I am traveling this week, which means today’s show was a shorter one, but the topic could not be more important. Legislation is continuing to advance in the United States that brings us closer to a world where the government and its corporate partners have CBDC level control over our currency. We already have the foundation in place through digital ID. You can see my thread on this topic pinned to my profile on X (https://x.com/RenzTom/status/1979996633199763723?s=20). The Genius Act and several related bills are accelerating us toward a fully centralized digital financial system. It is coming, and we need to be ready. Even while on the road, I could not wait to bring this information to you because the pieces are falling into place quickly. The public is being told these laws are unrelated and harmless, yet together they create a framework that mirrors what a formal CBDC system would require. Today’s show pulled those pieces together, and in this blog I want to unpack that in a clear and accessible way. Digital ID: The Foundation for Everything Else The Real ID Act of 2005, updated through later rulemaking, created a nationwide system of identification with mandatory security and biometric standards that states must follow to participate in federal identification programs. The Department of Homeland Security describes Real ID compliance as requiring machine readable technology and identity verification mechanisms that enable digital authentication across states. Add to that the rapid push toward mobile driver’s licenses, a system promoted by standards bodies and adopted by several states, and you begin to see the emergence of a universal digital ID. When private companies like Apple and Google integrate these IDs into their platforms, the line between public and private data sharing becomes thin. That is not speculation. It is how digital credentialing works across sectors, as documented by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. My concern, which I voice regularly, is that this creates a digital environment where you cannot meaningfully participate in modern life without connecting your government verified identity to private systems that track your behavior. Whether the government compels it directly or through corporate pressure, the result is the same. The Genius Act: Not a CBDC, but a Pathway to One Advocates for the Genius Act claim it prevents a central bank digital currency by forbidding the Federal Reserve from issuing one. That is true in a narrow sense. However, the Act simultaneously opens the door for private entities to create dollar pegged digital tokens that can include programmable features. The Financial Stability Oversight Council has already warned that private stablecoins require strong oversight due to the potential for systemic risk and user tracking concerns. My point is simple. If a private company can issue a programmable digital dollar that determines where you can spend it, how long it is valid, or what types of purchases it allows, then functionally it behaves like a CBDC even if it is not issued by the Federal Reserve. This means control shifts from constitutionally accountable institutions to corporations shielded by regulatory loopholes. During COVID we saw the consequences of public private enforcement when pressured platforms censored speech while government agencies claimed plausible deniability. A similar structure applied to currency presents a serious national threat. UCC Updates and House Bill 195: The Final Link Ohio House Bill 195 belongs to a nationwide series of updates to the Uniform Commercial Code. These updates create a new classification called Controllable Electronic Records. That category includes stablecoins, tokenized assets, and various forms of cryptocurrency. This is not inherently negative. The UCC must evolve to handle modern financial tools. But the way these changes merge digital identity verification, tokenized currency, and settlement syst