All-electronic money would save us from supporting things we oppose.

[gulliver]

If we had all-electronic money we could give an electronic serial number to every "dollar unit." Then every single transaction could be forced through a government clearinghouse network by using digital signatures to prevent any other form of transfer. The clearinghouse could track the history of every single dollar.

It would be great, because you could ask for a report that would show if any of the dollars you spend end up funding abortions, or paying for criminal activity, or going to someone you don't like for whatever reason. Then you could simply refuse to spend your hard-earned dollars anywhere where those dollars might somehow end up going somewhere you don't like. I mean, if it's your money, you should have the right to know where it is being spent downstream from you.

You could even set preferences on your money so that it could never ever be spent again on anything you don't approve of. Think how great that would be for those religions whose holy books (apparently) specifically say not only what you can buy, but what the people you buy from can buy.

We should do this!

[Ian David]

1. Would it be keyed to a microchip on our forehead? n/t

[gulliver]

2. How else could it work? n/t

[Ian David]

4. Then count me in, so long as my number begins with 666. n/t

[Kurmudgeon]

12. And your money is always available to the guy who puts a gun to your head.

[peacebird]

3. What fees would be charged?

What sort of fees would be imposed? Credit cards and debit cards impose fees.
Why should i have to pay to use my money?

[Fuzz]

5. Are you the anti-christ?

[Ian David]

6. You could pay your landlord in dollars that cannot be spent on food, oil, gasoline or electricity.nt

[TheKentuckian]

7. No thanks.

[originalpckelly]

8. You can make this less 1984 and it would be a reasonable proposal.

Take out everything after the first paragraph and it would be realistic.

[libtodeath]

9. How would it work

when you buy groceries or something else,does the money get reprogrammed to the new owner?

[Earth_First]

10. Maybe we could also globalize this monetary system?

[WinkyDink]

15. Using the Euro as our model?

[cloudbase]

11. "I mean, if it's your money,

you should have the right to know where it is being spent downstream from you."

===========================

Once you spend it, it's no longer yours. The people "upstream" from you might want a say in how you dispose of "your" money.

[Fumesucker]

13. I think tracking every transaction is a great idea..

If you think 1984 was an instruction manual rather than a cautionary tale..

[WinkyDink]

14. Thank you for this very modest proposal. ;-)