It has been reported that some retailers may be refusing to accept cash (currency) as payment in exchange for products and services due to the pandemic. (I am not talking about BART letting riders ride for free earlier this year). A. If this is proven to be true, what may this mean for the millions of Americans who do not have the ability to pay in any other way? B. If this is ‘illegal’, or MAY be ‘illegal,’ then what, if any, penalties should there be, in theory? Why? C. How might these penalties be enforced? D. Before March, 2020, the city of San Francisco took steps to try to prohibit merchants (sellers) from refusing cash as payment for services and products. It was argued that it may be discriminatory for a seller to refuse cash as payment, as millions of people in our country do not have a credit card, a debit card, a bank account, a checking account, or the ability to pay by ‘electronic transfer’. In your opinion, is it discriminatory for a seller to refuse cash as payment for small, ‘everyday’ items? Why or why not? E. Is it discriminatory and unfair for a society as wealthy as ours (at least $99 trillion in household wealth) to allow some children and young adults to go without a working computer with internet access in their homes? Why? please keep it short
