At the close of 2025, it was a no-brainer to select intrepid cash warrior and “Team Cash” leader Susan Luschas as our Hero of the Year. Susan’s persistence and creativity on behalf of physical cash (delightfully communicated in our May 2025 “Turtling for Cash” interview) have inspired many in the Solari audience to step up their own use and promotion of cash.
In this week’s “Part II” interview, Susan returns to update us on her latest cash-related efforts in South Dakota. She starts by explaining what happened after she helped get a 2025 bill passed—by one vote—that requires cash acceptance at school-affiliated sporting and other events. When parents started contacting Susan to tell her that some schools were continuing to refuse cash, Susan learned that passage of a law does not guarantee that the law will be followed or enforced. Undaunted, Susan sent follow-up emails to school administrators to let them know they were in violation of state law—and, in the case of one particularly recalcitrant school, politely threatened negative publicity and a follow-up enforcement bill. As a result, all of the schools started complying with the law.
Susan also describes how taking local action on other issues of concern to South Dakotans—such as the siting of cell towers and data centers—has served as a way to grow the constituency for cash, as people start connecting the wider dots about financial transaction freedom. At a time when Mr. Global is trying to build a freedom-throttling “three-lock” transaction system that allows surveillance and interference by outside parties, Susan shows that transacting with physical cash is not only a powerful and satisfying form of pushback, but one that is fun!
I should note that this interview took place on the eve of primary elections for the South Dakota state legislature. Thanks to an effective ground game in which Susan and her husband, Manuel Luschas, knocked on 2,000 doors, Manuel won the primary for House District 2.
Additional note: Susan refers to her talk, “The Case for Cash,” which she presented at the Rogue Food, Farming & Finance conference that took place in South Dakota in February 2026. You can view the slide presentation for that talk HERE.
Links
The Case for Cash (slide presentation, February 2026 Rogue Food conference)
Manuel Luschas for House District 2
Related at Solari
Turtling for Cash with Susan Luschas
Hero of the Year 2025: Susan Luschas
Hero of the Week: May 19, 2025: Susan Luschas
Hero of the Week: March 17, 2025: South Dakota Representative John Sjaarda
Team Cash (Financial Transaction Freedom website)
