WHY DO I NEED CASH? I HAVE PLASTIC

I have heard the "I have my plastic" remark so often when I ask my son if he has some cash.  It seems that if a person is below a certain age, cash is almost an alien concept.  So many of us rely on that little piece of plastic for all our money.  Credit cards, debit cards and ATM machines are everywhere.  Every thing is electronic and uses computers.  However is this wise?  Remember the tornado last year, what happened to those ATM machines then?  Having some cash stored in a safe place that you can get to at anytime would have been a big help.   What would happen if something happened again?  Came across this when I was reading and it started me thinking about what if - but should it be when?  What would my family do?

In pleading with Congress Wednesday against automatic defense budget cuts, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta also warned of another crippling situation like Pearl Harbor. It won’t come in the form of bombers and torpedo planes though but as hackers and worms of the cyber variety with the ability to cripple U.S. infrastructure.

CNS News reports Panetta saying that those with the capability to launch a cyberattack would be able to “paralyze” the United States. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) asked Panetta to clarify:

“You said something that just kind of went over everybody’s head, I think, that there’s a Pearl Harbor in the making here. You’re talking about shutting down financial systems, releasing chemicals from chemical plants, releasing water from dams, shutting down power systems that can affect the very survival of the nation. What’s the likelihood in the next five years that one of these major events will occur?”

Panetta answered, “All I can tell you is that technologically the capability to paralyze this country is there now.” 


To read the complete article, click on the link: 
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/panetta-warns-cyber-pearl-harbor-capability-paralyze-country-there-now