Hey Russ, I am about to cross the 4,000 post mark, and I notice you are about 50 posts past me.

The air is pretty thin up here, eh?

I think doing away with physical cash and going to some form of electronic credits would probably give governments a lot more power/control in general. The Government would do it and could force all businesses to do it too and, eventually, the vast majority of people would be doing it also. At a bear minimum under this type of system, the Government would know where you were at the time of a purchase and what you bought. Personally I think it would be a *lot* worse.

The Baltic Dry Index appears to have dropped another 25% in the last 2-3 weeks.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-01-19...trade-after-all

Current Index is below 300. i.e. less than 1/3 the international shipping trade than in 1985 when their were 2-2.5 Billion less people on the planet earth and China was still largely an agrarian society and my family/Parents didn't have a telephone.

It would seem cash money would only bring forward a few days the inevitable accelerated economic collapse assuming inventories where normal if there was a grid down event (Black Start event)

For the USA https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FYoXxVnTePA More dead folks but much less bad language..when compared to the UK

For the UK https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRes1zks3DM

If there was another 2008 Bankster event this year we may well see substantial negative interest rates and Bail in's with perhaps the consequence of the banning of cash money to improve commercial bank liquidity as central Banksters find it increasing difficult to hold back the fiat currency Ponzie scheme from total collapse under the weight of the losses of the ever expanding Quadrillion Derivatives infinite rehypothecation bubble.

I might well just be away on the Canoe Trip during those eventful weeks in Loch Hourn. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaesvyQsCMA

It would seem a North American Electrical Grid collapse event is a lot more susceptible to an EMP attack than I have suspected.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=_lZUdGrbIDc#t=2368

In fact the whole discussion is very disturbing considering the lack of any resilience of the electrical grid

These folks it would seem appear to know what they are talking about and ARE NOT your typical Telebox Doomsday Preppers some folks like to poke fun at.