Political Games Leave Idahoans’ Finances (and Liberties) Vulnerable. By Niklas Kleinworth (09/16/24)

idahofreedom.org/political-games-leave-…

In the first of a three-part article, Kleinworth states that Idaho still lacks the sound monetary policies to guarantee a stable, constitutional, and free financial system. He describes the problems and offers solutions.

Key points:

• Our current financial system supports the interests of an increasingly large government.

• Inflation, debanking, and surveillance restrict citizen access to the system, redistribute wealth, and punish political dissidents.

• Inflation and devaluation of the dollar continue, taking from those who earned and saved and redistributing money to the government’s priorities.

• Gatekeeping by government controls how much money the winners will receive and whether losers will have access to their money.

• Debanking — “political and religious discrimination by financial institutions” — is a common form of gatekeeping.

• Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) will allow the federal government to surveil and control personal financial behavior. In the name of “convenience,” CBDC will manipulate consumer spending behavior and precisely regulate their access.

• Federal funds are used to balance nearly two-fifths of the Idaho state budget, making our state dependent on federal whims and regulations.

What the Idaho Legislature Can Do (but tried and failed to do in the 2024 session):

• Enable the state treasurer to hold physical gold and silver in the state reserve, reducing the effects of inflation on state assets and saving tax dollars over time. (Gov. Little vetoed Senate Bill 1314.)

• Ban CBDCs and protect the right to hold, mine, and transact in digital assets. (Legislature narrowly defeated House Bill 585.)

• Make gold and silver legal tender (stalled in committee without even a hearing).

Kleinworth says these sound money policies aren’t new, with several states implementing CBDC bans, gold and silver legislation, and digital asset or bitcoin protections. Idaho should pass similar legislation in 2025!