Listening to the radio this morning, I learned that Gordon Sondland, the US Ambassador to the EU that testified yesterday, was originally not going to testify. He was actually friendly to Trump in general, and donated money to his inaugural parade. One reason he finally agreed to testify was that a US Representative from Oregon, Earl Blumenauer, encouraged Portland officials and citizens to boycott six hotels in Portland that Sondland owns a stake in. Rep. Blumenauer said:

> Anyone who cares about America should not do any business or stay at any of Gordon Sondland’s hotels. Not until he fulfills his duty as a citizen to testify and turn over all relevant documents

It occurred to me that this is exactly the way a social credit score will work. Replace the word "America" with the word "China" in the quote above and tell me this isn't a social credit scheme.

When you think about, there are many more examples that we are all familiar with. If you hold the "wrong" political ideas, it is harder for you to:

• Speak on social media. At the extreme now you can be un-personed from the Internet (Milo, Alex, et al), but that power is slowly shifting into the mainstream.
• Setup business bank accounts or credit card processors
• Book a conference room at any major university
• Acquire a job in certain industries (tech, media, entertainment, education, for example)
• Open a store, restaurant, or hotel (florists, bakers, Chick-Fil-A, "appropriated" ethnic food, Sondland and Trump's hotels)

Is it really that big a leap until you can't book a flight, get a credit card, get a driver's license or passport in a reasonable time, get insurance (those gun owners are more of a risk!), or rent an apartment or buy a home in certain locations?