Since when is it a citizens job to make things easier for law enforcement? Since, Louisiana House Bill 195 passed and requires that those who buy and sell second hand goods cannot use cash to make those transactions.
Rickey Hardy, District 44 commented, “It’s a mechanism to be used, so the police department can be able to have something to go on and have a lead.”
How Louisiana’s Poor-Hating Politicians Are Cash-Bashing
By: Ken Fisher
Now, when a good Louisianian holds a garage sale after a bout of spring cleaning, if they accept cash for their old vinyl collection, they’ve broken the law.
Swap meets. Church bazaar sales. Antique stores. Buying used skis off Craigslist. You can’t use cash in the Pelican State. Their stated reasoning is to prevent the sale of stolen goods—their view is cash transactions make it easy for criminals to sell their booty. Fair enough! No one wants to encourage dastardly behavior. Which must be very widespread, because one owner of a second-hand shop reports he had come in possession of hot goods once in eight years. (That he knows about! Cue ominous music.)
And we all know how church ladies are regular fencers at their sinister fund-raising events.
This law will create a nice influx of cash for Western Union and the U.S. Postal Service, the two largest money order providers, since most poor folk don’t possess credit cards and many are unable to obtain a checking account. Those credit card machines aren’t free either. Most people don’t operate credit card machines at their yard sale. Who could afford it?
Under House Bill 195 of the 2011 Regular Session (Act 389), a second hand dealer is defined as:
“Anyone, other than a non-profit entity, who buys, sells, trades in or otherwise acquires or disposes of junk or used or secondhand property more frequently than once per month from any other person, other than a non-profit entity, shall be deemed as being in the business of a secondhand dealer. “
This new legislation will be a steppingstone towards a digital wealth society within the state and a means for the state to increase its monitoring of all monetary transactions and destroying any potential black economy growth. [Read more…]
I wonder what the feds will have to say about this? Take a good look at that dollar bill in your hand, right on the front, you can read, “This note is legal tender for all debts, public and private.”
Does the state of Lousiana plan to issue a recall on our currency? Perhaps they will opt to start printing their own money – especially since ours isn’t worth all that much today anyway?
Related articles
- Law Bans Cash for Second Hand Transactions (jhaines6.wordpress.com)
- WTF? Louisiana Bans Cash For Second Hand Transactions (crooksandliars.com)
- Insane Ban on Cash Transactions in Louisiana (jessidavis.com)
Has the Attorney General given an opinion on this law yet? I can’t seem to find one. Other than the broad language of the law as signed on July, 1 I can only find editorial opinions on it. Usually one linking or snipping from the other. Some wildly over exaggerated. For one, non-profits and garage sales and pawn shops are excluded. The dangerous language in the law is ” all transactions”. But what does this mean?
Don’t misunderstand, I am VERY angry about this law. It is insane and one more step closer to a police state. I am also wanting to start my own second hand store, so I have more than just a small interest in this.
Many retailers of second hand items use methods other than waiting on someone to enter their store and offer an item. Sorry, life ain’t like Pawn Stars. As a retailer must I get this newly required info from garage sellers, estate sellers, craigslisters? And if I see a nice piece of furniture on the side of the road at 3 am, am I to wake the residents up so I can get their info since I might be able to fix it up and sell it?
Pawn shops are required to keep items for a certain length of time before it can be resold due to theft issues. Will second hand dealers soon be required the same? Will I be required to allow local LEO to inspect my inventory vs my books?
I have been to the flea market and antique shops since August and obviously it is NOT required to sell second hand items using other than cash so I am lead to believe this merely means when my business takes items for resale. This is why I am focusing on the previous questions. They MUST be answered by a trusted figure before I can go any further.