Neighborhood Ministries

Digital currency is a government controlled programable digital dollar. It would be backed by the Federal Reserve rather than a commercial bank. It is pushed as a way to provide a safe and efficient means of economic transfers for individuals and businesses and lower transaction costs. However,  it will allow the IRS to track every purchase you make, block transactions they don’t approve of, and freeze accounts at will. It is similar to the one China currently uses to monitor spending, punish dissidents, and enforce government compliance. It would require Congressional approval and that is not likely since many Congressmen from both parties oppose it over fear of government control of the economy. The Senate just passed a resolution in 2026 banning a federal digital currency  by law until after December, 2030, though it does not ban private digital currencies currently in place. The Federal Reserve has already conducted experimental programs with major banks to test the feasibility of such a program in America, and several European countries are also experimenting with it. Once in place it will be very difficult to dissolve.

President Biden pushed through the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 right after taking office. It will take effect in Aug., 2026 unless it is repealed. It required that the threshold of reporting for third party settlement organizations like PayPal was lowered from 200 transactions with an aggregate total of over $20,000 to transactions totaling over $600 with no minimum number of transactions. He claimed it would close the tax gap but estimates are that the increase in collections will only be a drop in the bucket. Personal payments like buying a car and reimbursements for expenses could easily be wrongfully included in taxable income. President Biden also ordered the hiring of 87,000 IRS agents but no provision was made to pay for them. It is estimated that this was designed to pay for them. It is supposed to tax the rich but the rich can afford expensive lawyers so it will primarily hit small businesses and individuals with side hustles. President Biden was also pushing a digital currency and many feel this was a step toward instituting one.

They say that socialism will solve all our problems and make everyone happy but can’t explain why everyone is moving out of States dominated by socialists like California, New York, and others. People are leaving in droves. Almost 2/3rds of those who are still in Oregon have voted to separate from their State and join Idaho and 2/3rds of those who are still in California have voted to break away from their State and form a new State. Many companies have closed or pulled out of New York, California, and similar States due to high taxes and regulations. Forty five out of fifty three refineries in California have closed and most of the stores and businesses that we hear about closing are in States and cities dominated by socialists. That doesn’t sound like they are happy people.

My mother used to tell me that the proof is in the pudding while Jesus tells us that you will know them by their fruits. Many things look good but produce bad results and many things don’t look as good but produce good results. God wants what is good for everyone but our personal desire is to benefit me. Socialism promises that everything will be shared equal and that sounds good. But if you have six people and only one pie, no one will get all of it without taking it from the others. It will lead to fighting among the people. However capitalism says that if everyone contributes a pie, we have to give up a little, but everyone gets what they want and there is no fighting. They say that socialism benefits everybody because they get everything free but forget to tell you that you end up paying far more for it in taxes than if you buy it yourself. You just don’t realize you are paying more because it is hidden in taxes and you don’t see the real cost. The joke about the $75 toilet seat is not a joke. The government pays far more for things then if you bought it yourself. When I worked for the Area Agency on Aging, our agency paid a company $56 to mow a lawn when I could have got a company to do it for $15 or $20, but the government wouldn’t pay them because those companies didn’t have a contract with the government. It was so difficult to complete the paperwork for a contract that only very large companies could afford to do it. That is just for the goods and services. That doesn’t include the administrative costs which amount to about $3 for every dollar spent for goods and services.

God said He placed before us life and death and urged us to choose life. God told Adam and Eve that they could anything in the garden except the fruit from one tree and they would have eternal life. If they ate of that tree, they would die. Satan told Eve she could have that beautiful fruit and it would make her wise and there would not be any bad consequences. We face the same choice today. God has laid before us a plan to give us the best of this world but the powers of this world tell us that we can have the forbidden fruit and be happy without having any bad consequences. Their promises are as much a lie as those Satan told Eve. God’s ways lead to happiness and prosperity while the world’s ways lead to poverty and death. The media tells us that 3% inflation under Trump is bad while 8% inflation under President Biden was good. They also tell us that the economy was good under President Obama and President Biden when companies were laying off workers and moving overseas due to higher taxes and increased regulations and the fact that they spent millions of dollars on social programs to buy votes and funnel millions of dollars to their friends and their campaign funds. On the other hand, they are telling us that the economy is bad under President Trump where tariffs are bringing back jobs, decreased taxes and regulations are allowing businesses to expand, and the war in Iran is to prevent them from detonating atomic bombs in the United States. Like in the Wizard of Oz, you need to look behind the curtain and follow the money.