’s a power outage?
- a systems crash removes your ability to make transactions?
- hackers access user accounts and personal details?
- your weekly purchases exceed your personal carbon score allowance?
- the views you express online run contrary to that of the current government?
- you donate funds to a cause or organisation deemed ‘dangerous’ (such as the Canadian truckers)?
Could access to your finances be limited or removed by the Government?
Sleepwalking into accepting measures to become a cashless society alongside the digital ID and wallet technology enabling such a system would be a grave mistake.
What are Kiwis saying about keeping cash?
VFF’s Tane Webster hit the streets to find out what everyday New Zealanders think about using or losing cash…
