Does anyone else remember "working under the table "? It used to be a way for low income and working poor people to get a leg up and eventually move into the middle class. You would think the powers that be would let this kind of thing slide, seeing as how these people are strivers who will end up paying big taxes in the end. When I grew up, guys worked construction on the weekends for cash, did side jobs doing whatever they did during the week, some sold pot to their friends. Girls babysat for cheap for their friends, waited tables, did hair at home. They just didn't claim the income. It's almost impossible to do this now. Banks have to report large deposits and withdrawals. The irs keeps track of peoples Ebay and Etsy earnings. You need an expensive lisence to babysit or do damn near anything at home, if you're approved to do it at all. Theoretically, how could one do this today? Other than actually selling drugs for cash, how could you cash a check that wouldn't be reportable, or at least traceable? How could you sell products, other than a yard sale- also needs a permit- that isn't instantly reported as income? They have completely cut off the way many, many people were able to rise above the economic class they were born into. I'm asking about the US. I don't know how much this applies to anywhere else.