[TopQuark]

I don't think so: I believe only CASH transactions through banks above 10K are recorded. The goverment does not have any records when you buy a car, for instance.

Note also the word "spending," not "transactions," and not "cash transactions."

[sourcery]

I don't think so: I believe only CASH transactions through banks above 10K are recorded. The goverment does not have any records when you buy a car, for instance.

You're right that only cash transactions are tracked (and I had not meant to imply otherwise.) However, you're wrong that only bank-mediated transactions are tracked. By law, just about any multi-party transaction involving more than $10k in cash should be reported to the Feds (the Patriot Act greatly expanded the reporting requirements.)