I don't think cash will _ever_ be eliminated.
There will always be transactions which will not justify the cost of the overhead in hardware and transaction processing, and market pressures will reward those whom develop a way to avoid this overhead, IMHO.
You can not depend on this. The government may subsidize the transactions, reducing or elimintating the overhead. For example it may issue "free" (paid for by money extorted from you) Personal Identitiy Cards, and install "public" Funds Transfer Terminals in most public locations. It may pass laws requiring every business to accept it (just write "This Card is a Legal Tender..." on the card). Then the only incentive for bypassing the system would be desire for privacy, which, for the average American, is much weaker than the economic incentive. -- Yanek Martinson mthvax.cs.miami.edu!safe0!yanek uunet!medexam!yanek this address preferred -->> yanek@novavax.nova.edu <<-- this address preferred Phone (305) 765-6300 daytime FAX: (305) 765-6708 1321 N 65 Way/Hollywood (305) 963-1931 evenings (305) 981-9812 Florida, 33024-5819