Central Bank Digital Currencies or, as I like to call them, “slave money”, are a hot topic among globalists and other would-be slavers. Just imagine how wonderful it will be when your government can confiscate your cash remotely with the click of a mouse, control the things on which you can spend it, or keep you from spending it entirely if you have done something of which they disapprove. I have been warning about this ever since my “Unicard: Ubiquitous Computation, Global Connectivity, and the End of Privacy” paper in 1994, which was considered dystopian science fiction at the time.
In a few years, countries that aspire to economically enslave their populations won't even have to develop their own systems for doing so—they'll be able to buy it off the shelf as a turnkey system from China, integrated with the “social credit” system.
It seems future depredations by the state are unlimited. Near future individual liberty is in serious retreat. Long term, it is slated for extinction. Yet more to despair about, as it appears irresistible, especially since there are few platforms by which to meaningfully object.
Thanks for the affirmation. I would be terminally depressed, but for our two kittens. Our daughter gave us a neutered boy ragdoll kitten 4 months ago. We both fell in love with Thoedore (for “The Adored”) and just got him a neutered boy ragdoll for a playmate this past weekend (yet to reveal to us what his correct name should be). We figured that since house cats (even those who - like ours - get to keep their claws) have such a limited opportunity to experience much life, having a playmate would be the best thing we could do for him. I mean aside from loving on him constantly. After only three days, it is an absolute scream to see them transform into a two-cat rolling fur ball with 8 limbs at angles which defy Euclid. Not to mention their attacking our laptop screens while viewing “Videos for Cats” - consisting of tasty-looking birds and squirrels. They actually try to open the laptop when it is closed!