Bitcoins? Here's a better analogy: Say the public grid is notoriously unstable. Electricity is on maybe 50% of the day. (This is in fact true in some countr

Bitcoins? Here's a better analogy: Say the public grid is notoriously unstable. Electricity is on maybe 50% of the day. (This is in fact true in some countries.) Now the government (who pretty much has sole domain over running utility wires) offers a "deluxe" service, with 100% availability, for the low-low price of a week's worth of food for one day of service. Congratulations. Now you've stabilized a scenario in which everyone with money and power is sated, and the government has little reason to allocate any resources to improving the service to the remainder of the public.