But that does not mean it is ok for the police to stop you for speeding, decide that they "smell mary-ja-wana" search your car and then clean out your wallet saying you have to "prove" your cash is honest.
They do that.
Occasionally they take enough and the person is ticked enough to fight back and after a mountain of legal bills they get some of the money back.
But worse is when they tell you that you are going to sign the money over to them or else. They have told parents that they will lose custody of their children is they do not sign the few thousand dollars in cash they are carrying over.
It is not the amount of money, it is the fricking abuse.
I am not disagreeing with you, just pointing out that all of these left-wing activists groups pulling shenanigans here and abroad are getting funding from the same “asset forfeiture” piggybank. Lots and lots of funding in far larger amounts than the stories you hear about that rile people up.
The big banks and Fortune 500 companies are where the real money is at. We are talking “billions” and they keep hiring more and more former government employees, er contractors, every year. They seem to be in on it too.... all that “quantitative easing” where the Fed gave them billions and billions at almost zero interest for a decade plus made a lot of money in the market so if they have to “give” a little back its still a good deal for them - my kids and yours? Not so much.