I was always sympathetic to the argument that we underestimate how valuable having a centralized control is (when it doesn't go off the rails). We get a lot of

I was always sympathetic to the argument that we underestimate how valuable having a centralized control is (when it doesn't go off the rails). We get a lot of fraud absorbed by banks right now so that end users aren't holding the bag. When there are bubbles, the fed tries to mitigate the affect of massive price crashes/economic downturns. The SEC limits the impact of market manipulation, and makes the game generally more fair. And on the tail end of all of that, being able to track money more effectively makes law enforcement's job easier. All of those things have their own downsides, but I think they're all net positives. Though I do think modern monetary theory is a great example of why we might want something decentralized, and is a big reason for why bitcoin is gaining traction.