Why governments will not ban bitcoin

[serenitys]

Governments are now obsolete, the world just hasn't figured it out yet.



I am a citizen of the world. To me all towns are one, all people my kin.

"The world is my country, all mankind are my brethren and to do good is my religion"
-Thomas Paine

"Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind."
-Albert Einstein

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_citizen

Amen.


Pun intended.

[Cryddit]

Governments are now obsolete, the world just hasn't figured it out yet.

They are not yet obsolete. 

I have hopes, and I am working hard on making at least some aspects of them obsolete, but for now anyway, it would not be prudent to attempt to form a working society without any.

Bitcoin's blockchain is an example of "self enforcing law" -- in particular people don't counterfeit bitcoins because they can't.  People don't misrepresent amounts because they can't.  It's all set up by protocol and enforced because enough ordinary people who don't want to be the victims of those crimes continue to honor the protocols that protect them.  I applaud the concept.

If we can extend it to cover most kinds of commodities trading, in a way that most of those crimes cannot be committed either, that will be a huge step toward obsoleting more functions of government.  It would be a huge win for everybody, a relief of that part of the tax burden combined with a relief from that kind of crime. 

But I have to believe that we will always need someone whom we can rely on to respond if some idiot stands up in a theatre and starts shooting people, and I can't come up with a cryptographic protocol that would prevent that. 

Not saying that government won't be completely obsolete within a century or so, but understand that to make government completely obsolete will take an AI capable of faster and more accurate thought than humans, fully capable of using force, and not under human control.  Right now I consider that more than a little bit scary.

[jonald_fyookball]

Governments are now obsolete, the world just hasn't figured it out yet.

They are not yet obsolete. 

I have hopes, and I am working hard on making at least some aspects of them obsolete, but for now anyway, it would not be prudent to attempt to form a working society without any.

Bitcoin's blockchain is an example of "self enforcing law" -- in particular people don't counterfeit bitcoins because they can't.  People don't misrepresent amounts because they can't.  It's all set up by protocol and enforced because enough ordinary people who don't want to be the victims of those crimes continue to honor the protocols that protect them.  I applaud the concept.

If we can extend it to cover most kinds of commodities trading, in a way that most of those crimes cannot be committed either, that will be a huge step toward obsoleting more functions of government.  It would be a huge win for everybody, a relief of that part of the tax burden combined with a relief from that kind of crime. 

But I have to believe that we will always need someone whom we can rely on to respond if some idiot stands up in a theatre and starts shooting people, and I can't come up with a cryptographic protocol that would prevent that. 

Not saying that government won't be completely obsolete within a century or so, but understand that to make government completely obsolete will take an AI capable of faster and more accurate thought than humans, fully capable of using force, and not under human control.  Right now I consider that more than a little bit scary.

IMO, there's nothing wrong per se with the concept of government , as long as it is 100% based on Objective Law and exists solely for the purpose of protecting individual rights.

[BitOnyx]

It depends what do you mean by "ban bitcoin"

To make it illegal or to even punish for usage of it ?

Hard to say. There are similar things to bitcoin right now (only less decentralized) and no one even considered to make them illegal in any way.

[bryant.coleman]

It depends what do you mean by "ban bitcoin"
To make it illegal or to even punish for usage of it ?

No one will be crazy enough to ban even the possession of Bitcoin. Bitcoin is not some explosive device or a hard drug like heroin which can cause serious damage to the society. So no one will ban its possession.

[TippingPoint]

Governments are reluctant to ban new technology.  They don't know what will be successful in the future.

But they have already started to "regulate" the conversion of fiat currency to/from Bitcoin.

And coming next will be "regulation" of mixing and laundry services.

And "regulation" of your internet service providers.

[serenitys]

Case in point - saw a slew of articles about the crowdfunded assassination market with a list of political figures waiting their turn at being offed by the hitman taking on the highest bidder.

Much as the governments would like to ban it, the anonymity of it on top of being funded with bitcoin, makes it impossible to enforce unless the feds just get a lucky break. If they can't ban that, they won't be banning bitcoin. Or, they might issue rules and laws but the people will disregard them.

Not sure if the assassination market will ever achieve a true hit but I'd love to have the AM go mainstream in that just broadcasting the (ever growing) list might serve to put these corrupt douchebag political and LEO criminals on notice that they've been marked...maybe a "notice" list that they've been marked and have x amount of time to undo their criminal activities or step down lest they be moved to the Red List...and then so be it.

I'd have two screens up constantly: bitcoin charts and the AM list...and popcorn stock would go through the roof. That'd be more fun to watch than TV.  

[zolace]

its all about the Benjamins baby, they wanna milk it if they can get it, its always how it been for many years.

[ChuckBuck]

There's no money in the ban for the government.

It's all about the taxes...

[Bit_Happy]

There's no money in the ban for the government.

It's all about the taxes...

If governments will not ban bitcoin then we need to step up and do it ourselves.
Oh wait... 

[serenitys]

I am in favor of banning or ending all forms of government beyond self government and installing administrators instead - who are not paid hundreds of thousands of dollars. I'd strip them of any authority to create and pass legislation and instead layer that "votecoin" concept onto all issues where people could simply vote themselves and their votes actually do count, and cannot be tampered with in any manner.

While here...

I'm in favor of releasing all non violent criminals from prison, giving all incarcerated their appeals within a year, releasing the wrongfully convicted, and incarcerating all those involved in pursuing a wrongful conviction (judges, jurors, lawyers, cops, etc) and send them all to prison or death row for the same amounts of (averaged) years they sent innocent people to face.

I've not looked too deeply into private law enforcement or security but I'm not against it on its face...could work far better than what we have now with not a single non corrupt police department anywhere on the planet.

I do, however, agree that the end of all "fed/gov" bodies or entities is a good thing, stripped of control, defunded, and kept in check...as much as I see a series of revolutions taking place here and now that will bring it about.

I credit the mainstream internet with launching the real revolution - once people tasted reach and power, and influence, the countdown clock began.