Pete Hendrickson (@LostHorizons)

A Few Observations On Current Events I'd rather just relax and enjoy the spirit of the season, but...  “There is no safety for honest men but by believing all possible evil of evil men.” –Edmund Burke BECAUSE THIS ONE HAS REARED its ugly head again recently-- most prominently with some plumping for it by Britain's new Prime Minister-- let me say here in the most certain terms possible: Advocacy of a "central bank digital currency" (CBDC) should be made the death knell for any political or business career. Such advocates should immediately lose any position of trust and honor, if not their place in society itself. Indeed, advocacy for CBDC is tantamount to treason-- and I mean that very seriously. The US Constitution is grounded in the principle of decentralization. This is expressed, for instance, in federalism, the tripart division (trivision?) of government institutional structure, the role of juries, the limitations on direct taxation, the sacred places given to freedom of speech, the people's ability to resist and overcome central government oppression and personal privacy, and the fundamental residence of ultimate power in all things and at every level in each of hundreds of millions of citizens. Diffusion of power as the American organizing principle is expressed in many specific statements to this effect by the Founders and Framers, as well. CBDC has centralization as its primary characteristic. It is designed to remove money from individual ownership and control as a practical matter (regardless of any soothing associated rhetoric, whether in the form of statutes or otherwise) and transferring that control (and hence, real ownership, and almost unimaginable tyrannical power-- see Part III of this discussion for a quick sketch of this horror) to a central bank and those to whom it answers. Thus, CBDC is a concept, and has a purpose, which serve to give aid and comfort to the enemies of the United States. Its advocates should be treated accordingly. Continued: https://losthorizons.com/N/220.htm#3