MONEY: Walmart and Amazon are going to “mint” Stablecoins

Thursday, June 19, 2025

https://www.wsj.com/finance/banking/walmart-amazon-stablecoin-07de2fdd?st=Uj2rA8&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink&utm_source=tldrnewsletter

Walmart and Amazon Are Exploring Issuing Their Own Stablecoins

  • Corporate coins could take payments activity away from banks and the traditional financial system

By Gina Heeb, AnnaMaria Andriotis, Josh Dawsey
Updated June 13, 2025 4:51 pm ET

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FROM TLDR 2025-06-16

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Walmart and Amazon Are Exploring Issuing Their Own Stablecoins

Several multinational giants, including Walmart and Amazon, are discussing potential efforts to issue stablecoins. Whether these initiatives will go ahead depends on a bill still yet to clear the Senate and House called the Genius Act, which establishes a regulatory framework for stablecoins. Stablecoins could allow merchants to bypass traditional payment rails, which cost them billions of dollars in fees each year. A regulatory framework for stablecoins would enable an alternative payment type for merchants that could significantly lower their expenses and create competition against Visa and Mastercard. 

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To me this is BIG (<synonym for the act of procreation in real time>) deal.

I never understood why Walmart was allowed to establish its own bank.  The politicians and bureaucrats are always whining about the “poor unbanked”.  But Walmart could solve that problem quickly, cheaply, and easily.  So could Amazon.

Stablecoins by either of them could serve the same purpose as a bank without the regulatory hassle.

Let’s wait and see.  Competition in the “traditional financial system” for JP Morgan Chase, Bank of America, Visa, and Mastercard could certainly be good for the consumers.

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MONEY: Why are “savings” taxed at all?

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

https://www.cato.org/blog/penalty-american-savers-how-usas-fix-it

September 26, 2024 9:44AM
The Penalty on American Savers and How USAs Fix It
By Adam N. Michel and Joshua Loucks

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For many young and low-income Americans, the limits discourage them from using the accounts at all. Americans who use these accounts and then have to access their money early for a family emergency or job loss face new layers of taxes. Many low-income workers are automatically enrolled in these programs by their employers, following government incentives or mandates.

Money deposited in qualified accounts cannot be used flexibly based on an individual’s or their family’s immediate needs. If someone cannot confidently commit to leaving their savings untouched until the government-designated time, it may be wiser for them to avoid using a qualified account altogether.

IRS data show that for the lowest-income taxpayers, penalties for improper use of retirement savings make up a significant portion of their tax liability. Using an average from tax years 2017–2019, Figure 1 shows that 43 percent of all taxes paid by taxpayers with adjusted gross income (AGI) below $5,000 went to penalties for accessing their own money. About 19 percent of income taxes paid by taxpayers with AGI less than $25,000 went to penalties on qualified accounts.

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Why not let Walmart offer “banking services”?  Why not allow Credit Unions offer tax free savings?  Why aren’t Treasuries (i.e., Bills, Notes, Bonds) tax free like Municipal Bonds?

It doesn’t take a degree in Economics to figure out that America has a “savings problem”.  “We, The Sheeple”, responding to incentives, is deeply in debt.  No taxes on debt; taxes galore on any kind of savings/

Argh!

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CHROMEBOOK: This is a fraud and I’m surprised at WalMart

Monday, August 21, 2023

https://www.androidauthority.com/expired-chromebooks-on-sale-3352831/?utm_campaign=weeklyauthority&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_term=Weekly%20Authority

Computing
You shouldn’t buy these Chromebooks, even on sale

  • Thanks to Automatic Update Expiration, these Chromebooks will no longer receive any software updates.

By Aamir Siddiqui  —  August 7, 2023

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The US Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) (via ArsTechnica) pointed out how end-of-life Chromebooks are still sold on various marketplace platforms, like Amazon, Walmart, and possibly others, in new and unused conditions. These include devices like the ASUS Chromebook Flip C302, which was launched in 2018 and reached its Automatic Update Expiration (AUE) date on June 1, 2023. This means the laptop will no longer receive any security or platform updates for its Chrome OS from Google.

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Google maintains a full list of AUE dates for all models.

Please check BEFORE you buy!

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BITCOIN: If Walmart is not allowed to be a “bank”; then maybe it can be a “miner – fuds transfer agent – broker” all rolled into one?

Friday, April 14, 2023

https://bitcoinmagazine.com/business/what-happens-when-walmart-buys-1-billion-of-bitcoin

What Happens When Walmart Buys $1 Billion Of Bitcoin?

  • Though no purchase has been announced, Walmart’s inevitable allocation to bitcoin will jump start a ripple of hyperbitcoinization.

Clancy Rodgers  —   Mar 29, 2021

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MicroStrategy, Square and Coinbase are multimillion-dollar companies traded on NASDAQ with big bitcoin bags, but the everyday American could care less. Ask your average Joe how he feels about Michael Saylor’s MicroStrategy purchasing of 91,326 bitcoins and you’ll probably get a “What is Bitcorn?” and “Michael who?”

Walmart, on the other hand, is a different story because it’s the epitome of working class America. Built off the back of America’s mom and pop, it is now the world’s largest company by revenue raking in $548 billion in 2020. When Walmart adds $1 billion of bitcoin to its balance sheet, you’ll have that same average Joe’s full attention. It will create the ultimate exposure for Bitcoin to blue collar Americans and trigger a global monetary paradigm shift that is long overdue.

As Walmart’s tentacles reach into 24 countries, a Bitcoin tidal wave will blast through its world of ecommerce and brick-and-mortar retail operations. Walmart sources products from more than 100 countries, bringing globalization to Middle America. Instead of having to deal with complex currency conversions with global suppliers, Walmart will accept bitcoin, which will negate the headache of dealing with dozens of fiat currencies. This will simplify accounting and streamline operations. With no middleman bankers pirating off of transactions, the only thing separating Walmart from its global partners will be oceans (if the miners don’t boil them first).

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I see this as a great SET of “use cases” for WalMart.  

Remember: Wal-Mart Stores abruptly abandoned those plans for its own bank, withdrawing its application to obtain a special banking charter after a firestorm of criticism from lawmakers, banking industry officials and watchdog groups.Mar 17, 2007.

I’m sure that the Banking Industrial Complex used all their political power to block this 800# elephant from entering the competitive area.   Probably more than the BIC (Banking Industrial Complex), everyone else with a vest interest piled on.  What would Wall Street, Credit Unions, Western Union (and all the other funds transfer agencies), Amazon, Target, and the grifter politicians and bureaucrats do if WalMart literally swept up all the unbanked and all the little people’s bank accounts.  Profit margins if any would be cut to zero as WalMart ties in its  bank with its stores.

So now imagine that WalMart adopts bitcoin and see its use cases: (1) funds transfer from its international subsidiaries become cost free; (2) pay suppliers with bitcoin (free and fast); (3) Buy and sell bitcoins for U$D (dollars) globally; (4) avoid all sorts of onerous financial regulations, taxes, and fees.  

It would be a real hoot to see all the politicians and bureaucrats around the globe running around with their hair on fire.

And, in addition to a big win for WalMart, the little people all over the world could avoid the hidden taxation of earnings and savings that fiat currencies enable.

I’d love it.

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POLITICAL: Separate Health Insurance from employment

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

On a slightly different note, while I think Obamacare is a giant FAIL on so many points, I do think that it demonstrates the need to end associating medical insurance with one’s employment.

Car Insurance should be the model. You don’t lose your car insurance if you change jobs.

Let WalMart, Credit Unions, Fraternal Organizations sell Group Medical Insurance.

Just like Life Insurance!

Did you know that the Knights of Columbus invented Life Insurance for the poor working men. And, it took off like wildfire. My maternal great grandmother, a Protestant, bought in for her brothers by claiming they were Catholic. Until Met Life came along with a better rate. (Laugh!)

Obamacare may have given us lemons, but we can make lemonade out of it.

Then on to “pension reform”.

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POLITICAL: Addiction is a MEDICAL problem

Monday, October 27, 2014

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: South Brunswick Twp Police Department <south-brunswick-twp-police-department@emails.nixle.com>
Date: Mon, Oct 20, 2014 at 12:00 PM
Subject: Advisory Message: South Brunswick Police Officers Save 21-year-old man

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South Brunswick Police Officers quick actions saved the life of a 21-year-old Township man early Sunday morning. At 4:11am police received a 911 call from a man who said his friend had overdosed on heroin and was unconscious in a backyard. Officer Scott Bucca and Officer Marcus Leysath responded to the residence off Deans Lane and were directed to the backyard by the friend. They found the victim unresponsive with minimal breathing. Officers used the medicine Naloxone to prevent the heroin from slowing and stopping the victim’s breathing. The officers reported that within minutes of administering the medicine the victim began to breathe normally. The Monmouth Junction First Aid Squad and paramedics transported the victim to Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in New Brunswick for treatment.

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While any tragedy averted is good, it has to trace back to the “(pseudo) War on (some) Drugs”!

If all “illegal” drugs were for sale at WalMart and Walgreens, then addicts would be safe from adulteration and varying concentrations. 

Addiction is a MEDICAL problem, not a LEGAL problem. 

And, if “drugs” were no longer illegal, then they wouldn’t be “kool”. 

Argh!

One of the reasons that USP http://www.usp.org/ was formed was to ensure safe drug standards.

So once again, Gooferment creates a problem and then “finds” a solution that requires more Gooferment!

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— —-Ferdinand John Reinke… a proud Virginian since March, 20121641 International Drive #414Mc Lean VA 22102(732) 798-0508http://www.reinke.cc (Personal page)http://www.reinkefj.com (Professional page)

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MONEY: Walmart and AmExp announce “BlueBird”

Monday, October 29, 2012

https://bluebird.com/?povid=cat1099170-env474392-module474393-lLink6

Why Bluebird?
Bluebird is brought to you by American Express and Walmart, giving you:

The features you want
You can make direct deposits, pay bills online, deposit checks with your iPhone® or AndroidTM device, and set up Sub-Accounts — a great new way to manage family spending.

The value you expect
We believe your money belongs with you. That’s why there are no annual, monthly, overdraft, or minimum balance fees.

The service you deserve
Our award-winning American Express Customer Service is there for you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. And it’s super easy to open a Bluebird Account since there are no credit reviews.

It feels good to Bluebird.

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Interesting. Is this the long awaited foray into the “banking business”?

Seems beneficial to sign up for it to get “grandfathered in”, when stuff changes.

Could be a great deal. Especially for us “non-rich”.

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SERVICE: GARMIN — caution warranted

Monday, April 23, 2012

Funny – peculiar.

I’ve reported to the SURVIVAL BLOG http://survivalblog.com, as have many others, of “death by GPS”. Some are funny, like the truck driver in England who followed the GPS into a river when there was no physical bridge where the GPS said there was one. Others are tragic — the German tourists who drove into Death Valley unprepared, unaware they were on a trail, and suffering a mechanical (breakdown). Or the tech fellow who followed the GPS onto a seasonal logging road in California – Oregon area and was trapped by snow.

I picked up Garmin to deal with confusing Virginia roads and poor signage. So far, I have been:

(1) trapped twice in a loop — once in VA and once in NJ;

(2) annoyed at least five times when it for example insists I get off a perfect good (and free) 295 to jump onto the Turnpike and pay to get to exactly the same place (i.e., the DE bridge).

(3) it insists on annoying me when I stop for gas or the WC.

(4) It’s sent me to a non-existent WalMart.

(5) Twice it couldn’t find an American Legion despite being given an address.

(6) And, numerous other little challenges. Like give it an address and, no matter how you enter it, it can find it.

(7) Finally, there’s not way to pick a spot and say take me there. (At least, that I could find.)

So, as self defense, I, if I’m going somewhere “new”, will Google map it and mapquest it BEFORE venturing out. (Prematurely opened my new VA printer, just so I can print those in case GARMIN develops a stubborn streak.

Sometimes it’s wonderful. Like when the corporate apartment’s dryer didn’t. Garmin with the word “laundromat” found me a 24/7 big one two towns over with the most interest Latino Customers. (Several of the Mexican ladies smiled at me as I loaded my wet tidy whiteys into a huge dryer. Not wanting to be in some Country Western tune where the big boyfriend takes exception to me with my high school Spanish saying “leave me alone, señorita”, I just focused on playing with my IPAD.

So, it’s like an idiot friend, who at random, dispenses both good (i.e., don’t drive home) and bad (i.e., buy us all a round) advice.

Caveat emptor applies to its directions.

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