Imagine a time when the government knew nothing about the money in your bank. It cared nothing about how much you made, where you made it, and what you did with it. You could take your earnings in gold, silver, paper, or anything else, and never filed a sheet with the government. How you earned a living was none of the business of the political class. For that matter, your bank account could be under a false name and absolutely no one cared. This was the world of a mere 100 years ago in the United States. That’s why it was called the “land for the free.”