From Covid to CBDC: The Path to Total Control ⋆ Brownstone Institute

It has seemed obvious for some time that the current fiat monetary system is, at best, unstable. At worst, it’s a Ponzi scheme whose time has expired. If so, I suspect the central bankers and 0.1% know this and might be ready to usher in the new system before the old one collapses in on itself – even if they plunder it on the way down with the greatest transfer of wealth in human resources. the story.

For anyone paying attention to these trends, it seems obvious that the central bank digital currency (CBDC) will be this new system.

Everything indicates that the arrival of the CBDC is imminent. Yesterday, several global banks announced a partnership with the New York Federal Reserve to pilot digital dollars. Given the ubiquity of credit/debit cards, payment apps, and other online payment systems, digital cash has been inevitable for some time. The risk is not the electronic part, it is inevitable, it is the fact that a central bank will oversee the digital currency.

From my perspective, it is impossible to overstate the risk presented by the CBDC. Whether it’s a utopian vision based on good intentions or a sinister plot to crush our sovereignty, the result can be the same: control. A central bank digital currency has all the drawbacks of fiat currency, plus the added layers of state-supervised surveillance and programmability.

So many of Team Reality have probably felt like dissenters over the past few years simply for challenging anything beyond the herd mentality. Asking questions or speaking out against the narrative on topics such as the likely origins of the covid virus, the usefulness of PCR, the risk to most of the population, the benefits of early treatment, the benefits of immunity nature, the safety and effectiveness of vaccines, the pros and cons of masks/lockdowns, and the usefulness of vax passports created an environment where people were stigmatized, alienated, or outright censored. Imagine a monetary system with built-in features to socially design our way of life. For instance:

• Health: “You didn’t take your reminder…sorry, you’re not allowed in public areas.”
• Energy: “You’ve used up your energy allowance this month…sorry, your electric car won’t start.”
• Food: “You ate too much meat this week…sorry, your money is only good for plants (or bugs).”
• Savings: “If you don’t take your rations soon…sorry, your money will expire at the end of the month.”
• Freedom of Speech: “You’ve shared information that we disagree with…sorry, our algorithm is fining you.” (PayPal already started doing it)

If the CBDC eventually becomes the new monetary system, its key features will ensure that governments around the world will no longer need something like a global health crisis to print money or shut down society. Lines of code can shape our behavior and force us to stay home. The entire platform will be designed to expel the workforce no longer deemed necessary. While I initially believed that state-directed pharmacological interventions were an isolated and acute threat at this time, it became clear that they were just a tentacle in a much larger beast. Whatever forces insinuate this direction on the world (looking to you, Davos), it has proven relentless in its pursuit of the perpetuation of fear and power.

I’m well aware that this must sound crazy, especially to anyone who hasn’t paid attention to this trend in a while. A few years ago, I would have thought that was nonsense, but after witnessing the lies, deception, and government takeover, I was afraid that was where we were headed.

When you consider that the vaccination mandates had no medically justifiable purpose, it’s entirely plausible that they were simply an on-ramp to normalize a papers-please society. In New York, where I lived until recently, most people accepted vaxports and loved the Excelsior Pass mobile app because it was convenient. How many will feel the same way about digital money, which will undoubtedly bring its share of benefits?

The central bank’s digital currency will allow governments to impose top-down control, much like China’s social credit score. Some central bankers are even say the quiet part out loud. Whether or not that is the goal of the program, has there ever been a time in history when governments have rejected the power given to them? At this point, this isn’t just a tinfoil hat theory either. There are many examples of how this kind of finance-driven coercion is already happening.

• “Now the government is asking people to apply for plastic My Number cards with chips and photos, which will be linked to driver’s licenses and public health insurance plans. Currently used health insurance cards, which lack photos, will be phased out at the end of 2024. People will have to use My Number cards instead.
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• “The new pass will guarantee the allocation of the fuel quota on a weekly basis. A QR code will be assigned for each National Identity Card (NIC) number, once the vehicle identification number and other details have been verified.
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• “According to a report by 9News Queensland, the department has decided that unvaccinated teachers who have been allowed to return to their jobs this term after being placed on unpaid leave will suffer another financial blow, with a “pay cut” for a period of 18 weeks.
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• “The trial, which is voluntary, will use facial recognition to identify people and the number of tickets they have. The technology could be extended to cover automated purchases at concession stands, restaurants and bars.
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• “As part of the government’s recently announced plans, Uganda will begin collecting DNA and biometric data from its citizens when their cards expire in 2024 for use in its revamped digital identity program.”
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It’s just the tip of the iceberg, and it’s global. As we have seen with the lockdowns, China is the model emulated in the West. Like the slide toward authoritarian health-related measures, unelected globalists with financial interests lurk in the background.

I wish I was wrong about all of this. However, until there is evidence, we should be wary of anyone perpetuating this dangerous path, regardless of their motives.

To dig deeper into this topic, I highly recommend this essay by Fabio Vighi on Long Covid monetary policy. Edward Dowd also spoke at length about the relationship between the monetary system and covid, including during this eye-opening presentation. Then the excellent Maajid Nawaz covered the pilots behind CBDC. Others, like Marty Bent, Saifedean Ammous and Allen Farrington, have been ahead of the curve in identifying these risks. I share their assessment realizing that Bitcoin probably solves this problem.

If you haven’t noticed by now, a main theme of the past three years (at least) has been “freedom versus control”, so it’s not hyperbole to suggest that the future must be decentralized if we are to ensure that our children grow up in a free world.