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I keep seeing these stories and, yes, civil forfeiture is a problem, but why are these people traveling with CASH in these amounts? I always get a cashier's che

• crystaln 11y ago
  Why are you asking this question? The answer is none of your business. One should be able to travel with as much cash as one chooses.
  • bcook 11y ago
    My point was; if you carry cash in large amounts and lose it, then you did not prepare. Carrying around your life savings in cash is a very bad decision, because _anyone_ can take it and you have very little recourse. I ask because there are a few ways to avoid this particular situation; fix government overreach or stop carrying your life savings in cash. Doing both seems safest, but if we can only do one, then itis obvious which is easiest.
  • anigbrowl 11y ago
    Because what's right and what's sensible are two different things. Bear in mind that you could also get robbed the old-fashioned way - if you reach into your envelope full of money to withdraw any cash there's a small but non-zero possibility that someone will notice and get the idea to take it for themselves. This is why people used to carry traveler's checks before plastic became ubiquitous - people know that carrying a bunch of cash as a tourist in an unfamiliar place is unwise.
    • yarou 11y ago
      I think you are completely missing the point of this article. This isn't about whether or not one should carry large amounts of cash with them. Rather, this is about an abuse of power by a large government entity that doesn't seem to be held accountable for its actions.
      • bcook 11y ago
        Being suspicious of someone carrying 16k in cash across the country to start a music video business seems logical to me... There need to be better examples (of which there are) of governmental abuse before people will care. I suppose we have the right to be suspicious if we want, but do not be surprised when someone mistakes you for a criminal.
        • spacemanmatt 11y ago
          So when I mistake you for a criminal, I can take your stuff? Must be a cold world.
          • bcook 11y ago
            No, just report me to the police.
• a3n 11y ago
  Who do you make it out to, and when?
  • bcook 11y ago
    I woud just keep it in the bank. Was he just going to go find someone and give them 16k for a music video company? 16k in cash just makes very little sense to me.
  • anigbrowl 11y ago
    You don't make it out to anyone. A cashier's check is a bearer instrument issued by the bank against its own funds.
    • a3n 11y ago
      "The payee's name, the written and numeric amount to be tendered, the remitter's information, and other tracking information (such as the branch of issue), are printed on the front of the check." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cashier%27s_check https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cashier%27s_check "A bearer instrument is a document that indicates that the owner of the document has title to property, such as shares or bonds. Bearer instruments differ from normal registered instruments, in that no records are kept of who owns the underlying property, or of the transactions involving transfer of ownership. Whoever physically holds the bearer bond papers is assumed to be the owner of the property. This is useful for investors and corporate officers who wish to retain anonymity, but ownership is extremely difficult to recover in event of loss or theft." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bearer_instrument https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bearer_instrument
  • bcook 11y ago
    If someone wants 16k, they can wait the 30min it takes me to go to the bank and get a cashiers check.
• aliakhtar 11y ago
  Yes, or why withdraw it in cash at all? It could be kept in the bank and a debit card used to withdraw it.
  • sukilot 11y ago
    Then the govt can seize it directly from the bank because your cousin has a phonetically similar last name to someone who attended the same church as a suspected terrorist
  • sumedh 11y ago
    > or why withdraw it in cash at all? Its my money, I can do whatever I want.
    • bcook 11y ago
      When I bought my first vehicle, friends and family told me to get a cashier's check and not carry a large sum of cash across state lines, for a few reasons. Yes, I had the right to do otherwise, but without a logical reason to do so, why? I am honestly wondering if there are any good reasons to carry cash like that. Ignorance, perhaps.
      • mikeash 11y ago
        There are a lot of people who distrust banks. Maybe they've never interacted with banks at all. Maybe their only experience with banks is having their meager earnings and savings whittled away by fees. I'd never carry around such a wad of cash. But if I ever chose to, I should only have to fear losing it to criminals or absentmindedness, not the government.
        • mikeash 11y ago
          Just following up on this, I heard a report on the radio about "banking deserts" where there are no local bank branches for sometimes miles around in poor parts of cities. For people without a car, that's going to make banking pretty tough. If you're effectively criminalizing large amounts of cash, and poor people are likely not to have a local bank branch, then you're almost criminalizing savings by people in poor communities.