Letters to the Editor: Money is filthy, literally and figuratively. Don’t ban cashless retail in L.A.

To the editor: Los Angeles City Councilmember Heather Hutt is wrong about businesses that do not accept cash. We should abandon cash altogether, as more and more countries have done already or will do soon, including the Nordic countries.

The benefits of no-cash payments are so obvious. Bank cards and smartphones are ubiquitous, and if you don’t already have one and know how to use it, you need to learn.

Having no cash on you means you are less likely to be mugged. Illicit commerce in drugs or graft would be easier to trace and to prosecute with a digital record on file with “clean” institutions. Imagine what voiding all hard currency would do to cartels and grifters worldwide that hoard U.S. dollars.

Many immigrants who reside in the U.S. without authorization carry large amounts of cash with them or hide it where they live. They become easy victims of crime and risk deportation if they report thefts. We should become a cashless society while overhauling the immigration system if only to protect the most vulnerable among us from life-threatening crime.

Finally, during the COVID-19 pandemic, people paid via “touchless” means for a reason. Money is filthy, literally and figuratively.

Richard Stanley, Los Feliz

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To the editor: I worked for a tax-filing company for a while and was surprised by how many customers did not have bank accounts. I pointed out that in the shopping center where we were located, there was a credit union and several banks, but people were concerned about low balance accounts with mandatory fees.

Some people were part of families where no one had ever had a bank account, some did not trust banks, and some were anxious that accounts with all-cash deposits would subject them to extra scrutiny.

There were more reasons, but it’s been years and I don’t remember all of them.

Susan Silberstein, Long Beach

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To the editor: I would make the argument that it is illegal not to accept cash.

Each piece of United States currency includes the statement: “This note is legal tender for all debts, public and private.” The implication is that you must accept cash.

Bill Williams, Porter Ranch